Blazing Sequel That Terminates Almost Every Other Sci-Fi Movie

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2006)

"The future has not been set, there is no fate but what we make for ourselves". These are the words that set the way The Terminator moves forward. The same applies to Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which is one of the greatest sequels ever made in filming history.
Like The Terminator, T2 has a Terminator and a protector sent back in time to change the future. But a couple of rules have changed in T2 that make it a different movie. For one, Sarah Conner is no longer the target of the Terminator, it's her now born son John Conner. The other changes is that instead of a Terminator and human soldier sent back, two Terminators are sent to find John Conner. The model sent to protect John is the same as the Terminator from the first movie, so Arnold is back but he's turned a new leaf. The model searching to kill John Conner is the more advanced Terminator, the T-1000, or Alloyman as I like to call him.
T2 takes place about ten years after the first Terminator, and a bit has happened since then. One being that John Conner is born and living the life of a typical bad kid. The other and the more surprising being that Sarah Conner is now locked up in a mental institute, where unlike the first, she is now a tough and strict woman that does at times seem close to crazy. Since John of course can't live with his mother he's raised by adopted parents which he obviously loathes, being the computer hacking, bank-stealing kid he's become. The story of how Sarah and John got to where they are is told through the plot segments of the movie so the viewer doesn't feel completely lost.
Like it's predecessor, T2 focuses on tense and suspenseful action sequences with plot segments in-between as its means to entertain. And like the first, this technique pays off thanks to some more exciting and memorable scenes. Such scenes that T2 is famous for include the first and last chase scenes in the movie and one of the best endings ever. The plot segments that go before and after the action scenes are more or less story-telling scenes that fill the viewer in on what they have missed between the first Terminator and this Terminator movies.
Again, Arnie is back but he's changed. Instead of being a ferocious killing machine he's now a softer and less menacing character. The newer Terminator is played by Robert Patrick, who brings a charming yet obviously deadly personality to his Terminator role. Linda Hamilton returns to play Sarah Conner but she like Arnie has changed, but she's more like Arnold was in the last Terminator movie instead of the innocent hostage-like chick from the first. As for John, he's unprofessionally played by Edward Furlong, but at least he gets the job done as John, but just barely passing.
Fans of the first Terminator movie might feel a bit betrayed by the changes in the characters but Cameron actually took a logical direction with the characters and it pays off surprisingly well. Most of the movie seems dedicated to allowing the viewer to establish an accurate with the new and old characters to the movie. This combined with some unforgettable action scenes help to make T2 one of the better movies to find a certain love for, one way or another. This works especially well in the perfect ending that many fans will say was the real ending to the Terminator movies despite the release of T3.
Terminator 2 stands as a monumental accomplishment that shows the peak of James Cameron's directing talent. As Arnold said in the first Terminator "I'll be back" and he did come back and brought back a fresh supply of excellence. The great action is back, the excellent story-telling is back and the great acting, despite some obvious complaints in Furlong and perhaps Hamilton and Arnie's roles is also back nonetheless.