Anybody not wearing two million sunblock is gonna have a real bad day, get it!?
Sometimes it’s not the movie, it’s when you see it. I first saw this movie at age four, with around a dozen of my long-lost older cousins, on a “big-screen” home TV – one of the first. Blockbuster VHS rental. At the family party, everybody was mesmerized watching Arnold and young John Connor evade the liquid metal T-1000 on the motorcycle. Until then, nobody had seen such special effects (I had no idea how good they were).
I don’t want to overhype this movie. If you’ve never seen it, you’re likely to be underwhelmed, even when I tell you that around 10% of my emotional capacity is now reserved for cold steel subterranean shoot-outs.
It’s all in the music. If Brad Fiedel’s original score doesn’t raise the hair on the back of your neck, don’t bother. If, however, the image of humanity in it’s last gasp, do-or-die situation floods your being, what the hell are you waiting for?
Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) will guest-star in Stranger Things’ Fifth and final season, 2025.
Terminator 2: Is currently streaming on Netlifx (08/29/2024).
Two momentous films there!! A new Mad Max movie just came out this year… Speaking of Mel, he has several notable projects due out in the next year, including Passion of The Christ Resurrection, and Lethal Weapon 5!💥 (Edit: no release date scheduled for the latter, actually).
I was blown away when I saw this in the theater the first time. Same thing with Jurassic Park. These effects seem old hat these day, but we’d never seen anything like it when these movies came out.
I remember seeing T2 at the cinema and being blown away by it and the amazing SFX. Although I think the first film is better and scarier, I love the epic scope and scale of T2.
Oh! You were four when you saw it? To put it bluntly, I must consider not showing this to my grandchildren at four and five; though it is a great movie, it is better for youths after the twelfth! I watched all three, and after the first one, I was sure Schwarzenegger must have a positive role in the second one!!😉😅🤙
Hi EF, I also saw T2 on VHS and “big screen TV” but I was probably a lot older than you were! (I still am older than you are if you think about it 🤣)The film itself is fantastic as is Brad Fiedel’s music but I gotta mention GnR’s “You Could Be Mine” track with that storming drum solo intro! However the Terminator theme is an absolute stunner too and I am pleased to say I can play it live on keyboards – it’s a good piece to show off with.
p.s. before I go, Mrs Tyeth just bought me a lever action prime foam dart blaster (called the X-Shot Lock Blaster) so I’ve been walking round my flat recreating Arnie’s famous shotgun flip trick loading!
The GnR’s song is used just before the arcade scene, when John shows off his hacking skills on an atm. “Easy Money.”
… be sure to warn the Mrs., “Get DoWN”💥😎
‘Sometimes it’s not the movie, it’s when you see it.’
Such truth you speak! Some stories might be timeless but their execution is sometimes too deeply rooted in the period they were made. And because of rapid technological advances, no matter how good the story, the loss of the suspension of disbelief is instant and irreparable.
I remember once when my wife and I went to the movies with her sister and her sister’s boyfriend, the boyfriend and I watched this and the ladies watched something else (I don’t recall what exactly, presumably a “chick flick”) that they both hated. Later on my wife and I watched T2 at home and she was like, “I definitely should have watched this instead of that other movie my sister and I went to.”
Stephen King wrote (in his forward to The Dark Tower Trilogy, I believe) that he was most inspired by watching The Good The Bad and The Ugly on the big screen. I imagine the experience of seeing this epic on the big screen has similarly inspired your writing.
Ha, yeah, back when I used to write horror I mostly got compared to Clive Barker, but I had T2-style action in mind for certain scenes in my vampire book, I think!
We weren’t fond of the kid who played John. He just seemed like a terrible actor upon first viewing. But the movie was fun, Linda was all cut and badass, and now, years later, we have favorite lines that we go around repeating whenever the occasion arises: Now I know why you cry.
Siempre como culebra (with an Anglo accent, lol)
Wolfie’s fine, honey. Wolfie’s just fine.
These lines fit it neatly to a surprising variety of subjects which come up fairly often, like, you know, like someone’s lying to you: Wolfie’s fine, honey.
If an emotional situation arises, or one meant to be emotional but is actually just funny: Now I know why you cry.
I re-watched Terminator 2 last weekend and now I’m re-watching it again. For a sci-fi action thriller that at the time was revitalizing for our hopes to change the future for the better, it’s still among the most nostalgically special films for me. Happy 40th for the Terminator universe.
Superb movie. (We were so lucky in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, when so many long franchises had their peaks.)
Edward Furlong was a bit annoying, however… 😉
As youthfully dynamic as Edward was as John Connor, I admired how he toned down his acting for his much more complex roles in films like Pet Sematary 2 and Before And After.
Experience Film 
I was similarly moved when I saw the first ‘Mad Max’ with Mel Gibson back in ’79 and ‘Taxi Driver’ back in ’76 !! Indelible !
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Two momentous films there!! A new Mad Max movie just came out this year… Speaking of Mel, he has several notable projects due out in the next year, including Passion of The Christ Resurrection, and Lethal Weapon 5!💥 (Edit: no release date scheduled for the latter, actually).
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‘Furiosa’ on my to watch list ; thanks —
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I was blown away when I saw this in the theater the first time. Same thing with Jurassic Park. These effects seem old hat these day, but we’d never seen anything like it when these movies came out.
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Almost mentioned Jurassic Park in the post, as it was similarly revolutionary.
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I wasn’t born when Terminator 2 came out, but I did watch it when I was pretty young. Still holds up and still one of the greatest sequels of all time. I reviewed it years ago: https://mastermixmovies.wordpress.com/2020/01/15/hasta-la-vista-baby/
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Hasta La Vista, Baby. Iconic😎
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I remember seeing T2 at the cinema and being blown away by it and the amazing SFX. Although I think the first film is better and scarier, I love the epic scope and scale of T2.
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On that note, it’s great how the two films are genre-cly (can’t spell that lol) a bit different. The first is more horror.
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Oh! You were four when you saw it? To put it bluntly, I must consider not showing this to my grandchildren at four and five; though it is a great movie, it is better for youths after the twelfth! I watched all three, and after the first one, I was sure Schwarzenegger must have a positive role in the second one!!😉😅🤙
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I was much too young; you’re correct. My parents were in the other room or they would have stopped me😁
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Hi EF, I also saw T2 on VHS and “big screen TV” but I was probably a lot older than you were! (I still am older than you are if you think about it 🤣)The film itself is fantastic as is Brad Fiedel’s music but I gotta mention GnR’s “You Could Be Mine” track with that storming drum solo intro! However the Terminator theme is an absolute stunner too and I am pleased to say I can play it live on keyboards – it’s a good piece to show off with.
p.s. before I go, Mrs Tyeth just bought me a lever action prime foam dart blaster (called the X-Shot Lock Blaster) so I’ve been walking round my flat recreating Arnie’s famous shotgun flip trick loading!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The GnR’s song is used just before the arcade scene, when John shows off his hacking skills on an atm. “Easy Money.”
… be sure to warn the Mrs., “Get DoWN”💥😎
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘Sometimes it’s not the movie, it’s when you see it.’
Such truth you speak! Some stories might be timeless but their execution is sometimes too deeply rooted in the period they were made. And because of rapid technological advances, no matter how good the story, the loss of the suspension of disbelief is instant and irreparable.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I remember once when my wife and I went to the movies with her sister and her sister’s boyfriend, the boyfriend and I watched this and the ladies watched something else (I don’t recall what exactly, presumably a “chick flick”) that they both hated. Later on my wife and I watched T2 at home and she was like, “I definitely should have watched this instead of that other movie my sister and I went to.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Stephen King wrote (in his forward to The Dark Tower Trilogy, I believe) that he was most inspired by watching The Good The Bad and The Ugly on the big screen. I imagine the experience of seeing this epic on the big screen has similarly inspired your writing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha, yeah, back when I used to write horror I mostly got compared to Clive Barker, but I had T2-style action in mind for certain scenes in my vampire book, I think!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We weren’t fond of the kid who played John. He just seemed like a terrible actor upon first viewing. But the movie was fun, Linda was all cut and badass, and now, years later, we have favorite lines that we go around repeating whenever the occasion arises: Now I know why you cry.
Siempre como culebra (with an Anglo accent, lol)
Wolfie’s fine, honey. Wolfie’s just fine.
These lines fit it neatly to a surprising variety of subjects which come up fairly often, like, you know, like someone’s lying to you: Wolfie’s fine, honey.
If an emotional situation arises, or one meant to be emotional but is actually just funny: Now I know why you cry.
Etc.! lol
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Laughter AND Tears from these, Stacey. LOL! And I know Terminator is an influence in your stories.. Epic👏
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This has gotta be the best Terminator movie of the franchise. Such an iconic movie but the later sequels were forgettable.
Wow you saw this at age four?? I think my first movie around that age was Superman: The Movie, so not as violent, ha..ha..
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Yep age four or five. It was a huge party and my parents were busy in the other room or else they would’ve yanked me away🙂
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It’s a fab movie. Love it!
Still, Terminator 1 is my fave of the series. Then 2.
Actually, I only like 1 & 2 Lol!
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I re-watched Terminator 2 last weekend and now I’m re-watching it again. For a sci-fi action thriller that at the time was revitalizing for our hopes to change the future for the better, it’s still among the most nostalgically special films for me. Happy 40th for the Terminator universe.
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Happy 40th! For the Terminator universe – I didn’t even catch😀
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great movie: it moved me in the same way my first viewing of ‘Mad Max’, the original and ‘Wolf Creek’ moved me —
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Superb movie. (We were so lucky in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, when so many long franchises had their peaks.)
Edward Furlong was a bit annoying, however… 😉
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As youthfully dynamic as Edward was as John Connor, I admired how he toned down his acting for his much more complex roles in films like Pet Sematary 2 and Before And After.
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