TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
A film review by Roger Snappy Rubio
Copyright 1991 Roger Snappy Rubio
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and introducing Edward Furlong Produced by Gale Anne Hurd Written by James Cameron and William Wisher Directed by James Cameron
Kudos! Kudos! James Cameron has done it again. All the rumors about its humongous budget and all the hype about its special effects have paid off. This movie is a well done, well executed action adventure movie worthy of "sequelizing" the first one. The effects are great, the action scenes are great, and the acting is great. All in all, one hell of a movie!
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY is a sequel to the surprise hit of 1984, THE TERMINATOR. As the rumors of the budget of TERMINATOR 2 skyrocketed, the budget of THE TERMINATOR seemed to get more and more insignificant (its budget was only $17 million, whereas T2's budget was somewhere near $88 million). THE TERMINATOR was a movie that got by not only because of its special effects, but because it used them effectively and it had a good plot to go along with it. This has been the major factor in the success of Cameron's movies. Special effects don't do it alone. And this movie does not skimp on them. They were so amazing that I think I will devote a whole paragraph to them!
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY is the continuing story of Sarah Connor, who now has a son, John. In THE TERMINATOR, she learned through Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) that the world is going to experience a nuclear holocaust on August 29, 1997. Since her encounter with Reese and the T800 who was trying to kill her (to put it delicately), she has been plagued by visions of the destruction to come. She has been devoting all her efforts to her son, to get him ready to be the ultimate rebel leader. In the process, she has gone mad, and has wound up in a mental institution. John is placed with foster parents, and has gone about his own business, alienating himself from them. Meanwhile, two Terminators are arriving on the scene: a T1000, a new prototype sent by Skynet to kill John Connor this time, and a T800, sent by John Connor to protect himself as a child. They both eventually find John, and then the sparks begin to fly.
TERMINATOR 2 is clearly a film aimed at promoting world peace. If it wasn't, the movie would only take about an hour and thirty minutes to tell (as it is, the movie lasts two hours and twenty minutes). Half of the movie is devoted to the conflict between Sarah, John, the T800 (Schwarzenegger), and the T1000 (Patrick), and the other half is devoted to Sarah's dealings with the destruction to come from the coming nuclear holocaust. In fact, the T1000 drops from the scene for a spell so the film can focus on the holocaust. Another aspect that promotes peace is the "kinder, gentler" cyborg image of Schwarzenegger. Cameron and Schwarzenegger both feared that if the T800 was portrayed as a killing machine again, it would ruin Schwarzenegger's present image of a wholesome, humane muscleman, so they decided to present him as a "learning" Terminator, who could adapt to human traits. But for all you die-hard action fans, don't let this get you down. T2 certainly delivers with flying colors.
I believe Robert Patrick was an excellent choice for the T1000. He has what I would call a sort of 'neutral' looking face. He can look non-threatening and menacing at the same time. He has this evil air about his looks, and it makes him perfect for this role. Arnie has changed a lot from what he used to look like in the first movie, but he manages to pull off the coldness of the first T800. Linda Hamilton has almost gone through a metamorphosis due to her character's changes in this movie, and she executes them expertly (she's come a long way from that soft little waitress in T1). Edward Furlong does pretty well as John Connor, considering Cameron's casting director found him playing baseball at a Boys Club in Pasadena. I thought if anything was going to be wrong with this movie, it would have to be Furlong, but he did very well for his time. Overall, the acting was pretty good.
The storyline is, of course, predictable. But don't let that fool you. It's the execution that makes this movie so good. All the action scenes in here get you to thinking, how in the hell did they do that one? It's not like these type of scenes haven't been done before, but there are a few that make you wonder how they did it without anyone getting killed. They are not overtly amazing, but they do have their baffling qualities. And all this talk about time travel and such; this movie is only going to feed the fire. But that's good--it's not often that a movie like this one becomes a topic for household conversation. Someone must be doing something right!
And believe me, they are. Everyone was saying ILM, ILM, ILM. They didn't do it alone, but when you see the movie, the only thing you tend to notice IS the ILM effects. ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) was responsible for the amazing computer graphics effects that make the T1000 so menacing. ILM had the enormous task of animating pure liquid metal (which is what the T1000 is made out of) and boy did they do a number on this film! This movie left me with my chin in my lap and dragging out of the theater. The most common question I asked throughout the entire movie was 'how the hell did they do THAT?!?' The computer graphics were astounding, superb, and out of this world. It made the pseudopod in THE ABYSS look like a stop-motion Godzilla effect. I'm sure potential Wall Street investors will have no qualms about investing in the giant that is ILM. You have to see them for yourself. And if you're not impressed, then you are probably one of the guys who worked on the film.
Enough said, this is a definite must see. Don't see it to criticize it, don't see it casually, and don't see it alone. This movie is one to be experienced, not just seen. If I seem ecstatic about this movie, then it's because I am. I can just see the 1991 Oscars now: And the Oscar for special achievement in special effects goes to...guess who!
THE SNAPMAN
rsnappy@hydra.unm.edu
(Roger Rubio)
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