Surpasses not only its predecessor, but most action movies in general

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2014)

In 1984, director James Cameron released his sci-fi action film "The Terminator" which was met with high praise. Seven years later, Cameron released "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" which surpassed the original, which is also a very good movie, by far. It is a masterpiece of sci-fi, action, and drama that is still one of the best action movies to this day.
The film starts off similar to the original. Two different beings are sent from the future, one a terminator and the other a protector. This time around, The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the protector while a new terminator unit, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent back in time to terminate John Connor, the future commander of the human resistance. I know this is a little off topic, but one thing I have to say I love about the opening is the irony that it contains. The hero (Schwarzenegger) is dressed like a punk biker while the villain (Patrick) is dressed as a police officer.
While the Terminator is sent to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong), the T-1000 is sent to kill him. We see that John has been placed under the care of some foster parents (Jenette Goldstein and Xander Berkeley) and his mother, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), is in a psychiatric hospital. After the Terminator rescues John, they get Sarah and join forces to keep John alive from the T-1000.
Unlike in most action movies where the characters are turned down for flashy effects and over the top fight sequences, this film manages to keep a balance between the action and the characters. There are a lot of tense and amazing action sequences in the movie, but the characters come first. The relationship between the Terminator and John is well written and there is some believable chemistry between the two. The same goes for the relationship between John and Sarah.
While in the first movie it was more about the Terminator hunting for Sarah and Reese (Michael Biehn) protecting her, in "Terminator 2" the audience is shown what will eventually cause the machines to take over, which adds some depth to the story and to Sarah's character when we see her try to kill the person who is accidentally responsible (Joe Morton).
Like any good action movie, the action sequences are intense and well shot. We can see what is going on and they do not feel tedious or over- the-top. Complete with shoot outs, explosions, car chases and crashes, "Terminator 2" checks off all the marks in the action department.
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is a movie that is packed wall-to-wall with action, but does not forget about its characters or story in the midst of it all. There are compelling characters with interesting relationships between them, cool action sequences, and an interesting story. "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is a perfect example of how to make an action movie the right way.