“There is no fate but what we make for ourselves”.
This is the message behind Terminator 2: Judgement Day; the best
film in the franchise, Arnies best film to date and one of the best action
films ever made. That’s a lot of titles to hold, but I believe it deserves them
all.
I never tire of watching this film. It has not aged at all. It has
remained encapsulated in time, because it is not bound by any particular era,
and it’s amazing special effects are still unmatched in many ways, even twenty
years later.
When this film hit cinemas in 1991, I was too young to go and see
it. I remember seeing other movies at the theatre around this time, and there
were dozens of posters up for Terminator 2. There was also a Terminator 2 cup
for soft drinks which I was able to get without seeing the film, so that
sufficed. When the film was released on video, I remember asking dad at dinner
one night if we could rent it. As mum was at the table, she said “No! It’s too
violent, you can’t watch it”. I was devastated. About a week later, when mum
went out with my sisters somewhere, dad came home from work with a movie for
the two of us to watch. When mum had left and the coast was clear, dad revealed
it to be “Terminator 2”. I got to watch it that night.
I was captivated by it, having never seen anything like it. I had
seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in movies like Twins and Kindergarten Cop, but this
was the first of his action films I saw. He filled up the screen (literally)
with his presence and menace – he was The Terminator. Years later, when
I eventually saw the original terminator film, I noticed the notable difference
in his performance. As I was introduced to the Terminator 2 version of the
cyborg from the future, he still remains my favourite and always will.
Years after seeing Terminator 2 for the first time, I must have
watched it close to fifty times. It’s perfect mix of action, science fiction,
humour, adventure and philosophies on being human and how we are in control of
our future (whether we’re aware of it or not) still resonate deeply with me,
and with many other viewers I’m sure.
I look forward to the day when I can show this film to my own son
one day, who I’m sure, will be just as blown away by it as I was at the age of
nine. Terminator 2 will never get old and will always continue to amaze and
astound for years to come. It’s just that kind of movie.
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