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