"We're not going to make it, are we? - People, I mean."

Rating: 10/10 (29 August 2013)

There are a lot of very entertaining movies out there, and everyone likes that feeling you get when the credits roll at the end of a good flick. But no matter how many times I see it, "Terminator 2" is one of the very few films that leaves me feeling something quite unusual - a sense of absolute awe.
I mean, the scale of this movie! You have trucks chasing bikes, helicopters chasing trucks, shootouts, huge explosions; a liquid metal man, a nuclear holocaust, a laser battle in the future; ruminations on the nature and future of humanity; sacrifice, redemption, hope. It's just huge.
The pacing is terrific: after an absolutely breakneck first hour, the audience is given time to breathe while the characters reflect on their situation in deeply ruminative scenes in the Mojave desert, before a surprising, action-packed and ultimately moving finale. The lighting and colour grading add to the impact - the many night scenes in Los Angeles are given a slick blue sheen, offering a contrast between the threatening urban environment and the warm colours of the desert. The editing is fast enough to be appropriately exciting while never becoming frenetic or confusing.
The music and sound design are impeccable. The T-1000's leitmotif really heightens the creepiness of the character. The gentle acoustic guitar in the desert sequence is both beautiful and ominous, and the Main Title theme is simply one of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard. Sound design is such an overlooked discipline: I'm certain the average moviegoer has no idea that every footstep, every engine rumble and almost every word of dialogue is replaced during post-production. Here it's perfect, and filled with nice artistic touches such as the extra reverb on Sarah's scream when she first sees Arnie.
Even people who don't like this film have to agree that the effects are spectacular, and I've still never seen such convincing use of CGI. I recently found out why: in many cases, CGI was used to provide a smooth transition between real-life animatronic models of the T-1000 in various states of decimation, provided by the workshop of effects genius Stan Winston. The ethos was that if it could be done "in camera", it should - a creed I wish more film-makers followed. It just looks so much better and so much more convincing.
It's surprising to find an action film so affecting. The nuclear holocaust, which inspired a reaction along the lines of "awesome" when I first saw it at thirteen, is a scene that as an adult and father I now find truly bloodcurdling and terrifying. Sarah's assassination attempt on Dyson, and John's efforts to stop her, always make a deep impression ("Haven't you figured out why you can't just go around killing people?" Quite so) and I'm not ashamed to say that I've shed a few tears watching Dyson stare into the barrel of Sarah's gun.
Everything leads up to the final payoff. I get chills just thinking of the final monologue, delivered over footage of a highway at night, before the credits roll over that epic Main Title theme. It's just an astonishing piece of work, a true masterpiece, hands-down my favourite action film and in my opinion, one of the greatest films ever made. Two thumbs up for T2!