Terminator 2 Judgment Day 3D

Movie Review Written By: Adolph Vega

Watch my Video Review below : 

3D

2D to 3D movie conversions can be a very difficult thing to do. Some filmmakers do this only for a cheap cash grab and others actually take the real effort and make older movies look brilliant in 3D. Fortunately this is the latter and this 3D conversion looks fantastic. The first thing they did for this 3D conversion was to clean up the negative and totally restore the film. 3D aside the movie has never looked this good. The movie looks sharp, vivid and rich. The 3D visuals look fantastic as if it was meant to be in this format. So many times the movie inherently uses perspective in effective ways so converting it to 3D was a smart choice. 3D depth is used well in the long passageway in the hospital scene and during the ravine chase scene. The movie starts with a scene in a blazing fire with a terminator skeleton looking into the screen, and that fire looks fantastic in 3D. The fire has multiple layers of depth and looks much more interesting and intimidating in 3D. Another scene toward the end of the movie has a character in molten lava and this sequence makes you feel like you are in the lava with him as it splashes around. At many moments objects will pop out of the screen and use 3D pop in fun ways. I loved seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger pointing various guns out of the screen. All these scenes were in the original cut of the movie so it never looks forced or out of place. The movie looks fantastic in 3D and this is a wonderful conversion from 2D and a wonderful restoration of this movie. Obviously this movie was originally created in 2D so it does have limitations on the quality of the 3D, so it’s especially impressive how well the 3D fits this movie. This is a fine example of a quality 3D conversion. The 3D visuals look clean, sharp and make for a more visually enjoyable movie. This 3D conversation is highly recommended and is well done.    

Final Verdict: Great 3D

Movie

This movie is possibly one of the most difficult movies for me to review. It’s difficult for me to objectively make an unbiased movie review for such a wonderful movie. 

For me several statements are true regarding Terminator 2 Judgment Day:

·       Terminator 2 is possibly one of the best sequels of all time. 

·       Terminator 2 is one of the best action movies of all time.

·       Terminator 2 is one of the best movies staring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

·       Terminator 2 is one of the best movies from the 1990's.

·       Terminator 2 is the best Terminator movie in the franchise.

·       Terminator 2 is an iconic movie for my generation.  

So what exactly makes this movie so incredible? Basically it’s everything, the story, the action scenes and the characters are all top notch.

This movie tells the tale of futuristic robots who travel back in time to kill John Connor in the present time. In the future John Connor will be the leader of the human resistance against the robots. The robots previously attempted to kill Sarah Connor (John's mother), but they failed and now they return for another attempt to change the future. If you never seen the first Terminator movie you will be fine watching this movie because it does an excellent job of recapping that story yet being it's own chapter in this movie series. Two machines are sent back in time, one a T-800 model and one a T-1000 prototype model. The T-1000 is an incredible machine made up of liquid metal and can shape shift and transform into anyone it touches. The T-800 is a robot with a metallic skeleton that is made to appear human. Will the machines be successful in terminating John Connor and preventing the human resistance in the future?  Watch this movie to find out.

The movie is perfectly balanced with excellent action scenes that are exciting and entertaining. The special effects use both practical and computer graphics that look still fantastic after 26 years. At times the action is intense but it's well paced within the movie. The movie knows how to slow down and give the viewer some breathing room and explain the details of the story and characters. So many movies lately have shaky camera or do too many quick cuts that distract the viewer, but this movie knows how to showcase its incredible well-choreographed action scenes. The movie has many explosive set pieces and the action is enjoyable from beginning to end.

The movie has a subtle sense of humor that is perfectly handled. The movie has some jokes and moments of levity, but it never overwhelms with its use of comedy. The comedy works well for the tone of the movie and is never too silly or corny. The comedic elements are used to make a more enjoyable movie and to make the characters more enduring. The comedy is a nice addition to the movie that feels natural and is never forced.

The characters of Terminator 2 are what make this movie truly be special. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is a strong woman, who carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Sarah knows all about the machines and the future and nobody believes her. John Connor portrayed by Edward Furlong does a great job in his role. John acts like a realistic young teenager and is independent and charismatic. For the most part all the characters have substance and depth and grow throughout the movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the T-800 Terminator machine and he does an excellent job with this role. The terminator is stiff like a robot should act, but has the capacity to learn. The T-800 shows fantastic character development during the movie. The T-1000 robot is menacing and threatening machine that has only a few lines but knows how to have a memorable presence on scene. Overall I enjoyed all the characters within this movie and the time spent on each character.

This version of the film is based upon the original 1991 theatrical cut of the movie with some changes. Some of the changes done to this movie are to correct minor continuity issues with the special effects that were visible in the original cut. Another change with this movie is with the visual fidelity. Like I mentioned within the 3D section of this review the visuals are now dramatically restored. The movie looks sharper and more colorful than ever before. The movie was never ugly to begin with but this restoration looks fantastic. These changes to the movie are worthy upgrades and only enhance the original movie. This is NOT a director’s cut, or extended edition of the movie. The changes don’t change the movie; they only perfect what is already present. If you are interested in the specific scenes that were changed and you don't mind spoilers this article from screenrant.com showcases the specific changes. The photo below might be helpful the showcase differences between the two versions. 

Another website Moviemistakes.com has many more mistakes (not all of which were corrected in this re-release) for Terminator 2 Judgment Day; you can read that article here. 

All that being said I am slightly disappointed that many of the additional and extended scenes that were part of the "extreme" and "ultimate" Terminator 2 edition DVD's weren't included in this restored version of the movie. Some of those deleted or alternate scenes were fantastic additions to the movie that really enhanced to the story. Specifically I really enjoyed the "smile" scene and the "chip reboot" deleted scenes. This is just a personal preference and this movie is perfectly fine without those additional scenes. 

One aspect of this movie that I truly love is how touching and sincere it is. Several scenes within this movie made me cry.  The emotions I felt within this movie were earned and never done by cheap manipulation or overly sappy scenes. Many lines of dialogue resonate with the viewer after the movie ends. The movie has a soul to it and it transcends beyond a typical brainless Hollywood action movie. The action scenes have meaning and I actually care if certain characters live or die. It delves into deeper questions, such as what is fate? Is humanity a doomed species? What does it mean to be a human being?  This movie is never preachy or obvious with its deeper elements. This movie is much greater than the sum of its parts. 

In closing Terminator 2 Judgment Day was an excellent movie in 1991 and is an excellent film in 2017 and forever shall be an excellent film. The movie is a modern day classic and is one of my favorite movies.  Terminator 2 Judgment Day is a must watch and a complete and total success of a movie. 

Final Verdict: 10 / 10

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