A good sequel is a rarity...

Rating: 9/10 (22 April 2011)

True, T2 is much more up to date special effects wise (one of the first films to use CGI instead of head puppets or anamatronics or stop-motion), but that's not the reason I like this sequel. There are lots of reasons. Among them: Robert Patrick's delicately featured T1000 comes across as almost scarier and more ruthless than the original Series 101 (Arnold's role reprised, sort of...he's GOOD in this sequel), more screen time for Earl Boen as Dr. Silberman, and of course, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor.
Sarah, in the years since learning about the future, and giving birth to her son John (Edward Furlong, whose performance I appreciate much more than I used to, in spite of the sometimes annoying "chill out dickwad" stuff), has been using all her energy training and preparing John, always on the road and on the run. When she tries to blow up a software factory, she is arrested, declared insane, and stuck in an institution run by Silberman.
I always appreciate a Cameron film restored to its original length, and really enjoyed a scene with Sarah getting a visit from the late Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn :) who implores her to find a way to escape the hospital and find and protect John, who has been in the foster care system. Her suspicions that Skynet has sent another assassin are true, but like before, a protector has also been sent.
Before long, Sarah, John and the 101 are on the lam, and learn a great deal about a man named Dyson (Joe Morton) who will play a very huge part in the advancement of Cyberdyne Systems and Skynet.
Like Roddenberry, Jim Cameron is a prophet of sorts. In 1991, most of us little people barely knew anything about the internet. The next chapter of the story, RISE OF THE MACHINES, will further explain what Kyle Reese was raving about in the 1984 film.
I still like the original TERMINATOR better than its successors, but T2 is a film I've come to appreciate a lot more...restored footage always helps and I wish filmmakers would just stop cutting scenes out. Who cares about theatres? If a DVD movie is 4 hours plus, a person can turn it off and come back to it later.