Movie #38 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day

"It's nothing personal."

If I were to think back over all of the movies I have seen in my 27 years, I would like to think that Terminator 2: Judgement Day ranks high on influential films that I have seen. This thought stems from a variety of factors:

1991 - This year marks the period in which I became a big fan of the hobbies that I still enjoy today. I started collecting sports cards in 1991 and I was given the freedom to enjoy my love for movies with access to local video stores such as Streetsville, Ontario's Queen Video, in which I had access to over 10,000+ VHS films for a tremendous price point of 5 movie rentals for 5 days for $5.

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Surprisingly, this was the jump start of the persona that is the Governator. Not that his previous films such as Conan, Terminator, or Total Recall didn't do that already, Terminator 2 was the culmination of all of his efforts rolled into one of biggest blockbusters of the decade.

T-1000 - Awesome. At age 11, I honestly thought the concept of a liquid metal killing machine was fantastic and got my imagination going. It didn't motivate me to become an engineer or develop anything with computers, but it gave me the chance to appreciate that CGI was here to stay and that anything could be made to look and feel "real" on the screen with just a simple click of a few buttons. Computers were here to stay and T2 represented the virtual boom of the computer age, something I grew up in.

These 3 factors alone make this movie an important pillar in my hobby and obsession with the movies I like. Whenever I see this film, I always watch it in its entirety... the movie itself is well written, perfectly cast, and still provides a sense of suspense in the pursuit of John Connor. I have especially liked the parodies of this film done by the Simpsons, since it is one of my favourite movies.

What makes this movie work is the casting of Robert Patrick (T-1000) and Edward Furlong (John Connor). Without a strong Connor in the role, you don't feel the importance of his life or his character. Without a strong villain, who in this case is also a shape shifter and 10x stronger and faster than Arnold, you really don't have a movie. I always vouch that the villain makes the movie and what this villain is able to do really puts you in your seat.

If you have not yet seen T2: Judgement Day after 17 years, pick it up. It is definitely one to enjoy even now after so many years. A big screen, HD television viewing for the first time would be ideal as it would truly capture the essence of what was intended for the audience.

Movie #4 - Predator

Let's face it... this movie can now be used for political campaigns as there are two govenors in this one.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not at his best here... not as many one liners in this one as in his other classics like Commando or The Running Man. There was only 1 that I caught throughout this movie, and that's one too little if you ask me. He's famous for those... even in his current tenure as the Govenor of California...

Jesse the "Body" Ventura is briefly in this movie, but after watching this movie again... I dig the MTV t-shirt he is sporting underneath the army fatigues. Cool gun he is carrying around too...

One of my favourite bad guys is here in this movie playing a platoon mate of Arnold... its Bill Duke. He's an ominous black actor... famous for his shaved head and piercing eyes. He's usually playing a mercenary or hitman in movies... so his special forces role here is not a stretch. I just liked his cameo here for he is completely weird... after his buddies begin to be poached by the Predator, Duke slowly becomes mad. I like how he prepares for battle too, by shaving his face with a blunt razor. Guess the director gave each of them the opportunity to think of ways to get ready... this was Duke's. His death was probably the most gruesome too... considering this movie was considered very violent for 1987.

As for Arnold... he gets outmatched here by the sheer size of the Predator. The actor cast in this role would probably have to be 6"9 at the very least to look towering over Arnold. Not to mention the gigantic head created by Stan Winston's special effects to complete the look of the creature from outer space.

As the movie progresses, although there are bloody scenes of death, I would've like to see more. The death of Carl Weathers was awesome, but yet, he always gives a good death in his movies. It didn't help that I watched a cut version of this movie on Spike TV, but I would've liked to see the death of Sonny Landham (Billy). Not only does Landham do a fantastic prep for his death... throwing his gun away, cutting his chest open with his 1.5" blade, but he even waits for the Predator on a gladiator-esque log on top of a waterfall. This would be a great scene had it been shown... instead, an eerie scream was put in its place. I believe more could be done here.

The final battle scenes with Schwarzenegger and the Predator are somewhat tacked on in comparison with his culmination battles of his other films. But I am biased towards his roles in the Terminator movies myself. By far, this is still the better Predator film of the bunch... but that doesn't say much!

2M's.