Terminator was great, T-2 is perfect

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2004)

The first terminator was a fantastic science fiction thriller, dark and brutal. Schwarzenneger was merciless, Linda Hamilton was fragile and innocent, and the story was interesting and packed with action and desperation. But in my view, it doesn't come close to this.
This is one of the greatest action/sci-fi movies of all time. Technically, the film is incredible. Everything from the sound to the editing to the special effects is almost flawless - the two terminators look awesome, especially the t-1000. And the action sequences are brilliantly done.
Bur besides being brilliantly done, the action parts also leave you breathless, and that you cannot achieve just through technical perfection. For that, you need the director's awesome vision, and the actor's intense performances.
James Cameron is a genius when it comes to action and sci-fi, as can be seen in Aliens, the Abyss, the Terminator, and a few more. And here he's at his finest. The action is brutal and thrilling to watch, fun and packed with details.
The actors are perfectly cast. Schwarzenneger is a Terminator that is beginning to develop a soul. He's still cold and tough as nails, but no longer merciless. He's as cool as the first terminator, but actually likable this time.
Linda Hamilton is a bit over the top sometimes, but then again her character is supposed to be completely neurotic and paranoid. Furlong is a great actor nowadays, and started off really well here. And Robert Patrick plays an excellent t-1000. Not much depth to the character, but then again this time it's him, not Arnold who's supposed to be the non-stop killing machine, so not much depth required.
And the story... Well, for an action movie, it's brilliant. Imaginative, thrilling, sometimes superficially philosophical, it takes the first movie's ideas and creates one hell of a adventure.
This movie gripped me from beginning to end the first time, and still does after all this time. There's only one word that perfectly describes it: Excellent.
And try and watch the DVD special edition. It's got a lot of character development on it, and some great little details...