When it comes too Teminators, gun size matters.

With a much bigger budget (The Terminator cost $6,400,000 while Terminator 2's budget was $104,000,000) and advanced special effects, Terminator 2 broke new ground and continued the saga started by the first sleeper hit.

This film takes place nearly a decade and a half after the first film. Sarah’s son is now a bratty teenager living in foster care, while Sarah is imprisoned in a psyche ward under the care of Dr. Silberman, who is the only character to appear in all of the first three movies. Two Terminators show up this time around. One is the same kind as in the first, T-800 (Arnold). He is assigned to protect John. The other Terminator is a T-1000. It is an advanced model that is made up of liquid metal. He is assigned to killed John.

The new Terminator allowed the special effects team to get creative and probably took up much of the budget. Played steely faced by Patrick, the new Terminator is extremely threatening and fascinating to watch as he dispatches anyone in his way. However, his appearance contradicts one of the big rules established in the first movie. When Reese is being interrogated, he explains that only living organisms can go through time. Thus the Terminator had to be surrounded by living tissue, and they always go through naked. He also said that the time machine was destroyed so no one else could come through and he could not go back. According to the rules established in the first movie, the T-1000 should not be able to travel through time, as he is not flesh, but a liquid metal that can mysteriously take the shape and color of hair, flesh, skin and clothes.

If you can over look that questionable plot hole, you will be satisfied with a huge action packed film with some over the top adrenaline pumping moments. The two Terminators start fighting each other in a mall and then continue in the street with Arnold on a motorcycle and the T-1000 in a semi truck. I remember first being impressed when he drives the entire rig off an over pass and continues the chase. My son’s favorite action scene is when the T-1000 is in the helicopter and says to the pilot, “Get out!”

Both films were written by Cameron and he recycles several lines. In the first movie, Arnold says, “Get out!” to a passenger in a truck he just took control of. In the first movie, Reese says to Sarah, “Come with me if you want to live.” In this one it is Arnold who says it to her. Of course Arnold also gets to repeat, “I’ll be back.”

Hamilton in the first film was pretty unremarkable. Any number of actresses could have played the role just as well. In this sequel however, she comes into the role in a big way. Her early scenes in prison show that Sarah is now one very toned, bad ass bitch. My favorite scene of her's is when she runs down the hall way with the guards night stick. She looks like a wild cat about to strike, light on her feet but able to kill.

The first film had Reese as the love lorn virgin, who travels through time to save a woman he only knows through stories and a photo. No such emotions exist this time around. What this movie lacks in heart, it makes up for in humor, something completely lacking in the first film. At one point John teaches The Terminator how to swear and use slang, “Chill out, dickwad.” “Hasta la vista, baby.” My favorite piece of dialogue is when John yells at The Terminator after he beat the crap out of someone, “Jesus, you were gonna kill that guy.” Arnold responds, “Of course; I'm a terminator.”

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