Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

The 8th and final Season One episode of Disney+'s THE MANDALORIAN had some killer moments with our heroes and one very, very special tearjerker moment with my favorite assassin droid-turned-nurse IG-11 [BTW, congrats to Taika Waititi and his Emmy nom for voicing IG-11!!]. 

IG-11's transformation from hunter to protector echoed Arnold Schwarzenegger's Series 800 Model 101 Infiltrator transformation in the James Cameron film Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). And so, we enlisted a very talented guest writer to write about T2. Here is returning guest writer Dave Lindquist's write-up on TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991)…

Shout out to artist Scott Derby for providing our T2 art.

Arnie is back! This time as the good (albeit awkward) guy, in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a.k.a. T2; one of the best sci-fi films to come out of the post-80's milieu of gritty action blockbusters. This mega-hit came out the summer I turned 21, not that it has anything to do with the viewing of the film, but it gives you a sense of where I was in life. I was about to enter my senior year of college and that summer was one of my fondest. The cinema of the Summer of '91 was dominated by comedies like City Slickers, What About Bob?, Hot Shots, and Naked Gun 2 & 1/2: The Smell Of Fear. The only major competition in the action realm was Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Point Break, Thelma & Louise, and The Rocketeer. Clearly T2 stood out from the crowd. Not only was T2 the highest grossing film of 1991, but director James Cameron (with the help of ILM) introduced some truly groundbreaking special effects. Something he continued to do throughout his career. You can put him up there with Spielberg and Lucas when it comes to pushing the envelope. The T-1000, brilliantly played by Robert Patrick, is made of a shape shifting metal that moves like a mercury-like liquid. Strangely enough, Cameron wanted to do this effect in the first Terminator, but the tech wasn't as advanced. The genesis of the technology actually happened during Cameron's The Abyss (1989) with the creation of the underwater creature. 

T2 won four Academy awards that year for visual effects, make-up, and sound design and sound effects. Watching it in the theatre that summer was an exhilarating experience. Far too often, a big budget sci-fi action flick can entertain with great stunts, FX, and cinematography, but suffer from a poor script and forced acting. T2 never succumbs to this trend, as the script does a great job continuing the original storyline. The actors throw themselves into James Cameron vision with aplomb. The aforementioned Patrick embodies the T-1000 like a murderous chameleon. His physical acting sets the groundwork for future performance capture actors. Arnie is, of course, in classic form here, with his stoic charm and classic on-liners, taught to him by young John Connor (eagerly portrayed by Edward Furlong). Connor wants the T-800 to lighten up and get in touch with his humanity. Returning for the sequel is Linda Hamilton, as Sarah Connor, whose trust in literally everything is in shattered. Her gutsy performance as a broken mother is phenomenal, balancing her willingness to do anything to protect her son, with a fractured psyche that could push her over the edge at any second.

Often copied, T2 stands the test of time. I can't not watch it every time I see the listing pop up on my menu screen while channel surfing, no matter the point in the movie. Not many flicks from that era have aged well and there's no argument that T2 is one of the greatest sequels ever. If you haven't seen it lately, do yourself a favor and dim the lights, heat up some popcorn, and set the way-back machine to almost 30 years ago. Just be careful to program your glowing orb of time travel to appear in a safe place that won't destroy your living room. Truly it will feel just like yesterday...

This entry was written by David Lindquist.

David Lindquist is an on-air DJ and writer for Y-Not Radio. His hobbies include listening to music, writing record reviews and poetry, and amateur photography. Catch his weekly 2-hour show "The Nooner w/ Dave Lindquist" every Wed. at 12pm on Y-Not Radio.

The artwork at the top of this blog was supplied by Scott Dertby. Please visit his website scottderbyart.com or Esty site to pick up some of his collectible and wearable art.