bananafactory
Banned
It's been a long time since I watched T2, to be honest I remembered liking it but couldn't really recall many scenes or details from the movie. So, after seeing that thread about a modern trailer for it, I thought I'd rewatch the movie to see how it holds up 24 years later
My God.
First of all, I watched the special edition on blu ray. I'm not sure what scenes were added but everything flowed quite nicely and it all felt important. The movie LOOKS fantastic, and the special effects hold up incredibly well. Aside from things like the 90s cars and occasional CRT monitor I wouldn't know this movie was filmed in 1991 if you didn't tell me. The T1000 effects are still remarkable today.
But let's move on to the action. I'm a big James Cameron fan and always have been, but watching each scene in T2 unfold gave me a new appreciation for his direction. There's and odd simplicity to each scene, I think it's the coherent camerawork combined with practical effects and an understated but effective score. The music doesn't overwhelm you like it would in moat blockbusters today, it's used sparingly but to great effect. The best parts are things like the bike/truck chase when you can't hear much except the sound of the engines and the silence of anticipation. My favourite chase scene was probably the helicopter pursuit at the end, I don't know what was trick shots and what was practical but it looked to me like that was actually a fucking helicopter chasing a police van down a freeway.
Of course the rest of the movie is great too, the story expands nicely on the first movie without becoming convoluted (it seems like each subsequent Terminator movie thinks it needs to add a million more wrinkles to the timelines to create drama). Linda Hamilton is a fucking badass and I forgot how well Arnie played the role, his relationship with John was surprisingly emotional at times, and I was subsequently shocked how John wasn't annoying like many kids in movies are. He was resourceful, smart, and endearing, rather than simply being there to get into shenanigans and have adults come save the day.
Anyways TLDR, T2 is back in my top 5 action films of all time and Cameron is a legend. They really don't make films like this anymore
My God.
First of all, I watched the special edition on blu ray. I'm not sure what scenes were added but everything flowed quite nicely and it all felt important. The movie LOOKS fantastic, and the special effects hold up incredibly well. Aside from things like the 90s cars and occasional CRT monitor I wouldn't know this movie was filmed in 1991 if you didn't tell me. The T1000 effects are still remarkable today.
But let's move on to the action. I'm a big James Cameron fan and always have been, but watching each scene in T2 unfold gave me a new appreciation for his direction. There's and odd simplicity to each scene, I think it's the coherent camerawork combined with practical effects and an understated but effective score. The music doesn't overwhelm you like it would in moat blockbusters today, it's used sparingly but to great effect. The best parts are things like the bike/truck chase when you can't hear much except the sound of the engines and the silence of anticipation. My favourite chase scene was probably the helicopter pursuit at the end, I don't know what was trick shots and what was practical but it looked to me like that was actually a fucking helicopter chasing a police van down a freeway.
Of course the rest of the movie is great too, the story expands nicely on the first movie without becoming convoluted (it seems like each subsequent Terminator movie thinks it needs to add a million more wrinkles to the timelines to create drama). Linda Hamilton is a fucking badass and I forgot how well Arnie played the role, his relationship with John was surprisingly emotional at times, and I was subsequently shocked how John wasn't annoying like many kids in movies are. He was resourceful, smart, and endearing, rather than simply being there to get into shenanigans and have adults come save the day.
Anyways TLDR, T2 is back in my top 5 action films of all time and Cameron is a legend. They really don't make films like this anymore