Terminator 2: Judgment Day

James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is perhaps the perfect Hollywood action movie. A bit long in the tooth in its 154-minute cut, it's nonetheless a wonderfully-constructed thrill ride, a perfect mixture of action and special effects.

A decade after the original Terminator, two Terminators are sent back in time. The T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a shape-shifting "liquid metal" assassin, is assigned to kill John Connor (Edward Furlong), an adolescent punk living with foster parents. The T-101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the original's antagonist, is sent back to protect him. The two break Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), now a tough, half-crazed survivalist type, out of a mental institution, and the three go on the lam. They kidnap computer researcher Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) in an attempt to sabotage development of SkyNet. But the T-1000 is not far behind, and lots of shootouts and fights follow.

The Terminator (1984) was an interesting mix of slasher movie and shoot-'em-up action flick. Following the lead of his Aliens, Cameron goes all-out action for the sequel. The movie has a fairly complex (if logically suspect) plot, but it's basically an excuse for a parade of jaw-dropping action sequences. And what action sequences! A film with two indestructible robots shooting each other could become tiresome, but Cameron makes sure each action scene has something new to offer. From the opening bike-truck chase to the slugfest in the steel mill, the film makes every scene unique and exciting, with brief bits of exposition to provide occasional breathers. With the possible exception of Speed, no other film has done non-stop action so well.

Stan Winston's visual effects are beyond amazing. Twenty years of CGI advancements still haven't surpassed the T-1000, a truly terrifying villain. He has astonishing shape-shifting abilities, disguising himself as humans, morphing his arms into daggers and crowbars, hiding on linoleum floors. Other touches - his meshing with metal surfaces, the foil squibs on his "wounds" - are equally inspired. The original Terminator was terrifying enough, surviving as he did gunfire, explosions, fire and car wrecks, but this guy is literally indestructible. The opening future battle with stop-motion Terminators is a bit cheesy, but the nuclear holocaust scenes are believably horrific.

T2 shares many of the same faults as the recent Avatar, a film this reviewer disliked. The movie's pseudo-profound musings on humanity come off as childish, and the characters are paper-thin. Certain plot points are suspect (eg., why wasn't Liquid Metal Guy sent back in the first film?). Lame jokes - Arnold's trying to be human and shooting cops in the legs - are beaten into the ground. But it's all part of the Cameron package. And unlike The Blue Kitty Movie, the story, action scenes and effects more than compensate for its faults.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is at his best. In his prime as an action star, he deftly mixes monosyllabic toughness with self-effacing humor - something his later films would forget. Linda Hamilton is excellent; she makes Sarah's transformation from meek victim to tough survivalist completely believable. Edward Furlong is obnoxious but does well with John's complicated character arc. Robert Patrick is suitably intimidating in his rather limited role. The best performance is Joe Morton: despite limited screen time, his Miles Dyson comes to the closest to an actual person.

Terminator 2 is about as good as Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking can get. Its weaknesses are of fairly minor importance; in every area that counts, T2 excells.