"You can't just go around killing people!"

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2012)

I recall seeing this film when it first came out and remember my reaction thinking how cool it was to have Arnold turn the tables on his Terminator character by coming back as a good guy and the protector of Sarah Connor and her son. I haven't seen the picture since then until tonight, and even though it's twenty years later I'm still blown away by the special effects of the picture. The liquid metal alloy concept of Robert Patrick's T-1000 makes for a lot of clever mutations, with each one outdoing the one that went before. The one that really got me was when he rose out of the black and white tile floor of the hospital corridor. Very cool.
Story wise, I always have a little trouble with these time travel gimmicks. It seems to me that Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) understood the unintended consequences of his work with Cyberdyne, and the science that came out of the remnants of the 1984 Terminator were handily disposed of at the finale. So Arnold and Company effectively saved the present day AND the future, except that the future happened anyway. I may be missing something here, but I'm not going to dwell on it.
What I probably like most about the story is the relentless nature of the T-1000 to complete his mission, and the equal resolve that the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 (that would be Arnie) has to stop him. Schwarzenegger once again parlayed his ability to deliver just a single line that has since become iconic - "Hasta la vista, Baby", getting by the rest of the way with his huge physique and a singular scowl. To her credit, Linda Hamilton literally got in shape for this picture by getting totally buffed, making her action sequences that much more believable. I'd probably be remiss if I didn't mention Edward Furlong for his portrayal as the young John Connor. I didn't really care for him at the start of the picture, but he grew into the role as the story progressed, becoming a sympathetic character by the time it was over.