Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

 

Could this very well be one of the finest sequels ever made? 

Yes. Yes, it could. Even if you disregard personal preferences for science fiction or Arnold Schwarzenegger, this remains one of the best put together-films ever. 

James Cameron made some waves with his low budget success of 'The Terminator' and this time he comes back to the intellectual property, only with a big budget and considerably more time to get his vision on screen and oh boy, doesn't it hit the spot!

It's been a little over ten years since the events of the first film. John Connor is now in fostercare, because his mother is in an insane asylum after she tried to actively change the future. Of course, nobody believes her. John is a bit of a douche, but after having been dragged around the world and only learning survival skills instead of some love, who wouldn't be? 

This time, two Terminators are sent back, but one is a protector. This is one of those clever twists that Cameron used here. At first, you have absolutely no idea which one is going to be a good guy. Nowadays, we all know how things unfold, but if you saw this for the first time, you have no idea. I tried this out with my son who had never seen this film before, and he was convinced which of the Terminators was good and which one evil. 

He got it wrong, so good job, Cameron!

This is action done to perfection: the chase scene through the stormdrains is still breathtaking to this day; the raid on Cyberdyne is grandiose in all its explosive madness; the breaking out of Sarah from the asylum is nailbitingly tense and the grand finale in the steel mill is gorgeously lit and shot and has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. 

The effects are top notch and still hold up today, which can't always be said about a ton of other films.

But it is the story and the characters that make this one stand out. Everyone, and I do mean everyone has a neat character arch making them completely changed by the end. Heck, there is even a part where Sarah Connor decides she needs to kill a person in order to change history and here she is the one behaving like a Terminator. Linda Hamilton really nails her part. Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick are also great as the machines who seem to become more human, but maybe not too much. 

Yes, I know: I'm staying deliberately vague, because this is one of those great films where I don't want to spoil anything for those among you that haven't seen it yet. Suffice to say that the end will have you shedding a tear or two, because you will grow to love the characters throughout, thanks to some great writing and film magic. 

I stand firmly by my hyperbole from the start: this is action at its finest and this is a more than serious contender for one of the best sequels ever made. 

Do I think this one is better than the much praised 'The Godfather part 2'?

Well, yes. See it as soon as you can. Or rewatch it and enjoy it all over again.