Solid but slightly overblown sequel: spoilers

Rating: Null/10 (30 January 2003)

By 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger had become an international action movie star. So naturally, any sequel to the movie that helped make his career was going to be hit. Thus was born "Terminator 2: Judgement Day".
The film is helped by the return of the film's main principal stars: Schwarzenegger himself, Linda Hamilton and director James Cameron. The result is a top-level sequel, much more expensive than the original, but nevertheless is far better than anyone had a right to expect.
The basic plot is something of an update on that of the original. This time the target is not the mother but the adolescent son. When the film opens, John Connor (Edward Furlong), is now living with foster parents. His mother Sarah (Hamilton) is confined to a mental institution, knowledge of mankind's future annihalation having driven her nearly insane.
Sent back this time are two cyborgs: one is a T-100 (Schwarzenegger), a Terminator reprogrammed to seek out and protect John Connor. His adversary is the considerably more lethal T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a liquid metal assassin who can blend in with his environment and whose fingers and arms can form lethal stabbing weapons.
In an interesting twist, the script works in the creation of the cyborgs and a bid to avert apocalypse. At the centre of this is a hardworking but naive scientist (Joe Orton) whose research will unwittingly trigger Armageddon. Sarah's attempts to stop him add another layer of tragedy and pathos on to an already interesting script.
The sequel takes the inventive step of creating a family bond between the principal characters. On finding John, the Terminator takes his charge to rescue his mother and together the trio form an touching connection between each other: John the son, Sarah the mother, and the Terminator the watchful surrogate father.
The acting by the principals is once again excellent. Hamilton in particular has really made the effort here. As Sarah Connor, she's become enraged, angry and psychotic, with an impressive muscular physique to boot. Edward Furlong, in an underrated debut, is sympathetic and convincing as her son.
Robert Patrick is on fine form with the little acting he has to do as the T-1000. Earl Boen is wonderful as Sarah's smarmy but helpless psychiatrist, and Joe Orton conveys tragedy and pathos as the doomed scientist.
But the film, without a doubt, belongs to Arnold Schwarzenegger. As well as becoming the good guy, his role is considerably humanized this time round. At one point, he's even made to put his hand up and say "I promise I won't kill anybody." This line is a good dig at Arnold's status as an invincible action hero, as well as tieing in with the film's anti-violence message. He forms a genuine rapport with Furlong and, naturally, gets all the best lines.
The special effects are far better than those used in the previous film, but they are used just a little too often. A little carnage here and there is fine but too much becomes boring and repetitive. As a result the film's pace lags in the second half.
Perhaps not quite the classic the original was, "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is a good sequel to "The Terminator" and would have made a suitable conclusion to the series. As it is, we'll just have to see what surprises await us in "Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines".