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Terminator
2: Judgement Day
Before today’s
movie scene of sequels, reboots, remakes, prequels, reinventions,
reimaginings, preboots, requels (okay I made those last two up) of
which are now big business and often just as good as the original,
there was a time called the 1990’s. Sequels were being made of
course, but it was expected they would be inferior to the original.
And they usually were. There were still enough films with original
ideas and endings that gave a sense of closure, that sequels weren’t
all that necessary even up until the late 90’s. But call him a
pioneer if you like, because James Cameron knew how to make a sequel
that respected the original film, and even topped it. With his
outstanding work as director on “Aliens” in 1986, Cameron proved
a sequel could be better that it’s predecessor. The debate
rages on that Alien and Aliens are two very different films, but if
you ask anyone who’s seen both films more than once, the majority
of them will agree Aliens was superior in almost every way and hands
down, probably the best sequel to a movie ever made. So with this
resounding success, when it was announced James Cameron would be
directing the sequel to his own original hit “The Terminator”,
with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the unstoppable killer cyborg
from the future and early previews hinting at some of the best
special effects ever to be committed on film, excitement and
anticipation grew.
Being just a
young tyke in 1991, the only Schwarzenegger films I had seen at this
point – and was only allowed to see – included “Twins” and
“Kindergarten Cop”. And even though those films were lighter
fare, my conservative dad would criticise the violent ending of
Kindergarten Cop and the Almost-a-Sex-Scene in Twins (which he would
get up and fast forward if we were watching the video, or stand in
front of the TV if was playing that night to the amusement of my
sisters and I). But Terminator 2: Judgement Day was going to take the
world by storm and I wanted to see it at the movies more than
anything. I wasn’t allowed to of course, and by the time it came
out on video, I asked my parents if I could watch it. Mum quickly
said “No!” as it was too violent, and dad nodded in supportive
agreement. Secretly, he was hatching a plan to fulfil my wish given I
was almost 10 and probably old enough to watch it now, under his
strict supervision of course. One evening, while mum and my sisters
went to dancing class, Dad came out with a video cassette under his
jacket, revealing it with a smile. I almost jumped for joy when I saw
the unmistakable front cover of Arnie sitting on the motorbike, a
shotgun by his side, black leather jacket and sunglasses staring out
at me saying, “I am the Terminator. Prepare to be
Schwarzengger-rised” That was my perception of it anyway. It would
be the first all-out action film of the biggest star in the world I
would see and I couldn’t wait to watch it.
That night, I
watched it with my dad, captivated by what I saw on screen. A couple
of years later, it premiered on TV for the first time (as we had to
wait three whole years for movies to come on TV after their
theatrical release back then) and I recorded it onto VHS. Whenever I
got the chance, I watched it, and as I got older, I came to
understand it better, and love it even more. I hadn’t seen the
original Terminator film yet, as that would follow by the time I was
about 13 or 14.
I can spare you
a rundown of the story of Terminator 2, because lets face it, you’ve
seen it, and probably more than once. Even twenty five years later,
it still holds up as the best action film ever made in my opinion. I
still get a thrill watching the T-1000 driving the black truck,
chasing a young John Connor through the storm drain system of LA,
while he flees on his motorbike. Then watching the T-800 fulfil his
mission by flying off the edge of the concrete dam on his Harley,
landing perfectly to avoid his enemy driving the truck, then
gracefully pick up John with one hand and rescue him from death. From
here, we go on an awesome ride of one adrenaline pumped chase after
another, watching the T-1000 shape shift and assassinate anyone in
his path with his array of liquid metal arsenal, in a relentless
pursuit to kill the future leader of the human resistance. Then the
extra fantastic element of this film came into play, with the
presence of John’s mother, Sarah Connor.
Played by the
little seen but very talented actress Linda Hamilton, she channelled
a performance which can be touted for reinventing the stereotype of
women in Hollywood movies and introducing a whole new type of action
hero. Hamilton’s performance was miles away from her portrayal of
Sarah Connor in the original film. Where in the first instalment, she
was young, naïve and caught in a situation she couldn’t even
understand, this time around she’s ready, and knows what’s
coming. Her strength, valour and resilience to warn the world of
Judgement Day, even while locked up in a mental institution show’s
how the attack on her by the original Terminator left her scarred,
but ultimately stronger. Her presence in this film carried it to a
whole new level, and it’s a performance for the ages.
Then young
Edward Furlong, who never did anything as good as this for the rest
of this career (if he even has one left these days) was perfectly
cast as the young John Connor. His on screen chemistry with
Schwarzenegger was well matched, and their scenes are ever enjoyable
to watch; thrilling, funny and touching at times.
When Terminator
2 came out, it changed many things. Special effects would never be
seen nor done the same way again. James Cameron proved once again
that sequels could surpass their originals. And Schwarzenegger
cemented his place in movie history as the biggest action star of all
time. Twelve years later, he would return to play the Terminator
again in what looked to be his final bow out from movies before
entering a whole new career as a politician.
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