We all have movies we love. Movies we respect without question because of either tradition, childhood love, or because they’ve always been classics. However, as time keeps ticking, do those classics still hold up? So…the point of this here column is whether or not a film stands the test of time. I’m not gonna question whether it’s still a good flick, but if the thing holds up for a modern audience.
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, and Linda Hamilton
T2 is a movie of firsts for me, all of them those little things that made me quickly realize that I dug film maybe a bit too much as a kid. It was the first time product placement seemed obvious as I couldn't not notice the stupid amount of Pepsi cameos in the film. There’s a lot (I should have counted). It was the first time I noticed a stunt double (watch when Arnold rides the bike during the semi-truck chase through the canal). It was the first time I noticed an editing flaw (when Arnold leaves the bar and grabs the shotgun from the bartender, he takes his hand off it twice). Small shit, but things that still stuck with me.
Anyway, I’m of the age where I can truly appreciate and understand how damn badass Terminator 2 truly was at the time. Oh sure, watch it today and anyone can appreciate the action, effects and Arnold, but I think its one of those movies that instantly became iconic back in 1991. The movie solidified Schwarzenegger as a true Hollywood star, made James Cameron king of the freakin’ world, and created a franchise that can't die.
With all the new Terminator buzz and its misspelled title, it seems like a good time to see if my childhood action movie holds up under the Test of Time.
Under the examination: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
THE STORY: In the sequel to that killer robot movie from 1984, we now have a teenage John Connor who is an young punk asshole. His once goofy, now really f*cked up mom is stuck in the nuthouse where she believes in the end of the civilized world is coming…in 1997! And it just might too, if older John Connor didn't send back the very same model Terminator from the first film back in time to prevent it. Young Conner, Sarah Connor, and the old T-800 must work together to stop the machines from taking over. Of course, things don't go smoothly as another Terminator, a more advanced liquid model version, is there to maintain the end of the human race.
Even Arnold is still impressed by the special effects.
WHAT STILL HOLDS UP: Well…a shit load still holds. Let’s start with the obvious: the special effects. For the young readers out there, familiarize yourself with the work of the late Stan Winston. The man was a true genius (films like Aliens, The Thing, Predator, Edward Scissorhands, Jurassic Park, and Congo!), and his effects — even at 20 years old — remain truly impressive here. His work on the T-1000 isn’t as jaw dropping as it once was, but it’s still just…just awesome. Take those final moments between the dueling T models. Or when the T-1000 gets split in two. Or the makeup on the T-800 after he gets his ass kicked. Or when we see the true T-1000 for the first time. Or…shit, I could go on. It still looks dandy and raised the bar for all special effects to come.
Then there’s James Cameron, who had already established himself with Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss, and here helped redefine the action film. Honestly, it kinda annoys him that he’s now stuck in the PG-13 world of Avatar. That was an entertaining flick obviously, but it lacked the power and the punch that T2 had. Part of that comes from Schwarzenegger, who’s perfect with Cameron. T2 really defined his directing style, blending awesome effects with really fantastic action sequences and lots of questionable dialogue (more on that later). But the man truly knows how to entertain.
As for the cast, Linda Hamilton is so effective here that it might have ruined her career. She's so strong, so bitter that maybe no one knew what to do with her after. Or it was the divorce from Cameron. Robert Patrick, as the T-1000, basically created his career of this role. And he's excellent, too. So slick, so average looking that he could truly blend anywhere, just like an updated model should do.
Maybe the grossest lick ever filmed.
As for Arnold, well, what's there to say. He'll never be a great actor, but he doesn't have to. He's the perfect example of how far charisma can take a guy. With Cameron or Verhoeven, he's at his best. In T2 he's actually good, showing range even as a machine. Sure, all the one liners are here, and many of them seem a lot cheesier now, but still…they work for the big guy. This was the start of his peak. And he deserved to be the top action man. (Too bad he made Batman and Robin and f*cked it all up…or maybe he just didn't age well.)
WHAT BLOWS NOW: Well, like any 20+ year film…things play dated. But somehow things seem extra dated in certain places. The main problem comes from that stupid 1997 prediction. Seriously Mr. Cameron, you could have pushed it a little further in the future. As soon as its mentioned when watching it today, it's hard not to laugh. Then there’s simple shit like hairstyles, which is a lesson to never make things too hip as it only remains hip for about 13 minutes. Then there’s Edward Furlong. I remember thinking he was a real damn rebel back then, but now…eh, he’s annoying. High pitched voice, bad attitude, mediocre acting. He’s no Jake Lloyd, but he’s still obnoxious (“Get a grip, John."). But some of that isn’t his fault. Cameron really tried to give John all the cool lingo of the day, which ends up sounding more like Wayne's World than a Terminator movie ever should.
Patrick is shocked his career remains bigger than almost everyone else in the film.
The movie also gets too preachy at times: “It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves.” Or, “Why do you cry?” Eek. In fact, I always thought the middle of the film goes on a little too long. Not that I’m one to question the James Cameron, the bravest pioneer, but still it always drags when they hit the desert for the character bonding scenes. Shit gets too cheeseballs.
THE VERDICT: No movie is perfect, but T2 is pretty close for a wide appeal sci-fi action film dealing with time travel and killer robots. The action and effects still look as great as they ever did. Schwarzenegger isn't what he used to be today, but revisiting a film like this one reminds us how the hell he became the biggest movie star on the planet for about a decade.
Rumor has it the one of the left performed all the stunts.