Review of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) by Tony P — 27 Nov 2015

One of my favourite films so I revisited it with a DVD viewing again last week.

The screenplay is top notch and even robotic (in real life!) Arnold Schwarzenegger has meaningful dialogue other than the famous 'I'll be back' tagline that has become his trademark over the years. I have a mixed feeling regarding other characters. Just looking at the small pics of them on this site I instantly can give them a hit or miss rating.

In terms of casting Robert Patrick as the newer Terminator was a masterstroke. Hamilton does well as Sarah Connor. Furlong as her son, John Connor (Edward Furlong) is an annoying middle class US kid who seems to have gone into obscurity! Michael Biehn from the original film actually filmed scenes for this but they were diced on the cutting room floor for the final cut but can be viewed on DVD editions and make interesting viewing. I think the psychiatrist went on to appear in Terminator 3? Not sure will now have to watch that again after a couple of years.

When I first saw this film in the early 1990s I was mesmerised by the special effects. However on a recent repeat viewing they are starting to look dated by todays standards. In 1993 I would no doubt have upped the rating by one star due to the groundbreaking CGI alone. I now prefer films 'done for real' with the use of models and miniatures as much as PC/Mac graphics!

This sequel is superior to the original 1984 film as only a few classics are (The Godfather part II). At the time of its release this was the biggest action film ever. It is easy to see why.