Watching this movie again for me was…. strange. As I mentioned yesterday, I am a huge Terminator fan and when I was young (like very, very young) Terminator 2: Judgment Day had a very significant impact on my life. I haven’t sat down and watched this movie from beginning to end in many years and now that I have I can definitely say that if I saw this movie today I would feel differently about it.
I was struck by how hokey this movie was, watching it this time. Between Edward Furlong’s almost at puberty voice and the stagey, almost high school style dialogue delivery of some of the main characters (like, say, Sarah Connor), there was actually a lot to dislike (eep! I know!). What I do remember most, though, and what has certainly stood the test of time is the action. The action is amazing. Remember the first time you saw that truck come over the side of the overpass? And you were like, whoa, this guy is *serious* about killing this kid? Or the first time the T-1000 cam out of the floor? Or when Sarah is holding Silberman hostage with the cleaning solution? Or when… oh I could really go on and on. It was interesting to me to see how many action films have their roots here.
Upon this watching, end to end with Terminator, it was so much easier to see the built in parralells to the first movie. I noted yesterday that Sarah basically becomes Kyle Reese. The scene in which Sarah is having her “review”, the footage in that scene is almost identical to the footage taken of Kyle Reese in the police station and shown to Sarah to prove that he’s crazy. There’s a little more venom in Sarah because she has a personal stake in the future, being John, whereas Kyle simply lived then and knew nothing else. Sarah wants to stop it, not simply save the leader of humanity.
I have the Special Edition of this movie (on VHS, I know, I need to upgrade, but some things are just tradition, you know?). It has a number of added scenes which I sometimes forget are there or question which scenes are extended, since this is the only version I’ve been watching end to end for many years now. Of note is a scene at the beginning in which Kyle visits Sarah. I have no idea why they left it out of the original flick, since it’s pretty awesome and gives the audience a direct tie to the first film. Although, maybe that was the problem.
I was also struck by the crazy-ass continuity in the future. Does this bother anyone else? If “Judgment Day” happens in 1997 then how does humanity end up with laser and pulse rifles (to borrow another Aliens reference)?!?! It’s not like they have time for R&D when they’re being hunted by machines (ahem, hunter killers anyone?). Also, when Silberman’s walking up to Sarah’s room for the first time with a group of students he says that she’s a “29 year-old female”. And John is 10 (I know, right? There’s NO WAY that kid is 10…). So that means that when Terminator took place Sarah was 19. NINETEEN. Makes her actions so much more understandable, but also throws the continuity way off. If Judgment Day was upposed to take place in 1997, that would make John 12 years-old. Not what you would consider the age to be “leading the world”. Yeah. I don’t think they thought this one through when they made the first one…
So, upon this watching, I learned that my childhood idolotry of this movie was simply that and that, in the end, it is NOT actually the best action movie ever made although whatever is that movie owes this one a great debt. I’d have to move Terminator up to my #1 favorite at this point.
Back tomorrow with excuses for Terminator 3.
T2 is still my favourite Terminator BECAUSE of my adoration for it as a child, which even on repeat viewings puts me right back there. Arguments in our household shall always continue, as my good lady insists the first is superior.
Interesting. See for me, it just made me feel all…. adolescent again and I wasn’t totally comfortable with that feeling at the time. But hey, in 6 months when they FORCE Salvation out on DVD, I’ll watch them all again in succession and I’ll see if I feel differently. Again, this was the first time I’d seen it all together in one go in many, many years.