More terminators (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (DVD))

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	Terminator 2: Judgment Day (DVD)
Date:	24/03/08 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: another great action film

Disadvantages: none

Writers: James Cameron and William Wisher jnr,
Director: James Cameron.
Producers: Gale Anne Hurd, Stephanie Austin, Mario Kassar and B.J. Rack.
Editor: Mark Goldblatt, Dody Dorn, Richard A. Harris and Conrad Buff.
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and Edward Furlong.
Released in 1991 this sequel to the very successful Terminator film had to be something special to keep the films reputation...and it lived up to its name.
Known shortly as T2 it starts off confusing the viewers by switching the terminator (again played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the killer to the protector, reprogrammed in the year 2029 by John Conner and then sent back to 1994 to protect the young John Conner, (played by Edward Furlong).
The second man , (played by Robert Patrick) to travel back in time looks like a human and you are led to believe that he has been sent back to be the protector.
John Conner is living with foster parents as his mother Sarah was committed to an insane asylum due to her protests regarding the end of the world and the threat of machines taking over the world.
Whilst growing up with his mother he was told by her about what was going to happen but he also thought she may be insane.
Whilst incarcerated, Sarah exercises vigorously, knowing what is about to happen, preparing herself for the outcome, little knowing that the terminator is back.
The terminator impresses the ladies in a nearby bar, (and possibly some viewers as well), as he walks in naked, scanning the men for a perfect match with clothing. When he finds one a short fight ensues as he demands the mans 'clothes, boots and motorcycle', the stumping out of a cigar on the terminators chest doing little to phase it.
This is the point where you realise that the terminator is not the assassin machine that was sent in the first movie.
When both the terminator and the other time traveller find John the audience is in no doubt who the good guy is and who the killer is.
With a fantastic chase, involving a small motorcycle and a juggernaut, we see some fantastic stunts as the juggernaut tries to catch the small motorbike, ridden by John.
As in the style of gripping films the terminator gives chase and manages to grab John from the seat of the motor bike just to see the bike crushed by the pursuing juggernaut.
With the chase continuing as the terminator blasts away at the juggernaut the bike manages to escape.
When the terminator gets John to safety he then explains to him what is happening and who the other 'person' is. It transpires that in 2029 the terminator became an obsolete machine and was replaced by a more undetectable machine called the T-1000, this is the machine that is following John, with the instructions to eliminate him as the attempt on his mother ten years earlier had failed.
The T-100 is a more advance killing machine made from 'liquid metal', with the ability to form any shape, such as knives, and including human form.
When John realises that the T-100 eliminates any human that he copies he order the terminator to rescue Sarah from the asylum. (we see a short humorous scene as John realises that the terminator has to obey his orders but he soon realises that it is still a killing machine). John tells the terminator not to kill anymore.
With Sarah being shown photograph of the Terminator from 10 years ago and being shown photograph of the same looking Terminator taken the day before she realises that the machine is back and after killing her son.
When the terminator arrives at the asylum to get Sarah she sees it and instantly assume that it is here to kill her until she watches the battle between it and the T-1000.
As the three escape the asylum they flee to the dessert where Sarah has friends and an arsenal.
Sarah is told about Miles Bennett Dyson, (played by Joe Morton), the designer of the initial program for skynet.
She comes up with a plan to eliminate the creator of Skynet, the computer that leads to the destruction of mankind.
She sets off in pursuit of him at his home where she obliterates the building with automatic gunfire, only stopping from killing Miles when his young son pleads for his fathers life.
With the terminator and John realising where Sarah had gone they arrived at the obliterated home of Miles to see the carnage.
After informing Miles about the consequences of his future actions they figure out a plan to destroy everything involved with Skynet, including the computer processor unit and the arm which were salvaged from the first terminator.
When the terminator, John, Miles and Sarah break into the 'Cyberdyne' building which was the birth place of Skynet. The simple plan to destroy the building goes wrong when the S.W.A.T. team arrive and surround the building.
The shoot out between the Terminator and the police officers below is amazing and uses some well placed explosive charges to create a fantastic effect.
In the chaos, as the S.W.A.T. team storm the building, Dyson is injured and lays his life on the line to save the world.
In the meantime, the terminator, Sarah and John flee the building just in time in the police van.
This scene must have been a nightmare for the special effects team as they probably only had one chance to create such an explosive scene.
With the three of them racing away from the destruction they are quickly followed by the T-1000 who has acquired a tanker filled with Liquid Nitrogen, (an excellent idea from the writers to stop the 'unstoppable T-1000 by freezing it).
As the truck crashes into a steel mill we see a weakness of the T-1000 as it becomes surrounded by the liquid nitrogen spillage. This is the chance for the Terminator to destroy the T-1000 for good.
But with a quirk of fate the T-1000 has more tricks up it sleeve as it refuses to die.
With the terminator and the T-1000 fighting hand to hand it seems that the T-1000 is the victor as it disables the Terminator.
With the Terminator apparently dead the only person left to save John is Sarah.
It looks like the end for Sarah and John as the T-1000 tricks them into a corner and is about to destroy them both.
In a final twist the T-1000 is shot with a grenade launcher from an unstoppable hero, and topples to a heated end.
With the danger seemingly over all that is left is to destroy the computer chip which starts the idea of Skynet, and with a final sign of defiance the metal hero gives the thumbs up as he disappear to his destruction.
The end of the film seems to close the idea of making a third terminator movie as all the technology seems to be destroyed with the T-1000 and the original terminator, but, if you follow the end of the story closely you soon realise that there is a piece of the future that is left behind for the scientist to find and still create Skynet.

As for this sequel, it is, in my opinion, a fantastic follow up to the original and explains more of the idea about the need to time travel by the terminators.
It is well written and the acting is again fantastic. Although the body count is slightly less than the first film we do see as many shoot outs and explosions as the movie unfolds.
Like 'The Terminator' movie, T2 is worth watching for the action and small sections of humour from the emotionless Terminator.
But should a third Terminator have been written? I don't know, I have seen the third Terminator, (rise of the machine) and in my opinion, although a good film to watch, it fell short of the first two.

Summary: first terminator failed so a second attemp is made???