Sequel Exemplar

Due to the fact that the newest instalment of the ‘Terminator’ films is coming out very soon in the cinemas, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review an old favourite of mine that I watched growing up and to this day, still rate it as one of the best action film ever to grace the silver screen. That film as you can already tell from the very much 80’s poster up-top, is of course Terminator 2; the big-bad wolf of sequels that silences the feeble sequels that plead for their efforts. I might be going a bit overboard, but you can’t deny, Terminator 2 is one of the top dogs when it comes to sequels. Simply, what makes a good sequel work is basically stick to the same formula the original film had, but at the same time, add aspects that are new and blend in well with the progressing narrative. With this 2nd instalment, it showcases this perfectly as it not only re-introduces the old characters of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and the T-800 (Schwarzenegger), from the original film, back into a new and more complex turn of events, but it improves on the original hugely in that it has an overall beautiful look with it’s colour palette/cinematography and the fact that it introduces John Connor (Edward Furlong) rather well with the new and much improved ‘Terminator’, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) into a story-line that for that world, makes sense which is a good thing.

It has been 10 long years since the first cyborg called the Terminator tried to kill Sarah Connor and her unborn son, John Connor. Now, Skynet has sent back another Terminator; this one being much more advanced than the last model. The Mission: to kill John Connor when he’s still a renegade child who’s committing crimes that makes you ever wonder, why he is chosen to lead mankind in this apocalyptic future. Digressing from this however, to counteract this unexpected threat to his childhood, future John sends back a replica of the original Terminator that tried to kill his mother. It’s Mission: to protect John and it’s Mother at all costs. The battle for tomorrow, has only just begun…

I think the obvious start in divulging into this film would be to look at the performances/characters of Terminator 2 since it is the most important aspect that holds this film together despite this film having properly done and executed action sequences and special effects that for the time this film was released, was certainly appealing. I know some people who are reading this might look at this and think that what I said about the characters being the most important aspect of this film is utter and rubbish and nonsense, but evidently, it’s true. Can you honestly recommend another actor when this film was released to replace the likes of Schwarzenegger? I don’t think so. The role of the T-800 is obviously tailor-made for someone specifically who is stoic and bad-ass but unexpectedly has a hint of comic-relief. If you know what Schwarzenegger is about as an actor with his catchphrases and what he brings to most of the action films that he’s apart in, then you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from him. Granted, the first Terminator film is arguably where Schwarzenegger got his ‘notoriety’ if you will with his bulky appearance and his way of not saying a lot. But if I was to say as an acting performance, which of the films did Schwarzenegger best perform in, then it would be this sequel Judgment Day. As an improvement to the first film, his character is considerably different with his character not only switching roles from being an antagonist to a protagonist but also with the fact that in terms of dialogue, he has a lot more to say and a lot more personality especially when he interacts with the likes of Sarah and John Connor. From this film and with the character of the T-800, there are two aspects that I like that I got from the character and with the theme of the film. I think one of the underlying aspects that this film tries to show off on a minuscule level is the bond between man and machine which is portrayed through the ‘father-son’ relationship that John and the T-800 have. Obviously, the ‘man and machine’ theme can be seen differently in terms of the T-1000 representing this idea that technology is unpredictable and that we as people should be careful which I can understand as a valid point. However, I like to think that the ‘father and son’ relationship between John and the T-800 establishes this idea that there is also an advantage when it comes to technology which is forever changing. Some of the best moments in the film for me are when John and the T-800 are communicating with each in a scene where they’re just talking or they’re under serious threat from the T-1000 near towards the end of the film.

The other aspect that I like about the characterisation of Judgement Day is the showdowns between the old and new terminator’s. What happens after the two terminator’s appear in the past is a wild ride with macho action, dark reflection on the nature of man. Even though I did say that some of the best scenes of this film came from when John and the T-800 are interacting with each other like the clip above, in terms of the action sequences in this film, they’re all done brilliantly thanks to the help of Schwarzenegger and Patrick (who plays the T-1000). Although I do think that the action sequences on there own are really tense which makes this film so enjoyable to watch, I do like this idea that these machines of the T-800 and the T-1000 are opposites of the same coin; you know they can kill one another, but in the end, who is the victor? and that’s what I had in my head when I first watched this action-packed film. You simply just have to expect the unexpected. Equally as important as some of the other characters, Hamilton as Sarah Connor is not only an interesting character in terms of how she progresses the  narrative in the first film and in Judgement Day, but also she is plainly a iconic/bad-ass character. It’s arguable that she can be placed as a femme fatale role in that she is a superwoman that can look after herself by knowing how to use a weapon and in Judgement Day for instance, nearly escaping a psych-ward. What I like about her placement within the film however, is how she embodies to be this metaphor to the audiences that have seen the first Terminator. As the only character that lived through the first Terminator film, Sarah Connor pretty much brings the elements of this first film into this 2nd sequel. A good example of where this is evident would be when John and Sarah take the chip out of the T-800 which belong to the old Terminator that tried to kill Sarah in the first film. Again, that specific scene is a good example of how the narrative and the character of Sarah ‘progress’ in a manner of speaking. You can tell once that pull that chip out in the film, Sarah is reflecting both on her past encounter with the machine that tried to kill her and what is to come in the future which if you think about it that way, it’s really interesting how Cameron (The Director) has done that.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a ‘Terminator’ film without some action. Reflecting at all the ‘Terminator’ films including that awful 4th one with Christian Bale, I think the best action sequences would all have to go to Judgement Day. The first Terminator isn’t bad when it comes to delivering a piece of tension, but for my money there not really memorable scenes apart from when the Evil Arnold invades the police station. Even the 3rd instalment has action sequences that can’t help but use special effects overload and for me in that film, it just felt rushed and incomplete and boring as far as that film goes. Judgement Day’s action pieces are really structured well within the film time. I don’t think there’s an action sequence that feels too long or stretched; each sequence in the film always has something different to last fight you’ve seen. So for instance while Arnie in Judgement Day does in fact use a Mini-Gun when they’re invading the Dyson building, you won’t necessarily see him use the same sought of weapons later on in the film when an action scene occurs. Even though I can understand that there are circumstances within the narrative and the action scenes that won’t make sense to the knit-picking crew, I think if you’re someone that want to enjoy watching this film. The film shifts from place to place with an ease; always driving forward with a reasonable pace that never feels like it’s dragging. I know it’s not much to go into, but I would like to credit the special effects team since for the time this film was released, they really implemented their imagination really well. More specifically, the animatronics that they used for both the T-Machine models is really interesting and seamless when you watch it in the film. Truth be told as a little kid watching it all, it was believable!! The gun-play is delivered in perfect Cameron-Schwarzenegger fashion (as opposed to the slo-mo John Woo-style). You’ll see lot’s of heavy automatic and explosive weapons, and you’ll see them used well.The film is violent, and somewhat bloody, but ALL of the mean-spirited violence is dealt by the T-1000, not the ones you root for. While it is an action film and it won’t ever really make it to that pinnacle of ‘great’ films to some film critics/theorists, it can’t be helped to mention that are some really interesting and surreal scenes that takes place. One specifically that speaks to my mind would be the dream sequence of Sarah Connor in which she ‘experiences’ the nuclear detonations going off and evidently, dying along with the rest of human-kind. That is probably one of my favourite scenes as it is imaginative with the way Sarah’s body is just turned to charcoal bone still ‘screaming’ in pain and agony. 

While I can understand some of you who are reading this review and are probably thinking that this is one of the most subjective and biased review to favour Judgement Day ever, I would go as far as to say that this is a MUST see action film before you die. I said this before but,  I know in the grand-scheme of film that Judgement Day won’t probably reach the ‘Great’ films that top theorists/critics lists. As someone who grew up in the 90’s, the first two Terminator films will always be a film that I will go back to and watch in enjoyment. If I could place Schwarzenegger in a role that he was the best in despite him being in some memorable films in the past 30 years, I would always place him to be the Terminator out of any role he’s done. You can’t really help but laugh or smile when in this film he first shows up in the black clothing and the motor-bike. As for the film itself, it’s a very well paced action flick that never gets boring. As the story progresses, the film get’s more and more interesting and more intense as the T-1000 shows up to try and kill John and Sarah each time. To simply round it up, Overall, Terminator II: Judgement Day is an absolute must-see classic. Until next time, I’LL BE BACK!!… HASTA LA VISTA BABY!!

As always everyone, if you enjoyed reading my latest film review of Terminator II and have read up to this point, a big high-five to YOU and secondly, feel free to drop your opinions and thoughts down in the comments section down below. One thing before I do leave is that I do apologise if anyone was expecting a more objective review of this film. I do realise reading back the review that I am a lot of the time subjective of what this film brought to me when I watched it as a little Mancunian kid. I did try my best to be more objective, but you have to understand that I grew up with this film, and I liked. At the end of the day, anyone is entitled to their opinion and it doesn’t matter how you express it, I’m open to the idea of this film being criticised because not every film is perfect. Anyway, once again, thank you for reading and I’LL BE BACK!!…Later this week as I do intend to do more Blog Posts this week which will cover E3 and the sudden realisation that ‘Unfortunate events’ is coming back to the screen in the form of a Netflix Series so be sure to check out those Posts later on this week. I’ll see you soon 🙂

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Alex Rabbitte