Terminator 2: Judgment Day

As mentioned in my review of "The Terminator", I did not watch any of these movies until my adulthood. In the case of the first movie, I was grateful for that. I am impressed though at how future Oscar-winning director James Cameron dialed down some of the elements that the first film is known for. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is less gritty in appearance and has less gruesome violence. The story decisions made were very smart in that you get the same story pattern as the first movie but parts of story are switched up to also allow for a new experience. The legacy of this film is its special effects. Cameron's future films are also known for raising the benchmark are Hollywood special effects.

I bet many movie fans sighed in relief on August 29, 1997. Speaking of the look of this film pre and even post-Judgment Day, it is a more appealing and I think it is the use of blue tints. The first movie had a darker tint and the city of LA wasn't appealing in appearance. In this sequel, things feel a little more pleasing to the eye. As mentioned, the plot is similar to the original film but switched up at the same time. At first glance however, it seems exactly the same except this time John is the target. The T-800 is back and because the T-1000 speaks and acts more human-like, we assume that it is human and looking for John to protect him. The T-1000 arrives last just like Reese did which furthers our assumptions. Then the tables are turned on us but we accept it because we like Arnold. Even though the violence is toned down, as is the dirty appearance of LA, I still did not like the swearing. I feel it hurts the story as does the apparent product placement for Pepsi. For the original film, the filmmakers utilized the kind of time travel where predestination comes into play and any paradoxes are resolved automatically. This sequel instead uses the other kind of time travel where paradoxes don't matter. Even though the conclusion of this movie would prevent the trip back in time in the first place, a new timeline is created. The climax is another part of the plot that is reminiscent of the first film. The villain is apparently destroyed with Arnold's "Hasta la vista, baby" (that line by the way would have been even better if Arnold's hadn't repeated it earlier in the show) but the battle is not over. I really like Arnold appearance as he rides up on the gear.

While the story of the film was executed fairly well, the focus of the film was more so on the special effects. I was still impressed over two decades after the release of this movie with the level of artistry. Every Cameron-directed film starting with "Aliens" has won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects with the exception of "True Lies". Cameron's film previous to "Judgment Day", "The Abyss", broke new ground and the director continued to ride this wave. First off, when the Terminators arrive in 1995, the energy cuts into things perfectly symmetrical such as a semi truck and a fence. It's a nice touch. "T2" saw the first instance of a computer-generated character that displayed natural human movement. The T-1000 was thought up during the writing of the first film but creating it on screen was unachievable in the early 80's. Just like the T-800 before it, this movie showcases another seemingly unstoppable villain. One of the signature special effects shots of this movie is the T-1000 in liquid form walking out of the fire of the exploded truck in the flood-control channel. One aspect that amazes me with this character is the realistic reflections that it can generate. That is what makes you believe the T-1000 is real because it interacts genuinely with light. Linda Hamilton, who plays Sarah, has a twin sister named Leslie who was used in the shots were the T-1000 mimics Sarah. One of the scenes in the extended version shows Sarah opening up the Terminator's head and I couldn't figure out how they did these shots because our characters are looking into a mirror. Then I learned that there was no mirror. Arnold and Leslie are in the background as if they are a reflection and a fake Terminator head and Linda are in the foreground. Twins were also used for the security guard getting coffee at the psychiatric hospital. The filmmakers had all this technology to use that would earn an Academy Award but instead employed a simple solution of body doubles to accomplish these shots. I like that because simplicity can save time, money and achieve a sense of reality that can stump moviegoers. I myself was fooled. Another great example of special effects is the scene showing the nuclear blast destroying the city.

Many of the cast members from the original film returned and that is great. Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered to play the hero in the first movie but ended up as the villain. Arnold's career was changed forever because of that decision and since "The Terminator", Arnold helped launch the "Predator" franchise and delved into comedy with "Twins" and "Kindergarten Cop" (my first introduction to the action star). He slipped perfectly back into the role of the T-800 and gives an even better performance than last time. Arnold effectively acts more human as the story progresses and this makes his character more appealing. On the American Film Institute's list of movie heroes and villains, the Terminator is the only character to appear as both a hero and a villain. As the hero, the T-800 barely made the list at #48. It is amazing that this is Edward Furlong's first movie and I felt he was the best actor in the whole movie. I recognized Joe Morton in this movie. He would later appear in "Speed". His kind of character is an interesting one in which a good man is unintentionally about to do something bad. I love the line "I don't know how much longer I can hold this thing" because of the acting, directing and cinematography. One actor I did not recognize was Xander Berkeley, who was John's foster father.

The repeating back-story for most of James Cameron's movies is that there is a huge budget but the profit is also massive. Despite the big budget for "Terminator 2", the show went on to be the highest grossing film of 1991. Other AFI lists that you can find this movie on include the list for most thrilling movies (#77) and for movie quotes ("Hasta la vista, baby" at #76). As indicated, the film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects as well as for Makeup, Sound, Sound Editing and Film Editing. Some noteworthy filmmakers that won these Academy Awards include Stan Winston, Denis Muren and Gary Rydstrom (his first career wins). All three men would very shortly switch to working on organic characters for Steven Spielberg. In part, it was "T2" that changed Spielberg's mind about using stop-motion dinosaurs to make "Jurassic Park" and that movie in turn was a message to George Lucas that he could now create his vision for the Star Wars Prequels. The legacy of "Judgment Day" is important and I liked the 3D attraction at Universal Studios. I think it is the best part of that theme park now that the "Back to the Future" ride is gone (shame on Universal). The actors even reprised their roles for the Terminator attraction. The reason for why I rate "T2" the same as the first movie is because I enjoy other movies and franchises more. This is a definite example however of a sequel that is better than its predecessor. For me, there is an undeniable slight improvement because the sequel is not as offensive.

3.5 Stars