One of the best movies ever made...

Rating: Null/10 (11 February 2002)

On the surface, Terminator 2 is THE benchmark for technical excellence in a movie. Clean, well shot, with some of the most excellent special effects ever presented on the big screen. Cameron's vision is legendary, second only to his directing acumen. But there is more to this movie, SO MUCH MORE.
I was only a kid when T2 came out, so I was immediately swept up in hype, marketing, overpowering merchandising, etc. It was not until my later years that I've come to truly appreciate this film. The parallels between this and the original are outstanding. I find that it's best enjoyed if you try to put your self in Sarah Connor's (Linda Hamilton) shoes. Wouldn't that f*ck with your mind? Your peaceful, ho-hum existence shattered when you're told that an unstoppable killing machine has been sent back from the future to kill you? That your son is the Messiah (figuratively, of course)? Imagine your son's father coming back to protect you to ensure the future of all humanity...and that barely scratches the surface.
10 years later, after a decade of running and gunning that is only hinted at, your son is straying from his path as the savior, and you're locked in an institution, unable to influence events that only you can foresee. Haunted by dreams of a lost love (check the special edition DVD if you don't know what I'm talking about) who keeps reminding you of the urgency of your situation. And suddenly, you're freed, only to find that your once mortal enemy is your only chance to survive another brush with an even more unstoppable machine. Imagine having to place your trust in a machine who's "face" proliferates your worst nightmares. As you can see, this movie is NOT about John, or the Terminator(s), but about Sarah, and her vision of mankind and it's future. The power of that vision is what drives the movie, not the flashy (but oh-so beautiful) special effects. Watch it with this in mind, and remember Sarah Connor's last comments:
"If a machine can learn the value of human life, why can't we?"
Enjoy.