Our Film of the Week series goes back in time to review Terminator 2: Judgement Day

14 January 2021

Cinematic masterpieces don’t come around as often as you might think, and the more films are made the less original some ideas can become. However, when we look to the 90s we find a rare gem that shines through with brilliance.

John Connor and The Terminator / Picture Credit: Paramount Pictures

Terminator 2: Judgement Day can be argued to be one of, if not the most beautifully crafted, well made, incredible films to ever grace our screens.

The film is pure excellence from start to finish, as the horrific authority of The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is carried through from the first feature. However, the twist is that he is not there to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), he is there to save her.

Locked away in a facility that has deemed her insane (due to her rants about Terminators from the future coming to kill everyone), Sarah attempts to break out of the place.

Meanwhile, John Connor (Edward Furlong), Sarah’s son, is acting out in his foster home and using odd gadgets to hack ATMs and steal money.

This is when the film gets interesting; and it stays that way! Another Terminator, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is also sent back from the future. But not to kill Sarah, to kill John as he will lead the fight against the machines in the future.

John, after being more or less kidnapped by The Terminator, realises that he is there to help him, not harm him, as he does everything John says in order to protect him.

Reluctantly however, The Terminator helps John to break his mother out of the facility she is in. This scene is simply outstanding; Sarah is already in the middle of breaking herself out of the facility, when everything goes into slow motion and Sarah drops to the floor as she sees The Terminator exit the elevator and head straight for her.

The magnificence of this scene does come from the horror Sarah experiences in the first film when The Terminator tries to kill her. However, she also sees that it is the T-1000 that is after them so she and John work with The Terminator to figure out how to stop him.

Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 / Picture Credit: Paramount Pictures

We then follow the trio as they are pursued relentlessly by the T-1000, which (might go without saying) is a newer model than The Terminator and isn’t a robot – he is made of liquified metal, making him harder to kill.

The group workout that Skynet is the cause of the machines going rogue as it developed its own schemes to assure its survival.

John and The Terminator decide that the man who created it needs to be told to refrain from doing so and delete or get rid of all his data regarding the project. Sarah, however, decides its best if she kills him…

The film is an utter triumph, to say the least. There is nothing negative you could say, the casting is perfect, the cinematography is excellent, and the story is just phenomenal.

The new notion that The Terminator (who still terrifies Sarah) is here to help rather than kill, and the magnificent T-1000 who is a simply unstoppable villain and it seems nothing can kill him.

Plus, the film coins some absolutely brilliant lines and scenes that are now total classics.

For example, the scene at the beginning of the movie where The Terminator wonders into a motorcycle bar to find clothes that fit him is iconic. When finding someone his height and size, The Terminator demands, “I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle,” before beating a guy pretty hard in order to take them from him.

Throughout the movie, John also attempts to teach The Terminator how to be a bit more… human. He ends up teaching him the immortal line, “Hasta la vista, baby.” the whole affair adds a little humour into the film, which is perfectly balanced and not forced in any way.

From start to finish you are never bored, never feel the need to check your phone, and are always entertained. Even when there is no action scene, information is revealed, pasts are discussed, and you are constantly intrigued as to what the T-1000 will do next.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a must-see for any classic film fan, action fan, or just someone who owns a TV and DVD player. It is a stroke of genius, and sets the bar very, very high for any other action or sci-fi movies after it.