Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.

It’s rare for a sequel to surpass the original to this extent, but ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ is one such a movie. This quite possibly is one of the best sequels ever, and one of the best action movies ever made.

‘Terminator 2’ picks up a few years after the first one. After the events of the first film, Sarah Connor was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and her son, John Connor, is living with foster parents. Once again, a Terminator from the future is sent to terminate John, and another is sent to protect him. This time around, Schwarzenegger is the good guy, while the bad guy is brilliantly played by Robert Patrick, as the liquid metal creation, T-1000. This time around Linda Hamilton kicks ass like never before, and she’s giving it her all. She was amazing.

The groundbreaking visuals are STUNNING! How the bloody hell did they accomplish this way back in 1991 before CGI became so advanced? No matter how many times I watch this, I’m blown away by the visual effects every single time. This truly is a visual masterpiece! The sound was also fantastic.

The second act slows down significantly in pacing and action, and concentrates more on character development. It nevertheless remains interesting. The action and pacing then accelerates full throttle during the final act to bring us an incredible action showdown, with mindboggling visuals never seen before. It still holds incredibly well by today’s standards.

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ earned $521 million on a $102 million budget. It is currently the 36th highest rated film on IMDB. The film won four Oscars (Best Sound, Best Effects Sound Effects, Best Effects Visual Effects, Best Makeup). It received 69 award nominations in total, winning 33.

Would I watch it again? Yes.