Film Review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

by Morris Tu (Grade 11)

Terminator 2 is one of those movies where you immediately understand why people hype it up so much. It is loud, intense, and honestly just cool the entire time. What is crazy is that it came out in 1991, yet it still feels more real than a lot of action movies today. Nothing feels fake or weightless. When something explodes, you believe it actually exploded. There is a physical feeling to the action that makes everything hit harder.

Arnold as the Terminator is iconic for a reason. He barely talks and barely reacts, but somehow carries the whole movie anyway. Every line he says feels earned instead of forced, which is rare for action movies. And Sarah Connor is easily one of the best parts of the film. She is not just strong for the sake of it. You can tell she has been through years of fear and trauma, and it shows in how intense and paranoid she is. She feels like someone who has lost any sense of a normal life, which makes her way more interesting than most action heroes.

The T-1000 is genuinely scary. He does not overact, yell, or show emotion. He is always there, constantly moving forward, never stopping. That calmness makes him more threatening than villains who rely on anger. The liquid metal effects still look insane, and knowing they pulled that off without modern CGI makes it even more impressive. The movie never overuses the effects either. Every moment feels intentional.

What surprised me most is that the movie actually has emotional moments that work. The relationship between John and the Terminator should not work at all, but it does. There are moments where the movie slows down just enough to make you care without killing the pace. By the time the ending hits, it is weirdly emotional for a movie about robots trying to end the world. It leaves a more lasting impact than you expect.

Overall, Terminator 2 is just one of those movies that does everything right. The action is great, the characters are memorable, and it never feels boring. It is the kind of movie you can rewatch anytime and still enjoy, which honestly says everything. It balances spectacle and emotion in a way that feels effortless, which is why it still sets the standard for action movies decades later and probably will for a long time.