a film thats alot more than its special effects

Rating: 10/10 (15 July 2003)

Terminator 2 has a rare quality amongst sequels! Not only is it visualy more sophisticated and more realistic in its action sequences but it also has a unique quality, that being its storyline. Many sequels are just money spinners with large set pieces and big scenes designed to hide the lack of story. T2 is a very unique film, not only does it superceed the original but it delves deeper into the story with a darker moodier and more creatively sophisticated vision which is rare for its genre.
The story being focused on Sarah and john conner and their battle to stop judgment day and the human race being annihilated by machines. In the first film we see sarah being the target of the terminator but this film manages to be nothing more than a very elaborate comic book adventure, the second film becomes almost artwork, the story is much deeper and more emotionally wrenching as a disturbed sarah struggles with the knowledge of the precise date and time and the events leading to the end of civilisation as we know it. The story is much more focused on the nuclear war and the true elements of the whole terminator story where the first film only scratches the surface and just uses the story as an excuse for Arnie to chase Linda Hamilton around LA. the first film was excellent but the second really dug deep into the story to let it be told rather than just be a guideline for an action movie.
T2 was groundbreaking in many ways not only for being a much better movie than the original but with its C.G.I (computer Generated image) breakthrough but this is not used to pull the wool over the audiences eyes it is merely there to enhance the realism of the picture and for us to believe and to tap into the emotional torment and horror that the characters must face with the burden of knowing the end of the world lingers and their battle to prevent the war from happening whilst avoiding the very thing they are trying to save that being the human race. Many films since like jurasic park used the same breakthrough effects but with very different purpose, to hide the lack of story and plot developement but T2 uses it to enhance the already very deep and sophisticated story.
Terminator 2's script is emotional, unsettling and disturbing if people would just sit down and take the film in they will realise that this picture is much more than just fancy special fx its a triumph of story telling and movie making and its a credit to James Cameron for not letting the sequel drop into the same pit of nasty films trying to cash in on the success of the original but to make it a significant masterpiece in the world of storytelling.