Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D (2017) Review
20 years ago today, on August 29th 1997 a big event occurred in the Terminator universe: Judgment Day. To celebrate this auspicious anniversary, Terminator 2 has returned to theaters in 4K and in 3D. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of my favorite movies of all time and it was unbelievable to see it on the big screen for the first time. Although the 3D was just okay (nothing like Avatar or Gravity), seeing it on the big screen surrounded by other fans, in 4K was good enough for me.
Here are the reasons I love Terminator 2 and why the movie still holds up today.
Human Ideas and Characters: Remarkably the thing I like most about T2 is the arc of the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The T-800 goes from a badass killing machine to an understanding protector and friend of John Connor. John manages to teach the machine human sayings and feelings throughout the film and although many of these moments come off as funny, many others are very heartfelt. In a way, it can be argued that the T-800 is the most human thing about the movie (besides John). Sarah Connor becomes more Terminator like than even the T-800, going on a mission to assassinate the creator of Skynet to prevent Judgment Day. By doing this Sarah hopes to save the human race, but if she succeeds she would be no better than the Terminator who came to kill her in the first film and the one hunting John in the second. John and the T-800 manage to stop Sarah from assassinating Miles Dyson and instead convince him to help them destroy all of his work and everything related to Skynet to prevent the terrible future he did not foresee. By the end the T-800 tells John “I know now why you cry.” showing that he has learned true compassion and understanding of human emotions. It’s amazing to me that we as an audience get so attached to this machine that in the previous film was the villain. I think this is one of the best character arcs in cinema and the entire point of Terminator 2. As Sarah Connor says at the end. “The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too.” In my opinion, these humanistic ideas is what the subsequent, less successful, Terminator sequels have been missing.
Non-Stop Chase: Terminator 2 is not only one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time but one of the greatest action movies as well. The film is essentially one large chase scene, with the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) trying to kill John Connor (Edward Furlong), who is being protected by the T-800. There are minor lulls in the action, but the film is certainly never boring. I’ve seen it about 6 or 7 times and watching it in the theater, my heart was still racing and I was on the edge of my seat. From the chase through the LA River, to the breakout of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from the mental institution, to the final showdown between the Terminators, its non-stop action. Terminator 2 also benefits from having a great villain. The T-1000 will never stop chasing or searching for John Connor and it’s badass.
Brutal/ Practical Effects and Stunts: First of all, at times this movie can be just plain brutal. In the first scene, the T-800 stabs a guy in the back, and we see him squirming trying to take the knife out. Not to mention the blades the T-1000 uses. These brutal scenes don’t cut away or anything like they would nowadays. It’s just right there in your face. They just don’t make movies like that anymore. Now obviously the stabbings are fake but many of the other stunts and explosions are real. In Terminator 2, they actually did drive a big rig over a bridge into the LA river (the bridge is in Northridge, I’ve been there). They also actually did fly a helicopter under a free way overpass. Many of the stunts they did in the movie would not be done the same way today. I think we can all agree that it looks best when it’s done for real.
Sarah Connor: Sarah Connor can stand right along side Ripley from the Alien franchise as one of the most badass women in cinema. Sarah’s story is fantastic. At the beginning of the first film she was a carefree typical young woman in LA who was a waitress and liked to go on dates. By the second, she has seen the man she loved die, defeated a Terminator, and been in a mental institution. She is told her son is missing and that motivates her to break out of the institution. Her driving motivation through it all is to save her son and you can tell that she will stop at absolutely nothing to do this. She is smart, motivated and totally awesome. If they ever do a female version of “The Expendables”, I’ll be looking for a Linda Hamilton cameo.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D is now playing. The bluray/DVD and digital versions are also available and a 4K version will be available soon. If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it enough. 2D film A= 3D film B+
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick