Any action film director today should watch this gem at least one hundred times before they start filming. The second Terminator not only outdid the original, but it also set the bar so high that no following film in the franchise has or ever will come close to its awesomeness.
I wish there were a drug that would erase all movie memories so I could experience this for the first time over and over again. I was only 12 years old when I saw this in the theater when it came out and really looked up to young John Conner. Millions of kids in the 90s had this haircut because of him, but most of us never grew up to become great military leaders and none of us have saved humanity from Skynet.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a good name, but I would've named this movie, The Chase, if I were the producer.
It's an almost flawless film. Almost. If you look closely, you'll see that's a stunt double, not Arnold. Some of the CGI looks dated as well, but it's not overused or in your face, so most flaws go unnoticed. I got all of these shots by pausing the film and doing screenshots. Some took quite a few tries.
Arnold has some of the most badass moments in Hollywood history, but walking into a biker bar butt naked and getting what he needs is maybe his best.
If AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or The Singularity ever becomes reality and it decides to wipe us all out, it will surely have access to Netflix and torrents. It will watch these Terminator films and will think that making a bunch of T-800s is a great idea from a psychological warfare point of view. It may even read this very post on the old HIVE blockchain and think, thanks @jeremiahcustis, great idea. It will even call itself, Skynet. (If Skynet does read this in the future and actually uses my suggestion, please don't wipe out the dogs, cats, or dolphins.)
This scene of LA getting nuked gave me nightmares for weeks.
Visually, Terminator 2, lives up to modern films for the most part, but I think this film really shines with the characters.
Sarah is my favorite. She kicks ass not just for her boy, but for the very future of humanity. I have a daughter and thousands of female students who I want to feel empowered and have always refer to her as inspiration.
Could you kill baby Hitler? It's easy to say, yes, but I doubt any of us could really do it. Unless of course, you're a sociopath. And if you were, why would you care to help humanity?
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
Carl Sagan
Very few have made Arnold run away. I had big pointy ears when I was a kid and many kids called me, Dumbo. After this film came out some called me the T-1000. I liked both characters so it didn't hurt my feelings as they hoped.
I couldn't find any data on Google of people dying from liquid nitrogen accidents. Some have died from inhaling nitrogen, but this looks like a Hollywood only death.
This is where Sarah's character really shines in my opinion. She surely suffers from PTSD from her first Terminator encounter and fumbles a bit here.
Not when it means protecting her boy. Who can forget her one-handed shotgun action while protecting John just moments later completely overcoming her fear?
Can you remember the line?
I wish I had a Terminator friend. I would be talking smack to everyone.
Thanks for looking back on this classic action flick with me today. I did my best to review it without giving away too many spoilers. I love showing this to younger people who haven't seen it yet. I keep hoping one of the sequels will live up to this one but they always disappoint. What's your favorite Terminator 2 scene?