Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D Review

To say Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D is the best movie released this summer would be doing it down. It’s one of the best movies released all year and still one of the greatest action movies ever made. And they don’t make them like this anymore.

Made in a time when movies had real heroes in real jeopardy, Terminator 2 pre-dated our recent obsession with men and women dressed in spandex, saving the world from pantomime villains as thin as the sheets of paper upon which their scenes were written. Arnie didn’t need a special costume or special effects to look hard, he really was hard. All he needed to look the part was another guy’s clothes, boots and a motorcycle. Oh and don’t forget those shades. And his counterpart, the T-1000, was wonderfully realised through a combination of a liquid cool Robert Patrick and some ahead-of-their-time computer effects, but which were never overused.

As a child watching this movie I can remember how cool it felt. Speeding along behind John Connor’s dirt bike, the one-liners and that mini gun scene. Now as an adult I can appreciate its intelligence and artistry. Sure it has all those corny lines, but it also contains some really clever sci-fi concepts, some outstanding directing – particularly tonally – and the way it takes us along for the ride; a journey that you really feel like you’ve been a part of; witnessing characters who really feel like they’ve been through it and the raw emotion which comes pouring out at times. So by the time we reach the final thumbs up we’ve come to love these characters.

This is a lovingly remastered classic, which still stands tall as one of the most iconic and thrillingly told action movies ever made. The added 3D and overall enhancements work alongside James Cameron’s exceptional craftsmanship to bring Judgment Day into the present day and allow it to sit alongside even the most expensively made modern action movies. If there’s one movie you (re)watch this summer, make sure it’s this one.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D is in theaters in the US on 25 August and UK cinemas on the 29th of August.