Yesterday I watched terminator 2 for 100th time and I have to say this. Terminator 2 is a fantastic movie on every possible level. First, the effects and sound design. Cameron, as we are now used to, uses every means of his time in practical effects and where these are not enough, he simply innovates in CG. Seriously, the opening scene with the battle between machines and humans in Los Angeles isn't as good as modern counterparts, it's better. So are the flaming opening credits with the musician And the movie is 32 years old. I do not describe more. Cameron's direction is incredibly careful and detailed. Cameron is not a good craftsman, he is a good director. When you watch the film again, notice when he zooms in, when he chooses to stay still and when to move, and how it all perfectly serves the script and creates the feeling he wants. A small example is the famous "get down" scene, and the close-up of Arnold stepping on the roses. A chill. However, the last and greatest asset of the film is its script. With modern media creating a movie with great effects is clearly easier. What has been difficult for about 4,000 years of the art of storytelling is creating characters who will make you care about their fate, presenting completely fictional people, to whom the audience, and especially the cinema, must within a minimum time to invest. And this is what makes this particular film an absolute masterpiece, the highly successful interweaving of the personal and the emotional with the ever-present fear of an impending Doomsday. John Connor is a gifted but traumatized child who has had no one his whole life but his mother, who is obsessed with the future. Sarah Connor, an early feminist icon, has shouldered an unbearable burden, which clearly prevents her from being the mother she would like to be. The T-1000 is presented as the ultimate cold evil, one that even its creators fear, as Cameron had said. And finally we have the T-800, who starts out as a bland robot and slowly evolves unexpectedly into a quirky father figure. I was also very impressed by the seamless tonal transitions throughout the film. Hilarious scenes are followed by scenes of intense action and these scenes are emotionally charged. And unlike the majority of other films that try to do the same and end up falling flat, here everything is perfectly coherent. PS 1. The scene where Sarah beats up the trash who abused her is a scene of absolute satisfaction. PS 2. We all know by now that the T-800 in the second movie is with the good guys. However, I can only imagine the surprise of those who saw the film before the internet age and arrived at the get down scene to find out.
