Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The battle for tomorrow has begun...
Breakpoint has released it’s long awaited (seriously, it’s been delayed at least once) Terminator themed event, so I thought I’d bring us back around form all the monsters and stuff into something everyone loves. Yeah, some will say the first is better, some will say the second is better, most will say everything after that is trash (or mediocre at best). Tonight though, we’ll come into the action packed sequel to the original (that just so happens to my understanding be the jump-off point for the most recent sequel): tonight, it’s Judgement Day.
This got itself a nice 4k release. Yeah, the version I have is the theatrical cut - but that’s not really a bad thing either. The movie really doesn’t need any extra scenes at just over two hours - and honestly, it almost works better without them, now that they’ve decided to ret-con out most of the “happy ending” stuff from the special edition. Now, we’ll come back to the 4k part later and I shouldn’t need to relate the plot to anyone in this day and age, given everyone knows at least the basics of it. The terminator is back, sent from the future to kill John Connor - leader of the human uprising that put down the supercomputer Skynet when it was on the verge of wiping us all out. This time, John’s a wee teen out causing all sorts of trouble - but it isn’t long before it all kicks off and he finds himself in a fight for his life.
The front end of the movie plays a bit with whose going to be the badguy of the two sent back - but at this point in time, I don’t know how anyone couldn’t know whose good. Between myriad trailers, the sequels, and just general chat it’s about as spoiled as Luke Skywalker’s real dad. Still, it lends to have a bit of tension and a mild throwback towards the more horror-elements of the first. I feel this is really the big divide between who likes which movie first, much like another franchise with similar steps in original to sequel transitions - the Alien franchise. The first has more of that tense slasher movie vibes, somewhat short and to the point. Here, things are more action oriented, with most of the any-level of existing horror elements being brought about from the indestructible nature of the new boss as opposed specifically to his actions or the mood lighting. It’s largely an action movie, with some character moments - still largely all from Sarah Connor’s character - to help flesh out things and provide some more threads of plot than simply “just keep on character safe.” This allows the movie to put the character who were otherwise safe right back into the danger zone, and set up some of the more fantastic action scenes.
Of course, all that talk of action makes me want to point it out. It looks good - largely. Admittedly, the 4k copy treats some things better than others - most the scenes are clearer, the colors are crisp, and it helps pull out details in a characters performance. On the other hand, some elements don’t fare quite as well - such as some of the time travel effects, or our T-1000 friend when he hits special-effects mode. Most the models and practical stuff looks great though - although even there be prepared that some people might pick out some details they may have missed as far as continuity errors, all things largely that won’t or shouldn’t ruin ones enjoyment of the movie, but something there regardless. Although not as impressive a transfer as Alien was (but only given it’s much older original), I still can’t help but be impressed by how good it looks. The action scenes themselves are set up very nicely, being easy to follow as far as geometry in most every case, with mostly only the climactic end battle starting off roughly - and really only due to it’s similarity towards the end of the first movie. Again, this is something I enjoy, as it still does some different things with it, but with how much the modern crowd hated the new Star Wars trilogy for being too same-same I feel like it’s an important thing for me to point out.
Future waaaaaar
Still, the action is great here - it never feels entirely without purpose. There isn’t any real fights for the sake of fighting - sure, some might feel a little petty or stupid, but they still are used to establish something. As alluded to, the effects to back up all these things is great. Both practical and digital works quite well, although each has it’s own failings at times and the liquid-man shots tend to be the roughest in the movie when it comes to the effects. An earlier scene with the liquid effects actually looked a bit grainier than the rest of the movie, and the floor-to-clone transition in the middle had some pixelation visible in it. Is it enough to ruin the movie? Not for me, but when so much of the movie looks so darn good it is a bit easier to notice when it looks rougher. Some elements are made better with the upgrade - such as explosions or minor damage details that completely slipped by me previously, such as the broken stock on the grenade launcher in the final scene. Some things are made even creepier - like that guard licking Sarah’s face, which is made only that much grosser when you can see the actual slime trail on her cheek.
Of course, what’s a good action scene without sound? Although the real picky might find a sound or two that plays out during happenings to be a bit off or weak sounding, it’s all largely good stuff. There’s even a few moments where it uses a combination of silence on some elements and sound on others to good effect to emphasize things. Actor lines also come off incredibly easy to hear despite everything going on - even little throw off side character lines like the guard whose just been shot in both legs whimpering “don’t shoot me again” when Arnold takes some of his stuff before entering. Not to be left behind is the music. I’d argue that perhaps there’s no real earworm songs, but at the same time the Terminator theme is such a beautiful blend of industrial drum-styled hits and synth that it’s always been something that’s stuck around with me, much like most viewers would pick out the Jaws theme from almost anywhere. The fact that it also brings back the sad version of it and makes the rest of the soundtrack fit nicely with the themes and sounds is great to me - even if perhaps it wouldn’t really strike some as “music” as much as a score (for those who think that distinction).
Of course actors are another big part of things. Can’t all be action all the time after all - no attachments means there’s no reason to care about the action! They do a pretty decent job of keeping the only real character from the original (Sarah) from feeling like they just overwrote her entire character - it feels like a progression from what you would have seen in the first movie (had you watched it). Arnold revisits his role quite well also, getting an arguably more fair chance to be a little looser with it due to the longer stint of human interaction, setting up the possibilities of things such as smirks and hand gestures. Robert Patrick makes for a well done role as well, giving an ample amount of oomph to his role with a pretty static facial expression. Of all of them, I’d say the weakest link is young John - but even he isn’t exactly bad levels of acting, just not always most excellent.
Got to get him.
Look, I love this movie and so do tons of other people - and there’s a reason for it. It has a lot of familiar notes and themes as the first The Terminator, but strives to be it’s own creature by adding things and trying to not just retread the exact same footprints - which ideally is what you should want out of a sequel. Not the exact same thing, but a progression. Much like the Alien Franchise, which of the first two movies I like more really depends on the mood I’m in - if I want more action or more tension. Although T2 retains a bit of both, it far more excels at the former while feeling more “fun” than it’s predecessor did, despite me still thoroughly enjoy the first for it’s more horror-slasher with guns vibe. If you haven’t checked this one out, you probably should as long as you can deal with a few harsh words and a lot of shooting (but not necessarily a lot of actual death).