The definitive action movie

Rating: 10/10 (20 January 2018)

I grew up with Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Few movies come close to it in terms of style, action and a story and characters that immediately capture your imagination and take you along for the ride.
Re-visiting it, one of the major things which stood out was the complete lack of establishing shots. Practically every movie ever made has at least 10 to 20 establishing shots but T2 has none. Every shot is straight into telling part of the story. It's incredibly focused. I'd say more than 95% of the shots have a person in them. As Chuck Palahniuk once said in an interview about his novel Fight Club, he puts more emphasis on verbs than adjectives. This is a movie of verbs, not adjectives. It's masculine, about function rather than fashion, about movement, about weapons and vehicles, about having specific goals and then achieving them by any means.
Throughout the film, the T-1000 consistently has better vehicles while the T-800 has better guns. It's an interesting imbalance that makes things more exciting. Both terminators are extremely efficient. They waste no time or energy. They know each-other's weaknesses and strengths. They know exactly how to use any vehicle or gun they come across. The T-1000 expertly operates a helicopter and large trucks, the T-800 rides a motorbike while reloading a shotgun with one hand, uses a mini-gun and repairs a car.
The direction is second-to-none in the action genre. The relative positions of characters and objects is always clear. We feel the speed at all times. None of the camera-work is flashy but it's right there among the action. Things are mostly done for real, there are many stunts and probably miniatures as well but they seamlessly mix in. Shots are no longer or shorter than they need to be to help us understand what's happening and feel every impact and beat of the action.
The heart of the movie is the relationship between John Connor and the terminator assigned to protect his life. The T-800 becomes a father figure to John who's never met his real father (but will in the future without realising it, that's time travel for you). John teaches him how to speak more like a normal person. The T-800 learns quickly. "No problemo."
Terminator 2 asks some interesting questions about fate and trying to change the future. Along with the original, it's the best movie in the genre of "robots taking over the world in the future". Is it morally sound to murder someone for their future crimes or devastation that will take place because of their actions? The answer isn't simple. It has similarities to Minority Report in this area.
The tone is dark at times and sometimes I feel this is a flaw. But it also makes it more unique. Movies should explore different human emotions and at one point or another we have to face the reality of nuclear weapons and the potential for self-destruction. It's terrifying but T2 is about hope in the face of this. It's tragic what Sarah Connor has been through and has to live with, being the only one knowing about such a deadly future. Miles Dyson is also a tragic figure, a father and husband who is completely unaware of the massive risks his work entails.
The performances are very good. Linda Hamilton is intense as Sarah Connor. We understand when she tells off her son for saving her - she puts mankind's future ahead of her own life and that means John's life is sacred and can't be risked. Arnold Schwarzenegger is stoic but becomes more human as the movie progresses. A bit like how dogs may learn to "emote" to interact with their human owners, the T-800 seems to gradually understand how human emotions work and respond to them. There are nice details like reloading his weapon when speaking to John, staying up at night to keep an eye out for danger and scanning areas with his eyes - he is always in character, always doing the maximum possible to protect John.
Robert Patrick is calm and ominous as the T-1000. He gives a cold smile a couple of times but comes across as inhuman. He is scarier in many ways than the terminator in the original because his own body can become long, stabbing blades. He doesn't hesitate to kill in cold blood and to imitate people in order to get access to places. Edward Furlong is excellent as child acting goes. He's independent but sad. He's learned to hate his mother, thinking she lied to him. He doesn't like his foster parents or at least hasn't formed close relationships with them - "she's not my mother, Todd" (blatantly refusing to call him Dad).
The special effects pushed the boundaries of what was possible at the time and they're integrated into the rest of the movie really well. The movie is full of iconic, memorable shots, action sequences and lines. The T-800 is "bad to the bone" with his leather clothes, boots, motorbike, shotgun and sunglasses. And the T-1000 is sleek and intimidating in his fake police uniform. As he slides through bars, the only thing which isn't liquid is the gun which he slightly tilts to bring through. There are too many great moments to name and they often come in a flurry at the best parts.
T2 is what gets me excited about movies in general. It's the peak of what's possible in an action film. And on top of that, it has some mature themes, thought-provoking sci-fi ideas and good dramatic performances. It makes it all look so easy. I liked it as a kid but only now has it hit me how epic and one-of-a-kind it truly is. Unbeaten for 26 years and counting...