Critique: Film> Reviews.

"Watching John with the machine, it was suddenly so clear. The Terminator would never stop. It would never leave him, and it would never hurt him, never shout at him or get drunk and hit him or say it was too busy to spend time with him. It would always be there, and it would die to protect him."

-- Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton)

James Cameron's The Terminator was a classic in every sense of the word, and still stands as one of my favourite horror/action films of all time. Never did I expect that in 1991 the original would be outmatched by the amount of action, destruction, excitement, and emotion present in the sequel. Truth be told, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is another milestone in the evolution of action cinema.

T2 was one of the rare films I wasn't allowed to watch when I was a kid. I'll always remember trying to sneak a peek during the regular occasions that it was broadcasted on television and my Mother would charge in and tell me to turn it off. I waited years, anticipating the day when I would be old enough to watch it. Then, one faithful evening (I forget the year), the film was showing on UK GOLD and I was given the go ahead to video tape it, under the supervision of my parents. To this day, I'll never understand why they were so strict about it all, as the film really isn't all that violent (especially when compared to the original).

Anyways, to say I loved T2 would be a vast understatement. Costing a reported $100 million to make, the visual and makeup effects are state-of-the-art and don't look at all out of place by today's standards. Even beyond that, it has the character development and a fascinating story, which explores the relationship between man and machine, making it one of the definitive (if not THEE definitive) films of the Cyberpunk genre.

So, plot wise, the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is sent back, again, through time, but this time with the mission to protect John (who has now been born). There is a new, improved model of cyborg, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), out on the loose to terminate Connor. Relentless and almost invincible, the T-1000 is made of liquid metal, and much more sophisticated that Arnie; he's able to replicate things that he comes into contact with, for the purpose of disguise and creating weaponry to kill his targets.

Meanwhile, Sarah Connor is in a mental institute after her insane stories about the fate of mankind. Sarah is much harder now (out ranked only by Ellen Ripley in Aliens as the greatest ever female action hero) and angry at the first cyborg that took away her love and father to John (Reese- Michael Biehn). So when the T-800 and John eventually do come to bust her out, she is understandably upset and reluctant to accept John's developing relationship with this self-proclaimed "killing machine".

Whereas T1 was basically a chase movie, T2 is that, but on a much greater scale. It's not quite as scary as the original, with Cameron adding a wry sense of humour to the mix, but it's a truly exhilarating experience; buildings are decimated, cyborgs throw each other through walls, Linda Hamilton flexes her biceps, and Arnie attempts to learn the teen slang from younger co-star.

Overall, Terminator 2 looks amazing, but what is most appealing is its heart. Particularly in the extended cut of the film, John looks up to the "good guy" Terminator as if he was a father figure, and educates him on human emotion. The Terminator observes and attempts to understand, though cannot truly relate to his ways ("What's wrong with your eyes?" he asks, seeing tears beginning to form).

I can't fail to keep my emotions to myself every time I witness the ending of Terminator 2. We sympathise for the characters, while the thudding and metallic Brad Fiedel score stirs the drama just as it should. We know the killer cyborgs will be back, but when and with what advanced technology next are the reasons that keep us anticipating how our future will unfold.

T2 is a statement to the public that sequels just aren't supposed to be this good.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.