The Terminator and T2 after all these years

[WillsBabe]

I've just watched The Terminator and T2 back to back over the course of the day. It's years since I've seen either of them. I'd forgotten what a great, compact story the original film was. I'd forgotten how much time they spend in the future with Kyle. I think it gives him a character depth he wouldn't have, but I also think that there is too much future, too. As for T2 I'd forgotten how bad Sarah's mental health issues were, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the special effects stood up to the test of time.

My favourite scene from the whole of the 2 films comes from T2 and the moment when Sarah comes around the corner to see the Terminator coming out of the elevator. I thought it was really evocative and moving, in an odd way.

I was surprised at the gaps between the first and second films, and there was an even longer one between the second and third.

Anyone watched the films lately? What are your thoughts?

 

[RoJoHen]

I recently saw the first one on TV, and I disliked it about as much as I did the first time. Maybe I'm too young to really appreciate it, but I just don't think it has aged well. The music is just atrocious!

However, I love T2. I almost bought it yesterday, actually. Walmart has the Blu-Ray on sale for $10.

 

[Jetfire]

I enjoyed 1-3...I haven't seen the most recent one with Christian Bale. T2 is still the best.

 

[Colonel Green]

I have to be a dissenter and admit that I prefer Terminator to T2, which fell into the Cameron sap-trap IMHO. Not a fan of T3, but I think Salavation is underrated.

 

[Kelso]

I still enjoy them.

 

[Goliath]

My favourite scene from the whole of the 2 films comes from T2 and the moment when Sarah comes around the corner to see the Terminator coming out of the elevator. I thought it was really evocative and moving, in an odd way.

That is a terrific scene. Its impact is especially heightened by the use of slow-motion, which gives it a nightmarish quality.

Actually, Cameron's use of slow-motion in both films is brilliant. The suspense in the bar scene in T1 is excruciating.

I still think they're both great films, though I don't care for the T2 special edition: the extra scenes didn't really add anything, IMO.

I didn't much care for the third and fourth movies, though. I thought T3 was mediocre, and Salvation was just loud and stupid.

 

[Shurik]

I watched the three of them back to back a couple of years ago and I liked the first one more than the second or the third. The first is much better, despite the sometimes not-so-great special effects and the abominable 80s haircuts. I also like the third movie, it's a solid action movie with a great ending.
The less is said about the Salvation the better.

 

[RoJoHen]

T3 was pretty mediocre, but I really enjoyed the end of it when Judgement Day begins.

 

[Kirkman1987]

They're both great movies, although I don't like them as much as most people seem to.

The first one is best I think, but It's really close. I prefer the serious tone and greater violence.

 

[paudemge]

I still think the original is far and a way the best of the bunch.

 

[Myasishchev]

This is the part where I say that Terminator 3 is a really good movie, overall. And I would submit the ballsiest of the set. Very few films end with the protagonists losing quite so horribly. Also, it's always pleasant to see Claire Danes in a movie, not because she's hot (she is) but because she's a fine actress who should really be doing more gigs.

Salvation, of course, is an utterly indefensible piece of atrocious Yeti shit.

 

[Canadave]

The Terminator is definitely my favourite. It's just such a taut, compact thriller, and it works really well, even with it's relatively primitive effects. I think that T2 is the better action movie, but the original is just more suspenseful and has greater depth.

 

[Samurai8472]

I think T2 still holds up if you can look past the practical effects like

"Tin Man 1000" near the end

Using a backdrop screen for the pickup vs tanker sequence

The CGI is still good

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I watched the first three films back-to-back-to-back just before Salvation was released. The original is still a classic. Even as it ages, it becomes a classic representative of the 1980s. T2 remains the highpoint of the series, both in terms of story and production. And while I found some elements to enjoy in both Rise of the Machines and Salvation, neither are what I would call "classic" films.

 

[RoJoHen]

Even as it ages, it becomes a classic representative of the 1980s

I think that's why I don't like it. The 80s and I don't get along.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Yeah, it has a very distinct 80s feel.

 

[Anwar]

The first is still the best, the second one is just a rehash only with a bigger budget. The third and 4th tried to do something new with the series but didn't quite succeed.

 

[Goliath]

Even as it ages, it becomes a classic representative of the 1980s

I think that's why I don't like it. The 80s and I don't get along.

The 80s drove me to punk.

 

[Magellan]

I love T1. It's suspenseful interesting and exciting. T2 is meh for me. It's pretty good I suppose and the FX were good but the robot learning to love and the kid, mmmmmm no thanks. I never saw T3 but I thik T4 is really underrated. It has some interesting thins to say and the action is realistic and interesting. Not sure why there is so much hate on T salvation.

 

[Python Trek]

Yeah, it has a very distinct 80s feel.

Weird. I don't see that at all. A couple of haircuts and some synth music are just not enough to make the movie feel dated.

I re-watched the original "The Day the Earth Stood Still" the other day, and although it's decades older than "Terminator", it doesn't feel dated, either. That's what makes a film a classic---it stands the test of time.

I think that once filmmakers get over their love affair with video game-style FX, and return to their roots, today's films will seem quaintly archaic.