Yes, that's right, flawless. Few movies I call my favorites (which makes sense, because who the fuck has a shitload of favorites?), but Terminator 2: Judgment Day is without a doubt my second favorite movie ever. What's my first, you ask? Showgirls. Jesting aside, it's Gigli. No, but seriously -- it's Batman (1989). I'll admit that film is not flawless, but I'll be damned if it's still not my favorite movie of all time. It only slightly edges out T2 (that's right, like an utter fag I'm calling it by its nickname) because I've always been such a huge Batman fan. But the Batman rant can be saved for later, because right now it's all about the T times 2, baby. And it gets a bigger-than-usual picture insert, just because I said so.I liked The Terminator a lot, and it certainly ranks highly on my list, but there's a lot of things that hold it back from being a big favorite of mine. The whole complete 80's feel to it, from the music, style, and hair kind of dampens it for me, petty as it seems. Even the video and audio quality 'feel' 80's, if you get what I mean. Plus Arnold's floppin' penis certainly doesn't help matters. Don't get me wrong, I really like the movie, but nothing compares to Terminator 2.
If you've read previous entries of mine you may get the impression I like to make fun of Arnold Schwarzenegger. That may be true, but I do so with love. The man may not be the best actor in the world, but the sheer entertainment and enjoyment he's provided me throughout my youth are enough to give him my vote in the next California election. How can I do so while not being a citizen of California? Lieutenant Dan's magic laigs.
In all seriousness, though, on to why Terminator 2 is amazing. From start to finish, the story just flows so well, with paced action scenes, good acting all around, and actual emotions. When I was like 5 - 8 years old, I'd watch Terminator 2 at least once a month, and sometimes moreso. It's one of those movies you (or at least me) can never get tired of seeing. I'll freely admit, I cried like Scott Peterson pretending he cared for his dead wife when I first saw the ending of Terminator 2. I'll also freely admit I occasionally tear up at it to this day. Man tears, of course -- tears that would melt your skin off, pussy. It's just that Arnold's Terminator was such a badass and learned how to be 'human' that you can't help but feel sadness when he has to be destroyed. The thumbs up he gives just clinches it, dammit. It's sadly one of the most emotional bits of cinema I've ever seen, likely because I've never viewed it with the cynicism I usually use for critically acclaimed dramatic movies.
It's not a 'straight' action movie, but the special effects are done so well they stand up today, though the T-1000 morphing scenes are starting to show their age. It's still better than "Angry Giant Green Kenta Kobashi" from 'Hulk', though.
If I have one complaint, it lies in the full uncut version. It doesn't flow as well as the theatrical cut, but I still enjoy it greatly. In fact, there's only one scene in the uncut version I'd take out, and it's the scene where Kyle Reese visits Sarah in a dream. It just feels corny and out of place, though it was nice to see Michael Biehn make a cameo. The rest all feels like it could have been better off if it was left in, at least to me.
I said this with Kindergarten Cop, but I'll say it again here. If you have a girlfriend, wife, or side whore, watch this with her. It has the action and Arnold badassdry for you, and the ending will make that bitch cry, or my name isn't Kevin Malonik. Seriously, do it now. I'll be waiting to see how it went.
No I won't.
