Never ceases to amaze me

Rating: 10/10 (28 August 2007)

This is one of those fairly rare cases where the sequel surpasses the original. In fact, T2 surpasses a lot of films, old and new. It was made around 7 years after the first outing, and is clearly operating on a much larger budget than the original. It has a blockbuster feel to it, as to the late night, B-movie theme of the first one, which still became a cult film despite its low budget.
The special effects are amazing, even by todays standards, but unlike other Hollywood blockbusters, it has story, emotion and depth to accompany the explosions, chases and CGI. It has been 16 odd years now since it was made, and despite afew choice haircuts and references to old school gaming systems, it feels as if it hasn't aged a day.
Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, but unlike her character in the first one, she is now a lean, mean ass kicking warrior woman. Arnie returns as the T101 Terminator, only this time he is playing a bodyguard sent by the rebel side, to protect a young John Connor (Eddie Furlong) the future leader of the resistance. Those who have seen the film (almosy everyone) will know just how much protection John Connor needs, as the machines send back the dreaded T1000 (Robert Patrick), a being formed of liquid metal, that can manipulate his body into almost anything at the drop of a hat, queue amazing special effects.
Sarah, John and the T101 unite soon enough and start a quest to try and prevent the rise of Cyberdine Systems, who are the company responsible for creating a special chip in the near future. This chip will give machines the ability to think for themselves, which in turn will have a devastating, and I mean DEVASTATING effect on the general population. They do this specifically by locating a computer developer named Miles Dyson, who is the lead scientist in the project. All the while, the T1000 is following their moves. He is more advanced than the T101, more ruthless and will not stop until his mission is complete.
This film is literally great scene after great scene. There is the brilliant storm drain chases scene, Sarah's escape from the mental institution, T101 with the chain-gun, the battles between T1000 and his target's bodyguard, with the last half hour or so being pure excitement. The character development is brilliant as well, seeing Sarah's bond with her endangered son John, John's father-son bond with the increasingly human 'machine', and Robert Patrick playing the emotionless T1000 with cold eyed precision.
This is a film which sweeps you up and pulls you into whats happening. It has laughs and humour to ease the tension, classic lines, great cinematography, top notch action sequences and scenes that will stay with you long after watching. If you haven't seen this, you truly should. It is unmissable.