Solid action movie with impressive effects, but not a standout where it counts

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2010)

The opening scenes of James Cameron's acclaimed, overrated 1991 sequel TERMINATOR 2:JUDGMENT DAY (T2) are all one needs to see to know why this movie is not nearly the equal or superior to it's classic predecessor THE TERMINATOR (T1)!
In the first 30 minutes of T2, we get THREE cliché "Hollywood" scenes:
(1) Arnold Schwarzenegger's naked "good guy" T800 (polarizing the bad guy in T1) in a ho-hum bar brawl with a group of mocking bikers (the SAME scene occurred in T1 and grittier, esp. the reaction of the last punk, whose muted, jittery fear spoke volumes!), the last of which pulls a gun (typical sequelitis up-the-ante trick), then unconvincingly utters TAKE IT! His "fear" was the typical "Hollywood reactionary type" that I've seen in a bunch of movies.
(2) A scene with a now loony, buffed-up Sarah Connor (reprised by Linda Hamilton) in an insane asylum where the police psychiatrist from T1 now works (convenient) as he briefs a group of interns on her and then an utterly predictable and tepid exchange ONLY for explanation and exposition...BORING!
(3) ANOTHER expository scene introducing 10-year old John Connor (a fetus at the end of T1), establishing him as a juvenile delinquent and showing how his foster folks are jerks
We also get introduced to a new, improved evil Terminator, the liquid-metal T1000, played by Robert Patrick whose job it is to terminate John Connor; he can assume any human form and kills and takes the place of a cop (convenient plot device for the rest of the movie)
I don't see how a movie with such a tedious introductory 30 minutes can be proclaimed the "greatest" ANYTHING of all time! And the rest of the film is filled with nothing but cliché dialog that is still sadly heard today in many action films (I guess T2 is influential in that sense).
Schwarzenegger and Hamilton in T2 aren't given near as much to work with and not allowed to display the depth and range of emotions that permeated throughout T1, making it a provocative film and not JUST an action movie. The dialog in T1 had a realistic edge to it, ranging from Reese's hypnotic rants about the apocalypse and the T800's determination to kill Sarah to the gritty, wry (and convincing!) banter at the police station. Arnie in particular is stuck actually in a very thankless role, playing lapdog to John Connor (played by Edward Furlong, who gets to deliver an amazing amount of forgettable dialog). I saw nothing that would make me think this kid would be the future resistance leader and no mother-son chemistry between Furlong and Hamilton.
For me, the biggest reason why T2 is not in the league of T1 is the "evil" Terminator himself. In no way, shape, or form, does Robert Patrick's T1000 match or come close to Arnie's no-nonsense, unflappable T800! I've seen some people complain that Patrick is not on screen enough. But guess what? Arnie probably had about the same (maybe even less) screen time in T1 than Patrick did in this movie and Schwarzenegger managed to be 100% convincing and frightening every second he was on screen in T1. To be fair, Patrick was confined by the conventions of what is really a generic action movie.
Another big reason T2 is a fail for me is that (contrary to popular opinion!) it violates all that was built up in T1. Now, all of a sudden TWO (one in 84 and one in 94) evil Terminators were sent back. So there was a backup plan all along! Kind of takes the sting out of what Reese went through to save Sarah and ensure the future in T1, doesn't it?!
T2 is rather long, also, with quite a few, expository, unnecessary scenes that seem to be designed to give it depth and to stretch the film out to the appropriate length of a big, summer blockbuster movie. Example would be a scene past the midway point where Sarah narrates (while she looks at them) how the good T800 is like perfect father to John of all the fathers he's had; the narration doesn't work and the whole scene doesn't work. What's ironic is that in T1, the human Reese was just as willing to sacrifice others to save Sarah as the T800 was in order to kill her, while in T2, Reese's "replacement", who is not human, is sanitized to the point of not even seeming like a machine most of the time b/c young John won't allow him to kill; I guess it's a message about morality even in war, but not delivered as effectively (due to stilted dialog and unbelievable scenes) as the "win at all costs" attitude of T1.
In fairness, even though dated in terms of 80s, even people that love T1 (I do!) don't hold that against it and defend it for it's deep story, strong characterizations, brisk pace, nightmarish-noir look, and influence on the sci-fi genre. Even people that like T2 more than T1 (I do not!) compliment the original on these same things, so that's something.
I understand why T2 is held in regard in terms of special effects. For a near 20-year old movie, the effects are still impressive, especially the smooth transitions in Patrick's T1000 going from metal to human form and back. CGI movies today could learn a thing or two from this film. Also, all the action scenes in this movie are "necessary", if a bit showy. The action in T2 is well executed, if a bit too clean (minimal blood, no guts). But in between the few big, well done action scenes, there's standard dialog, boring character interactions, and predictable outcomes. None of this was true of T1!