I cautiously awaited the year 1997 as this film predicted Global destruction via Artificial Intelligence takeover. That’s right I watched:

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 sequel that may argue is one of the exceptions to the rule that sequels cannot exceed the original’s quality, but as I re-watched this film, I tend to  like the original for its more intimate level (James Cameron did the same for the Alien franchise in Aliens.

This film raises the stakes and ratchets the intensity and explosions a thousand fold. No longer is it about surviving (both Sarah and the human race), but now it’s about stopping the incident from happening all together.

There are two types of time travel films: Ones that allow change to occur, and others that prove that the change was either a part of the future, or it could never happen. If we’re to include the following films in the Terminator franchise, then we most certainly are dealing with the latter and not the former.

If the films ended with T2, then we could argue either way; time travel would inherently create an alternate timeline like Back to the Future II explained. So maybe they could have avoided a paradox and saved their alternate timeline, but the timeline that did have the war, would be short a soldier in that of Kyle Reese.

The first two Terminator films had such great villains; they were relentless with only one goal: the main character’s destruction. That’s what made them so memorable, and while they didn’t have a lot in terms of personality, they made up for in sheer tenacity; they were cold-blooded killers.

Terminator 2 had so many great smaller elements that struck a chord with me as a kid; from seeing Danny Cooksey (Spudnick from Salute Your Shorts), those creepy twins from this era of film, and mistaking Joe Morton for O.J. Simpson when the latter’s trial began (I was an ignorant kid).

Where/ when did I first see it?

I first watched this on cable television around 1992, so I didn’t realize there was so much edited for time and content when I first watched the Rated R version.

How does it hold up?

The film holds up incredibly well; it’s a non-stop chase film that truly feels like anything was possible. I remember when watching this as a kid, that I thought Linda Hamilton would die in the film, but was surprised that they kept her around.

The special effects naturally are dated, but I say that every time, right?

What did I like about it and why?

Aside from the aforementioned, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a time travel movie!! I love the possibilities of time travel films, and how they realistically explained that the robot endoskeletons had to be covered in living tissue to survive the trip through time. Geeky, I know, but all the more fun.

Lessons Learned?

1. If someone asks for Sarah Connor; run.
2. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a flip-flopper. First, he’s out to kill you, then says he’ll “protect you.”
3. Skynet couldn’t have possibly created a more obvious killer… Talk about sore thumbs!

Where can you see it?

Check out Terminator 2: Judgment Day on CanIStream.It?

-Jamie (@GuyOnAWire)

---