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James Cameron's The Terminator was a classic in every sense of the word, and still stands as one of my favourite sci-Fi/action films of all time. Never did I expect that in 1991 the original would be matched by the amount of action, destruction, excitement and emotion present in the sequel. Actually, rather unbelievably, Terminator 2: Judgment Day managed to surpass the first movie in some areas, and ended up being 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, albeit under the supervision of my parents. I never understood why they were so strict about it considering the film really wasn't really all that violent -- especially when compared to the first film. I've since, however, come to the conclusion that they were probably worried that the reputation of Terminator 2 was going to overcome their beloved original.

Yes, T2 is that good. Costing a reported $100 million to make, the visual and makeup effects are state-of-the-art and look incredibly impressive, even by today's standards. But it isn't just a case of the budget contributing to the level of entertainment outdoing the first Terminator, considering that the film manages to showcase some great characters and provide a fascinating continuation of the story that explores the relationship between man and machine.

So, plot wise, the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) has been sent back again, through time, but with the mission to protect John (Edward Furlong) on this occasion, who was born some years ago. The killer out on the loose to terminate Connor is a new, improved model of cyborg referred to as the T-1000 (Robert Patrick). Relentless and almost invincible, this model of terminator is made of liquid metal, and is much more sophisticated than the T-800: It is able to replicate things that it comes into contact with for the purpose of disguise and creating weaponry. Deadly isn't the word.

Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), meanwhile, has been placed in a mental institute after her stories concerned the fate of mankind have been judged as "insane" by psychiatrists. Her character seems much harder now considering that the first killer cyborg terminated her lover, Reese (Michael Biehn), and attempted to terminate her yet-to-be-conceived son. So when the T-800 -- the same model Sarah was up against in the first film -- and John eventually do decide to come and 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, but it has some amazing-looking action scenes that make for a truly exhilarating experience. Buildings get decimated, cyborgs throw each other through walls, while Linda Hamilton manages to flex her biceps -- Rambo-style -- and hold her own in the face of danger. Cameron also adds a wry sense of humour to the mix, with Arnie attempting to learn how to speak like a "cool" human being with the help of his younger co-star, Furlong.

That last point is, arguably, the most appealing aspect of Terminator 2. Particularly in the extended cut of the film, John looks up to the protecting Terminator as if "it" were a father figure, and this leads to some great moments where the protected educates his protector on the concept of human emotion. It's fascinating to watch The Terminator's CPU attempting to understand and adapt to the ways of John, and it's not difficult to actually feel a degree of sympathy when it cannot properly relate to humanity's ways ("What's wrong with your eyes?" he asks, after seeing John's tears beginning to form).

Speaking of emotion, the climax of Terminator 2 is a bit of a tearjerker, but is the perfect way to end the relentless, edge-of-the-seat ride that James Cameron has managed to keep going for one-hundred and thirty-nine minutes (the special edition has an additional fifteen minutes, which is also definitely worth a look). If not quite matching the levels of horror present in the original Terminator, this film manages to be visually superior, in addition to having some great character development, moments of genuine humour, and an intelligent script that takes us deeper into the man vs. machine concept. Overall, T2 is a statement to the public that sequels just aren't supposed to be this bloody good.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.