Country:
U.S.A.
Genre(s):
Action / Sci-Fi
Director:
James Cameron
Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger / Edward Furlong / Linda Hamilton
Plot
Two more Terminators are sent back in time. One, a newer, more dangerous model, is sent
to kill the young John Connor; the other, the same model as the one from the
original film, is sent to protect him.
Meanwhile, Sarah Connor is on a quest to stop the coming apocalypse.
What I Liked
In the original “The Terminator,” the biggest, most eye-popping explosion
was a tractor trailer explosion as the film approached its end climax. In the sequel, the filmmakers throw in an
almost identical explosion, only this time it happens somewhere around thirty
minutes in, just to show us that they’re fully prepared to blow our
expectations away.
With the first film, James Cameron was a unproven director given a
relatively miniscule budget that resulted in his having to do more with less. Yet he still managed to create a
heart-pounding action flick out of an unimpressive script and limited financial
means. By the time production began on a
sequel, Cameron was responsible not only for the surprisingly successful original,
but hits like “Aliens” and “The Abyss” as well.
Thus he was given an estimated $94 million budget (making it the most
expensive film ever made up to that point by a gap of $24 million) to make a
follow up that surpassed the considerable expectations for a thrilling special
effects shock to the senses.
The most groundbreaking effects for this one are obviously related to the
new T-1000 Terminator, which is constructed of liquid metal, allowing for the
use of computer-based graphics the likes of which had only previously been seen
in Cameron’s previous outing, “The Abyss.”
The technology allows this new villain to morph into various shapes and
people, walk through barred doors, and reconstruct himself from being blown to
bits; if the previous Terminator was hard to kill, this one seems downright
unstoppable.
Some of the effects that seemed so mind-blowing do now seem dated or
obsolete. However, most of it still
holds up. And it is to the credit of the
filmmakers that the film as a whole still makes for terrifically satisfying
viewing more than twenty years later.
This is because there’s still plenty of good, old-fashioned shoot ‘em
ups, chase scenes, and exploding vehicles to satisfy the most jaded twenty-first
century action junkie.
What I Didn’t Like
In those rare moments when the action slows down and the film is stripped
to its script and acting, it can sometimes be hard to watch. Also the screenwriter, Cameron tries to lace
in more character development for his main characters, even with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
Terminator. The results are mixed, but
luckily a riveting fire fight is never too far down the road to keep the hokey
dialogue and unconvincing performances from ruining the experience.
Most Memorable Scene
*spoiler alert*
When the original Terminator rose out of the flames of that burning truck
to reveal his menacing metal endoskeleton and keep marching straight at Sarah
Connor, “The Terminator” became an instant classic in just a matter of
seconds. For the sequel, that moment
comes at an almost identical moment. The
T-1000, frozen in liquid nitrogen and blasted to bits, is able to reform from
shards to a puddle and back into a fully operational Terminator while his
potential victims look on in disbelief.
For those who haven’t seen it before, the moment will leave them
wondering how the hell anyone, even a Predator-killing Conan like Schwarzenegger, can stop this
killing machine. Scenes like this define what is enjoyable about a James Cameron film; they never get old.
My Rating: 4 out of 5
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