Terminator 2 (1991)

Release Date: July 3, 1991


What's It About: The future of humanity is in ruin when the world is taken over by artificial intelligence. The machines send an android assassin back in time to kill John Connor, the son of Sarah Connor, who had survived a similar experience 11 years prior and is prophesized to be responsible for the salvation of humanity in the future. However, not one, but two androids are sent from the future - one whose sole objective is to kill John, and another who is programmed to protect him.


The Good: T2 is most renowned for it's special effects, which are bar none some of the finest effects work in Hollywood. This was done at a time when practical effects were at their peak and computer generated effects were gradually entering the medium, and this production had a balanced amount of both. This includes the T-1000 unit, who serves as one of the scariest villains on film. James Cameron has a strong eye for detail and there are many small background elements that add to the immersion of the film and the realism of its characters.


The Bad: You may be logically unsettled by the laissez-faire approach to time paradoxes, as is a common trope in many science fiction stories. The film is also alot of ham-fisted exposition, which you may not welcome. It's also very violent and uncompromising with its thematic presentation.


Best Performance: Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800. Arnie was an emotionles killing machine in the first one, but in this one he must expand upon his portrayal of the Terminator in order to bring it's character development full circle from killer to surrogate father. During one scene, Sarah has a monologue in which she professes that the Terminator was a more successful father to John than any human man had ever been, and it was crucial that Arnold's performance reflect and show that, through small, innocent interactions between the Terminator and John.


Should I Watch It: This is an absolute staple of science fiction and a movie has never been as many equal parts entertaining and richly crafted as this one. This is Hollywood filmmaking at it's finest, and I miss the days when movies were this fun and this thought-provoking. This film is a bona-fide icon of cinema and there are countless references to it in other media since then. It's currently enjoying a cinematic 3D re-release!


Post-Credits Scene: No


Similar Films: Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), Robocop (1987)... Not a whole lot, really. I would argue that other films are like it, but it isn't like other films.


Trailer: