The Best Action Movie Ever

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2005)

Where do I begin? Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a great movie. It has everything that anyone could possibly want. Spectacular action, state-of-the-art special effects, well-developed characters, a touching story, thought-provoking ideas, and a wonderful cast make this an awesome movie. Easily in my top five.
First and foremost, the action scenes in this movie are, in my opinion, the best ones I have ever seen. Huge explosions, intense chases, awe-inspiring weaponry, and one of the most menacing bad guys I've ever seen are a great reason to see this movie, if nothing else. The chases keep getting better and better, starting with a riveting chase through a canal involving motorcycles and tractor trailer cabs and ending with a 'leaves-you-breathless' chase on a freeway with a S.W.A.T. van, a helicopter, and a tanker carrying liquid nitrogen. The weapons used are wild, most notably the scene when The Terminator obliterates the entire police force with a minigun and an M-79 grenade launcher. I could go on, but you get the idea. The action will blow you out of your seat.
The special effects are, even now, some of the best I've seen on film. The CGI used here is better than half the stuff that's in movies now. The morphing and reforming effects are amazing, especially when The T-1000 gets its head blown in half and it reforms instantly. WOW! I also got a kick out of when its gun gets stuck after it morphs through the jail bars.
The characters are excellent. Schwarzenegger is great in his best-known role and spits out many quotable one-liners, most notably "Hasta La Vista, Baby." Arnold as a cyborg has more charisma than Keanu Reeves. He evokes compassion, sadness, laughter, and had me cheering him on the entire time. Linda Hamilton is terrific as the tough-as-nails Sarah Connor, a major change from her innocent and desperate Sarah in the first Terminator. I'd be scared to even look at her. Edward Furlong is decent as John, and is never fully annoying. My only complaint is that his voice cracks a little too much. Everyone else is fantastic.
The message conveyed in T2 is very strong. We have become so dependent on technology today that it is taking over our lives. It's also developing faster and faster. It just shows you what could happen if we didn't stop to think, 'Hey, maybe we shouldn't create something that thinks just like us, and can learn at a geometric rate?'
But enough preaching.
The Bottom Line:
If you're looking for mindless action (which I'm a big fan of too) or a compelling story, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a superior film that mixes both of them and yields one hell of a result.