A great achievement in the film industry for its impressive action scenes, practical and digital effects, and heartfelt character development. Loved by many and considered to be one of the best sequels and action films of all time. To that, those people aren't wrong.

T2 is indeed just as good as people build it up to be. Though I now see the first Terminator as the best, this movie comes a close second. Not to say this movie hasn't achieved the height of the original. But, that it failed in the atmosphere and the horror of the unknown that the first accomplished to portray. Plus, it did take from what James Cameron worked on in Aliens for the parental arc.

A sequel should build upon the first and while the second may not be better than its predecessor, it can still be the perfect sequel. It changed the dynamics, continued the story naturally and increased the meaning of the first without copying its design. Yes, this movie does take from The Terminator in respect of set pieces and pacing in some points, as well as the overall plot. But here it is used to convey a stronger understanding with the characters. There is a bad guy, a good guy sent back through time again. But not only did Cameron change the dynamic, but he also changed Sarah Connor's perspective. Which is why it builds upon what we learned in the first. Since we were so grounded in Sarah's point of view last time, we can be set free to experience the change it naturally had on her. Plus for new viewers eyes, you have John's point of view to lean on. Again like I said in my _The Terminator_ review, going into this movie blind directly helps and grounds you for the change-up like how the first was vague and left puzzle pieces for the first half-hour.

Now the reason I don't think this movie is as good as the first, or why it isn't a 10 is that it is using the same plot from the first, it has odd cuts that are jarring to me now that I've seen them. The T-1000 isn't as menacing as the first T-800 was, even if it wasn't the whole threat in this movie. But in its core, this film does have a genuine threat that we see, again, through Sarah's eyes. It's a wonderful way to distract from the fact that the physical villain is a bit weak.

At the heart of this film though, is the several messages that it naturally evolved from the first. The realisation of Sarah that nothing would be the same and cuts ties with her lost world. The confused and traumatic discovery that young John has to process. The teaching of the T-800 to respect the underlying factors to his mission, and to not do something knowing it won't matter in the long run. And the ties all these have in juxtaposition with Miles Dyson's family. It's how you raise your future, how you don't need to listen to fate. No one family is perfect, no one person is responsible.

This is what would set this film apart from all the rest. The fact that fate is a matter of perspective. It was the only one to work with this one ideal and changed the franchise inside-out only after a second film.

**9/10**