"I'm a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton."

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2016)

Terminator 2 is a more mainstream, thoughtful sequel to 1984's "The Terminator. Whereas Terminator 2, was a dark, horrific, brutal film, T2 is more about the theme of the future of humanity in a nuclear era. Blessed with a huge budget and a superb script Cameron successfully turns the tables on Arnie's character and Sarah Connor's developing relationship with the Terminator. Also effective is John Connor's development into the leader he becomes in the future during the film. I'm one of the few that actually prefer the first one over this one. To me, the original Terminator was scarier and creepier. The thought of an unstoppable killing machine on your trail with the only human (yet very resourceful) Kyle Reese to protect you was a terrifying one. It was more of sci-fi meets horror and it was extremely effective in what it set out to do. The sequel is more of a blockbuster sci-fi action movie that does what it sets out to do just as effectively, so which one you prefer probably depends on what genre you prefer your Terminator in.
That said, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is still flat out full of awesome. It does a lot of things right; you have Arnold at the very top of his game, Robert Patrick makes a very worthy opponent as the liquid metal T-1000. The action is top notch and delivers the goods in very satisfying ways. The themes concerning fate, technology, and what it is to be "alive" are certainly near as big as themes can get. As often mentioned, the snake-like, liquid metal adversary is a masterpiece both of acting and special effects, and ushered in a new era in computer graphics. Although not as dark as the predecessor, this film was certainly prettier, and explored a wide range both of film styles and themes.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.