They don't come any bigger!

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2002)

If entertainment is rated in terms of value for money then I fail to see what other film measures up in terms of the old adage "what you see is what you get!" The closest would be Jim Cameron's ALIENS no doubt!
Not necessarily "better" than the original, which after all blew the limits of originality and innovation back in '84 with one twentieth of the budget, but it is certainly gynormous in scope and even depth. It does not stand up to logical penetrative analysis, because you can quite easily reason that none of it is theoretically possible. My suggestion is therefore that you simply don't bother, just watch the thing for what it is. An action-filled canvas of implausible but gut-wrenchingly involving sci-fi.
This time around (and contrary to the original script) Schwarzenegger portrays the Terminator sent back to protect John Connors against the virtually indestructible T-1000, played menacingly by Robert Patrick. His gradual assimilation of human characteristics and emotions is particularly well handled especially at the film's conclusion, when he must self-destruct in the molten metal at the steel foundry. It is one of Schwarzenegger's most touching seconds of screen time in any film!
When you realise that Kubrick's hugely disappointing EYES WIDE SHUT cost not much less than T2, you can begin to realise how well the money was spent here. The second sequel planned for later this year is unlikely to be in the same ball-park as this one-off kick-ass movie!