Terminator 2 : Le Jugement dernier

Disclaimer: If you are a viewer that mainly prefers arthouse-type movies, then you might as well ignore this review. In addition, if you're not able to take a few sci-fi leaps of faith, ignore this review, as well. We'll both be better off.

This is the finest action movie of all time. And, yet, believe it or not, it's not the action in the film itself that makes this be the case. This is especially odd in a movie with a $100 million budget (in 1991!), with multiple huge explosions, with thousands of bullets fired, and scores of stuntmen used.

This movie is what it is, a perfect 10, because it takes the vision of one of the most imaginative directors on Earth, and realizes them almost perfectly with all the tools that fit the task -- actors, stunts, puppetry, models, and CG. Without the vision, this film would be nothing. Without the tools, this film would be nothing.

But, a little bit of background is due. This is the sequel to the Terminator (1984), whose premise was that a near-indestructible cyborg is sent by evil self-aware machines from the near future to destroy the mother-to-be of the military commander who would lead the humans to a victory over the machines. Oh, and this terminator machine would come from a time of war between men and machines which followed a nuclear exchange that left billions of people dead, first. In Terminator 2, John Connor (the commander-to-be) is about 12 years old, and his mother (Sarah) is feverishly trying to prepare him for his fate, even as she tries to stop the factors that will lead to the nuclear war and the entire terrible future that made all this necessary. The machines now send a superior, more intelligent, shape-shifting cyborg (T1000) into the past, to kill John himself. Meanwhile, future-John reprograms the ex-evil Terminator (T101) from the original film, and sends him into the past to PROTECT John against the T1000.

That's your basic plot. It does involve travel into the past, so it immediately presents a time-travel paradox which can't really be resolved. In order to even try watching this movie, you MUST LOOK PAST THE PARADOX. If you don't, this movie has zero credibility, and is not worth your time.

What happens after the two terminators appear in the past is a wild ride rife with macho action, dark reflection on the nature of man, and a few rays of hope, here and there. Schwarzenegger (the good terminator) and Patrick (the bad one) make for such effective foes that the times they meet on-screen are completely breathtaking (and odd, given that you repeatedly see the relatively slim T1000 through Arnie through a wall or two). Hamilton, as Sarah Connor, is a wonderful character -- tough beyond all belief and completely focussed on preventing the nuclear war and ensuring John's safety, yet clearly a little out of her mind with paranoia and anger; amazingly, you see actual character development (specifically, when John and T101 arrive at Dyson's house to prevent her from doing what she wants to) in her otherwise 2-dimensional character. And Furlong, as John, is not bad himself as the extroverted kid who's confused by the fact that everyone except his mom tell him his entire upbringing was based on a lie. The bit players all do their jobs well, particularly Earl Boen who plays the semi-sadistic mental hospital warden that stands between Sarah Connor and her son (until the T1000 makes a chilling entrance).

With these players set in motion, it's up to the script to deliver the real substance of the movie. (One often sees great performances in mediocre films... here the story transcends the performances -- an impressive feat.) The script delivers. The film is absolutely filled with great, classic moments (I counted TEN all-star ones during my last viewing), and they're evenly spaced through the movie. I mean, who doesn't cheer (at least inside) when Arnold steps out of the biker bar, fully clad in leather when "Bad to the Bone" music starts to blast? The guy absolutely bleeds coolness. And the T1000 absolutely bleeds evil. But, with so many great moments, you'd think the pacing would be a little uneven... not really! The film shifts from place to place with an ease that makes perfect sense, never giving you the time to start being a little nitpicking jerk, always driving forward, but always doing so thoughtfully and with attention to detail.

Of course, this wouldn't be an action movie without some action. There's plenty of it, and it's perfectly done. The CG effects for the shape-shifting T1000 were cutting-edge for the time, and still look great (whoever said differently below is simply incorrect) -- even if they're completely commonplace today. The stunts are completely insane in scale (at one point, a helicopter flies under a highway overpass; at another, a motorcycle jumps from the 2nd floor of a building into a flying chopper). (Probably, only the Matrix and the Lord of the Rings movies compare in terms of the level of stunt insanity.) And the gunplay is delivered in perfect Cameron-Schwarzenegger style (as opposed to the slo-mo John Woo-style) -- you'll see lots of heavy automatic and explosive weapons, and you'll see them used well. The film is violent, and somewhat bloody, but ALL of the mean-spirited violence is dealt by the evil characters, not the ones you root for (Quentin Tarantino fans: sorry). And then the truly amazing scenes that bypass acting are shocking and memorable -- just wait until the nuclear detonation sequence.

I'm not sure what else you would want in a movie. Probably moral content, and the movie has a very clear pro-human, anti-war message. The message is a bit stale, and the delivery IS, at times, a little heavy-handed (and some moments with the T101 seem just a bit unrealistic, towards the end), but the movie has heart, and that you cannot deny. Plus, it simply rocks. 10/10

Greetings from Lithuania.

WOW! The best word that describes this movie is "wow"! Not only to say that this is the best Action movie of all time, this is probably one of the greatest movies ever made . The people in my country watched this film when there where limited VHS cassettes at all. And again, my favorite Director did an timeless epic-masterpiece. Yes, an epic. Every scene in this movie is beyond the perfection. The timeless plot. Groundbreaking effects. Unforgettable "Hasta la vista, baby." .

Perfect direction for a sci-fix action film. When the action starts, you're in for the ride of your life. There never be the same movie like T2. What else I can say about this film? A Must see for everyone.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is (1991) is the best action sci-fi flick movie from the 90's ever made of all time. Terminator 2 is my personal favorite film I absolutely love this movie to death! Is my number 1 best movie ever till today the best of the best epic movie of all time. T2 was nominated for 4.Oscars the only movie of the franchise was nominated for an Oscar. If you watch T2 carefully and follow the story you never got bored and you are very entertained. This movie kicks ass! I love the hospital scenes mostly at night, the Cyberdyne building action sequences and of course steel mill action sequences are perfect for this film. This film deals with a lot of action, sci-fi and does involves a lot of paradox past travel. There is a lot of explosions and automatic weapons used in the movie and they are used well thousands of bullets are fired and explosive projectiles are fired at the police cars.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as the good terminator T-800 did an awesome Terrific real job, he acted believably as one of his best characters I ever saw on screen. Terminator walks to the front of the building and kicks a desk out a window. Than ignores the police's order to surrender and fires a M134 Minigun with Chainsaw grip at the police cars below, avoiding the humans. The helicopter pilot moves away. Terminator than uses a M79 grenade launcher to destroy two more vehicles. Its heads-up display indicates no human casualties. The film has a heart and is the best film in the world.

Robert Patrick as T-1000 is "a mimetic Polly-alloy" or "liquid metal." He can shape shift to match other people he touches, after first arriving in present time, he decides to have his base form be that of a nearby cop he killed and passes himself off as a cop in that form. The truck chase scene is awesome and the crash is also awesome. The truck that hit in to another column in the canal and explodes, T-1000 emerges as a shiny, featureless, liquid metal figure. Its features become more pronounced and its colors return to normal, returning to the form of the unharmed pseudo-cop is awesome. It shows what his character can do.

Linda Hamilton is the only Sarah Connor she acted her character perfectly here she played her character genius and very convincing and real, tough beyond all belief and completely focused on preventing the nuclear war and ensuring John's safety. Sarah Connor is her best performance ever in the both Terminator films. Little out of her mind with paranoia and anger: amazingly, you see actual character development (specifically, when John and T101 arrive at Dyson's house to prevent her from doing what she wants to).

Edward Furlong, is the only John Connor for me, is not bad himself as the extroverted kid who's confused by the fact that everyone except his mom told him his entire upbringing was based on a lie. The bit players all do their jobs well. Earl Boen plays the semi-sadistic mental hospital warden Dr. Silberman from the first film The Terminator (1984) that stands between Sarah Connor and her son (until the T1000 makes a chilling entrance).

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick did there best acting performances, those actors who played there characters are beloved till this days and Terminator 2 has since been ranked as one of the greatest action, science fiction sequel films of all time.

Twin sister of Linda Hamilton also appeared as Leslie Hamilton Gearren as Twin Sarah in dream she was for real there wasn't no CGI in here. Twin brothers Don Stanton and Dan Stanton both of actors appeared in here one as Lewis the Guard the other as Lewis as T-1000 who kills lewis they were for real no CGI, except special effects for T-1000 knife. Terminator special effects were designed by Stan Winston R.I.P. who has done incredible job making those effects.

The film is absolutely filled with great, classic moments. T2 is James Cameron masterpiece. This wouldn't be an action movie without some action. James Cameron writes, produces and directs brilliantly this film. Brad Fiedel does a perfect music score to the film. American rock band Guns N' Roses wrote a single for this movie "You Could Be Mine" and Schwarzenegger appeared in the music video as T-800 in the music video for this movie.

The chopper scene that crashed in to a SWAT van and explodes was awesome. The CGI and special effects are awesome. This movie is what it is, a perfect 10, because it takes the vision of one of the most imaginative directors on Earth, and realizes them almost perfectly with all the tools that fit the task actors, stunts, puppetry, models and special effects designed from Stan Winston.

It is Rated R for strong sci-fi action and violence, and for language, it is a perfect film from the 90's that I have grew up with it. 10/10 Score: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval

Normally when people tell you about a sequel that was better than the original or just as good, Terminator 2 is always guaranteed to be in their list; why? Because this is THE action movie of all action movies, next to Die Hard, this is the movie that isn't just about the action as well, but has an incredible story and message behind it that will always stay with you. Terminator 2 like the first Terminator film has memorable lines, moments, and incredible effects. This is the film that made you believe in "liquid metal" machines. Robert Patrick's performance is flawless, to be honest I found him a million times more terrifying than Arnold in the first Terminator, because Robert looks like this normal average guy, but he's not like Arnold where he gets shot and you can clearly see he's a terminator, Robert goes back to human looking and won't stop. Not only that you don't know how to stop him. Linda Hamilton returns and gives a great performance as Sarah Conor who is no longer a meek little girl, she has turned into a strong woman who will do anything to protect her son and the future. Arnold is back and he's better then ever! No wonder in the future they made several terminators that look like him, he's great entertainment.

Eleven years after Sarah Connor destroyed the original Terminator that was programmed to kill her, two Terminators arrive in Los Angeles from the year 2029. The first is a Terminator identical to the one that Sarah first encountered, while the second is a new model which assumes the identity of a police officer. John Connor is now a 10 year old living with foster parents. Sarah's experiences have made her tougher and more vigilant, but also desperate to warn humanity about the coming apocalypse. After attempting to bomb a computer factory, Sarah is arrested and remanded to the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane under the supervision of Dr. Silberman. Meanwhile, the Terminators locate John Connor in a mall. After John is rescued and a chase through the L.A. storm drain channels, the original Terminator escapes with John on his motorcycle. The Terminator explains that he is reprogrammed by the future John Connor to protect and obey John's younger self. The other Terminator is a T-1000, an advanced new prototype programmed to kill John. It is made of "a mimetic polyalloy", a liquid metal that allows it to take the shape and appearance of anything it touches. It can also form into knifes and stabbing weapons. Learning that the T-1000 will likely kill Sarah and then mimic her to lure John, John orders the Terminator to help free her. Initially, Sarah is terrified by the Terminator; but after seeing it fight off the T-1000, she accepts that they need its help. As they escape the city, the Terminator informs John and Sarah about Skynet, the sentient computer system that will nearly wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic nuclear attack on "Judgment Day".

Terminator 2 is one of the best films of all time, this is a film that I absolutely adore and if someone hasn't seen it, there's something seriously wrong. This story is a special one: humans, are we our own worst enemy? Arnold's line "It's in your nature to destroy yourselves" is something that always sends chills down my spine because it's true. I loved the relationship between Arnold and Eddie Furlong, interesting to see a terminator take the place perfectly of a father and you see the pain in Eddie's eyes of never wanting to let go of the terminator. Like Sarah Conor said " The terminator wouldn't stop, it would never leave him. It would never hurt him or shout at him or get drunk and hit him or say it was too busy to spend time with him. And it would die to protect him." meant a lot to me. Like I said, if for some odd reason you have seen this movie, do see it! I promise you that it's just an excellent film and one that will always stand out against cinematic history.

10/10

I still remember seeing this movie for the first time in 1993 on a VHS. I was completely blown away by the action, special effects n sound. Bought the VHS in '94 n saw countless number of times that the VHS nearly got burned out. Bought a DVD recently n revisited it. T2 is a timeless movie. It is much better than the original. It has superb car chases, big guns, dynamic explosions, gore, tension, suspense, etc. The chase sequence is awesome and nail bitingly intense, it is one of the best action sequences ever made. The pacing is impeccable and the action sequences still stands out. This movie has awesome sound effects, perfect cinematography n impeccable editing. I don't think there must b an action fan who hasn't seen this movie. It has an awesome cgi, action n sound effects. The scene in the Institute where Arnie walks in slow motion with a shot gun n Patrick, the cold emotionless killer, approaching is so full of tension. This movie also has a creepy n dreadful atmosphere. The movie is very violent n action packed.