Movie Review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Date Watched:

Friday, July 2nd, 2021

Plot Synopsis:

Killer robot goes back in time to kill kid who one day kills all the killer robots, but gets killed by a different killer robot instead.

Favorite Scene

Escape from the psychiatric hospital

Written Review:

Wow, those effects! James Cameron follows up a sci-fi masterpiece with an even better sequel in Terminator 2. Bolstered by outstanding performances from Robert Patrick and the Arnold himself, the second installment of the iconic franchise alters the storyline laid forth in the first film just enough to bring a fresh new story that both expands and, honestly, should have wrapped up the series. This film is astonishingly gorgeous and advanced for being made at the onset of the 1990s, and without a doubt lives up to the hype as one of the best sequels ever not just in the sci-fi realm, but cinematic history.

The differences between the first two Terminator films is very similar to the differences between the first two Alien movies. While the first one is groundbreaking, dark, and suspenseful, the second one is more action-packed, lighter, and has Jenette Goldstein in it.

Judgment Day follows the story of Sarah Connor, her son John, and a revamped T-800 (played by Schwarzenegger again) attempting to survive an onslaught from the cunning, robotic T-1000 (Patrick). Beyond just surviving, the trio is also tasked with thwarting the nuclear war that brought upon the rise of "The Machines" in the first place by destroying an artificial intelligence chip housed at the headquarters of the mysterious Cyberdyne.

As mentioned in my previous review of the first Terminator film, I found Terminator 2 to be the more contemplative film. Where the first one was groundbreaking in its introduction to the implications of time travel (though its exploration of that concept was somewhat underdeveloped due to the scope of the rest of the story needing to be told) and the potentially ominous future that is being actively shaped by the hands of modern technological innovators, the second film has a bit more soul.

It's easy to point to the action sequences and unconscionably excellent special effects for the time period as key pillars to the film's appeal, but what makes Terminator 2 resonate so significantly with me is the way in which it blurs the lines between human and artificial intelligence to make one question at what level of consciousness one can be classified as human. This theme is hammered home much more overtly in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, but I personally found Cameron's approach to be more satisfying. Rather than watching the degradation of humanity's behavior into soulless pragmatism that resembles a machine, Judgment Day juxtaposes the positive impact that human touch, relationship, and soul (for lack of a better term) can have on even the unlikeliest parties with one completely devoid of the same interaction. Where Robert Patrick's T-1000 is able to mimic the behavior of humans (and floors) to a much more advanced level than that of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, his decision-making and actions reflect a coldness that seems exceedingly not human (and props to Patrick for being able to toe this line expertly in his performance). Though the T-800 is clunkier in about every possible way, the transformation of the character's understanding of what makes humans tick comes through as earnest and relatable in a way that initially seems impossible.

The overall takeaway from the film is that relationship and the ability to empathize with another being is essential to the human condition. It's what makes the T-800 seem human and the T-1000 decidedly not so. There is a desire (programmed or not) within the T-800 to learn and understand the people it interacts with better (ultimately for their protection in this film). What we as viewers can learn from this is the value of earnest relationship with others. Rather than viewing our interactions with others as transactional collisions between random parties, we ought to look to learn more about what makes them, well, them!

Oh, and always keep an eye out behind you whenever you're at a vending machine.

And please don't cast Edward Furlong in anything else.

Final Rating:

9.0 out of 10

A Quick Thesis on Phoenix

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The Phoenix Suns are playing like a legitimate championship team. That may seem obvious at face value, as they are in the NBA Finals right this moment, but plenty of detractors have emerged throughout their playoff run questioning whether or not this team would be on this stage were it not for significant injury troubles striking their opponents throughout the postseason. Just this past week, multiple experts took to social media to eloquently make this point.

Whether it was a (slightly) hobbled Lebron James and oft-injured Anthony Davis for the Lakers in Round 1, the absence of Jamal Murray and multiple depth pieces for Denver in Round 2, or the mysterious exclusion of Kawhi Leonard in the Conference Finals, one can't help but notice the favorable hand dealt to the Suns this postseason.

Here's the thing: The Suns are just as deserving of their perch on the precipice of a championship as any team this year or even last year. I don't want to hear the slander about really either of the teams in these Finals. I'll elaborate more in a couple future posts, but the only team that I believe can legitimately assail the accomplishments of these teams on the grounds of injuries is the Brooklyn Nets. And I don't think too many people are weeping at the misfortunes of one of the most unlikable collections of talent in NBA history (plus my man Kevin Durant). Plus, the Suns are cruising through the Bucks at this moment in a similar fashion to what the Nets were doing before Kyrie Irving was hurt. They (the Suns) haven't had a series go to seven games the whole way through the playoffs, and they've finished each series with resounding wins to close out their opponents.

The Lakers may have been up 2-1 on the Suns in Round 1 when Davis injured his leg, but the Suns were winning Game 4. They proceeded to smoke the Lakers in Games 5 and 6. This doesn't even acknowledge that Chris Paul was clearly limited in both of the games they lost after a neck injury in Game 1. The Nuggets presented almost no challenge in a second round sweep, and I truly question whether Jamal Murray would have swung that series the other way in a supremely meaningful way. The Clippers have a case in the Western Conference Finals due to Kawhi's absence for...some sort of leg injury. Still, the Suns weathered a phenomenal series from Paul George that likely doesn't happen with Kawhi's presence and closed out the series in six games. There will always be "what-ifs" in the NBA playoffs, but to act like the Suns had the doors open wide for them to the point where a very undeserving team now represents the Western Conference in the Finals is disingenuous. In my opinion, the West wasn't as strong at the top as people made it out to be, and it was simply a good year for a plethora of teams to take advantage. The Suns did exactly that.

The Suns just might be the best team in the NBA playoffs since the first Warriors team with Durant in 2017. They share the ball, play excellent team defense, and never seem to play outside their roles. Now, I'm not saying the Suns are better than all the champions and non-champions since that Golden State team. What I am saying is that this team plays together so well on both ends of the court in a way that I haven't really seen replicated since. Each player fills their role and excels in it, and that is a testament to the coaching job both by Head Coach Monty Williams and Chris Paul. Speaking of Monty Williams, check out this example of how you coach someone through a rough stretch. I've always appreciated Monty, but seriously, I almost teared up watching him elevate his emerging star who immediately made back-to-back impact plays out of that timeout. The Suns are a phenomenally-coached team with exceptional team chemistry from the top-down.

Also, I want to clarify that this Suns team is in no way talent-poor. Chris Paul is playing some of the best basketball of his career, period. Devin Booker is one of the best bucket-getters in the game whose play-making has gone up levels this year. Deandre Ayton might be one of the top 3 pure centers in the league at this point, and Mikal Bridges has emerged as a legit two-way player in the mold of a Kawhi or Paul George (not that he's going to be as good as either of those players). Fill out that top four with a slew of eager and capable role players that are clearly ready for the playoff stage, and you have a young, but championship-caliber team. You could make the argument that this team is maybe a year early in terms of developing into a Western Conference powerhouse, but I think these playoffs simply accelerated that timeline for these players and the organization. They might have benefited from their path earlier on (I'm still open to debating this, because I still think they could have gotten here), but the way they are playing now shows they have legit championship DNA.

The Suns have an all-time point guard playing at a Hall-of-Fame level. They have a blue-chip scorer who looks primed to rule the league for years to come. They have one of the best two-way big man prospects of recent memory who is only scratching the surface of his potential, and they have an emerging wing player that literally every team in the NBA wants. They have battle-tested and confident role players that make all the little winning plays every game. And beyond all that, they play with the ego of a group of Tibetan monks because they're coached and led by men who know the value of teamwork and putting the team above their own interests. If the series concludes with the Suns hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy over their heads, they are 100% deserving of it.

NBA Finals Game 2 Post-Game Report: White-Hot Suns Hold Home Court

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Game Summary

The Bucks came out hammering the Suns in the paint in the first quarter, and it looked like Jrue Holiday might be game for the legacy-making impact I called for him to make in my pre-game predictions article. The Suns were able to hang close with Milwaukee via hot shooting from a number of players including Jae Crowder, who decided to provide actual offense in this game (he's one of my favorite hot/cold players in the league). Then the rest of the game happened. It was by no means a blowout, but the Suns seized control during a putrid middle two quarters from everyone on the Bucks besides Giannis and the comedy that is Pat Connaughton. The Suns' shooting didn't cool significantly, and their ability to corral impact offensive rebounds and find the open man when they happened to miss was a sight to behold.

Ultimately, though the Bucks did put up a fight in different parts of the second half, Devin Booker (31 pts.) and company came up with clutch play after play to secure a 118-108 win. I would be remiss if I did not take time to acknowledge the gargantuan efforts from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted 42 points and 12 rebounds on 15/22 shooting in conjunction with several massive blocks. He deserves a better effort than he got from his teammates.

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What I Got Right In My Preview

I was right to suggest that Giannis would be back to vintage form, and he certainly surpassed even that expectation. His 20 points in the third quarter is the most any player has scored in a quarter of a finals game since Michael Jordan scored 22 in the 1993 Finals against, interestingly enough, the Phoenix Suns. Jrue Holiday truly was the X-factor for his team tonight, but not in a good way. I called for him to step up his offensive game as I figured (correctly) that Khris Middleton would regress in Game 2. Holiday's defense was sensational, but 33-percent shooting isn't going to carry what was an equally anemic Bucks supporting cast to a Finals victory.

Devin Booker showed out, though his overall efficiency isn't quite what you'd want to see if he was operating at his peak levels. Still, 31 points with no free throw attempts is an impact game in my book. Chris Paul was slowed considerably by Jrue Holiday, though he still managed 23 points. Keep an eye on his energy levels throughout the rest of the series. He really seemed to be wearing down as Game 2 went on, and if the Bucks deploy Holiday to guard him even more, it could lead to a more absent/inefficient CP3 down the line.

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What I Got Wrong

Cam Payne did basically nothing and the Suns looked just fine. The clear X-factor performance came from Mikal Bridges last night (27 pts.), but numerous other players (Crowder, Cam Johnson) chipped in to keep the machine rolling in Phoenix.

Jrue Holiday was just as abysmal on the offensive end, albeit shooting a much higher volume of shots. I suggested he was due for a big game, but he clearly was not up to the task. Neither were the Bucks, who I picked to win the game.

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Stock Check

Stock Up: Mikal Bridges

Bridges provided a wide variety of drives, spot-ups, and pull-up jumpers on his way to an efficient 27 points while playing tremendous defense on Khris Middleton. While often characterized as a "3 and D" player, Bridges continues to show that his ceiling is much higher on the offensive end than a mere role player.

Stock Down: Jrue Holiday

I don't want to seem like I'm isolating Jrue Holiday as the root of all evil or something, but he simply has not been up to the task in these first two Finals games. For a guy the Bucks traded the farm and the farmer's family for, he needs to be better. He had the opportunity to elevate his standing in the league to the exceedingly rare two-way nightmare guard matchup, but he's playing like an over-qualified fourth or fifth option on a good-not-great team right now. His defense is always there, but at the end of the day, he's being paid to perform like an all-star. He hasn't been close to that.

Stock Up: Giannis Antetokounmpo

For a guy coming off a scary injury, he hasn't missed much of a beat at all. He's playing like one of the five best players in the world, and he can be downright frightening to watch on both ends when he's right. It's won't be Giannis' fault if this team flames out early in the Finals, and the rest of the league should recognize that.

Stock Down: PJ Tucker

In all honesty, it's probably the Bucks' front office to blame here for forcing Tucker into as big of a role as he currently occupies. There's just so little depth on this team behind their starting five. Tucker, though, is a gaping hole on an already offensively-challenged team, and his defense isn't useful against the types of players the Suns run their offense through. His corner threes only add so much value, and the Bucks should probably cut his minutes back going forward in the series.

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Series Outlook

The series heads to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4. Despite being down 2-0, the Bucks are positioned fairly well to make the series at least somewhat interesting. They ALWAYS play better at home, and maybe the Suns' shooting cools off in a more foreign arena. I would expect the Bucks to win Game 3 or else the series is over. Right now, my prediction is that the Suns win the series, but we'll need to see the Bucks at home to truly gauge if they're capable of extending and competing in the series. Some good news for the Suns is that Booker still hasn't really exploded yet (in my opinion), and their depth allows them to absorb off nights from different players. The bad news is that I feel the Bucks have multiple levels to ascend as a team, where I don't see that with Phoenix. However, the Bucks are still coached by Mike Budenholzer, so...

Predictions: Bucks win Game 3, Suns Win Series in Six Games