He promised he'd be back

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2020)

Sometimes sequels aren't as good as the films that came before them, I can assure you in the case of Terminator 2, this is not the case. Terminator 2 brings back some of the faces from the original terminator, notably Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger - who shine with their performances.
After the events of the first Terminator film we once again experience time travel and the need to protect the past (our present) to save the present (our future). John Connor is now a teenager; he will one day grown up to be the leader of the human resistance in a world where machine have almost wiped out humanity. A Terminator is sent back in time to kill him, but also another Terminator has been sent back in time to protect him. Playing the good guy this time, Arnie is the machine sent to protect him from Robert Patrick, a more advanced killing machine. What follows is a rip roaring action adventure chase film which pits man against machine and also machine against machine.
While the first film in this franchise was low budget, this film is a big budget blockbuster - everything is ramped up - effects, action, plot, performances and also in this film, the musical soundtrack which accompanies the film. Some of the action and effects in this film were top of the range and revolutionary in the 90's, some even look good in today's CGI heavy markets. This film marked a turning point for effects; you only have to watch the way a T1000 Terminator interacts with its surroundings to see some of the leaps forward this film brought. While the first film was a defining moment in sci-fi films, this film took that premise and ran with it, extending an already exceptional concept and lifting it onto a pedestal. I can't tell you how much I loved this film as a child - it's a cinematographic tour-de-force and hasn't deteriorated too much with age. This film has continued in spawning other cross platform media into its universe, it's continued in its quest to make something visually stunning and outstanding while delivering a compelling and fun story. If the first Terminator set the bar for excellence, then this film created a new notch onto which a new bar could be placed. I am happy to award this film a whopping 10 out of 10.