Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Review By slysnide

The second installment in the "Terminator" franchise stunned audiences worldwide, and was forever after referred to as the best action film ever made by the majority of moviegoers...including me.

This 148 minute sequel begins with a nuclear explosion in L.A. on August 29th 1997. Then a quick 'flash-forward' to 2029 for some SkyNet Vs. Resistance action before going to June 8th 1995 where T-800 Model 101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrives from the future to steal clothes, an awesome ride, cool shades, and a shotgun before setting off on his new mission. Around the same time in another area, the latest CyberDyne Terminator code named T-1000 (Robert Patrick) arrives just in time to disguise itself as a policeman armed with a computer equipped squad car which can come in handy for tracking the locations of juvenile delinquents like its target for termination: 10yr old John Connor (Edward Furlong).

Unlike the first film, there isn't a swift chase to start the movie at a medium pace, but it still moves as such since also unlike the first film, it doesn't take nearly 43 minutes for the action to begin, but more like 28 minutes; as I'm sure the motorcycle pursuit of the unhitched Big Rig and dirt-bike evasion of it can attest to.

Halfway through (74 minutes), a subplot is introduced which runs nearly 45 minutes that doesn't feature T-1000 at all. It was certainly a risky choice, considering that most subplots are interwoven with the direct plot, which in the first half was T-800 & John Connor evading T-1000 and attempting to rescue Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) from Pescadero State Hospital where she'd been committed to for bombing a CyberDyne Systems Complex between the events of the first film and this one. When the subplot kicked in however, it seemed as if the T-1000 storyline was being put on hold, but it eventually didn't matter, as it luckily worked out perfectly.

For in the subplot, the three hero characters discover that there's a chance to destroy CyberDyne and prevent Judgment Day. This realization is made through a new character named Miles Dyson (Joe Morton), a 35yr old cybernetics scientist and director of special projects that works at CyberDyne Systems Corporation. It is he whom develops the software that is the infant version of the final software that's installed in all the Terminator Robots' CPU, and like all dangerous self-aware software, it was designed with good intentions through and through. This story provides an action packed sequence at Dyson's workplace, which features T-800 equipped with a minigun! In retrospect, it mainly serves as a major SERIES plot device rather than one for the film as an individual installment, as it isn't featured or dwelled upon in the climax, which shifts back to the threat of T-1000. Though strangely enough, unlike other subplots in films that have the entire thing occur all at once without any cuts back to the main plot which kills those movies, this one just worked for some reason. Plus the character development between T-800 as the only father figure John Connor's ever known builds the tension for the climatic showdown with the indestructible T-1000.

Unfortunately, the T-800 is only seen as a full blown cyborg in the 2029 battle scene in the beginning of the film, but it's substituted by something even more jaw dropping for its time: the liquid metal T-1000 that can imitate anything non-mechanic that matches its' size. And the creative genius that is Stan Winston & Dennis Muren makes these characters come to life beautifully on screen. T-1000 is flawless! Even by today's standards it's still awesome for moviegoers. And same goes for T-800 in the opening scene, as it looks much improved from the original look of it in the predecessor. All of this just proves that together, Dennis & Stan are an unstoppable creative force that'll stop at nothing to fully realize ANY & ALL characters placed before them, no matter what challenges come along with it. So yet again: "Stan's Your Man!" And: "Dennis Is Your CGI Wizard!"

Other visuals include the mental institution (where Earl Boen returns as Dr. Silberman), the canals of L.A., a freeway chase, a beach-house, an office complex, a desert in socal, and a steel mill as the setting for the harrowing climax, in which T-1000 really showcases its capabilities. And on that note, Robert Patrick’s performance was great, and with only a few lines, and the various expressions conveyed through a seemingly emotionless performance as required for T-1000 is the best of its type since Nick Castle as the Shape in “Halloween” (1978).

The acting is once again 'action movie acting,' but it's still better than the last film. As for the story, it's definitely SciFi, but is more so associated as being sheerly an action movie, whose amazingly perfect story that's told along with the action is what ultimately earned this film the title of the best action flick ever made. I certainly agree with them.

So once again, writer/director James Cameron & producer Gale Ann Hurd have delivered an amazing film, which is the best in the "Terminator" franchise, whose revolutionary breakthroughs in practical and digital technologies have earned it a great place in moviegoers minds, and will stay there for decades to come.