Essence Recommended Movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Director: James Cameron Starring: Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Arnold Schwarzenegger Release Date: July 3, 1991 (so long ago) Plot: At the end of the 20th century, Skynet, a computer defense system, becomes self-aware, sees humans as a threat, and launches a nuclear war. The survivors call this day Judgment Day. Under the leadership of a remarkable figure named John Connor, the survivors form a resistance and defeat Skynet. To turn the tide back in their favor, the machines send the liquid robot T100 back in time to assassinate the young John. John also sends a modified Terminator, the T800, back to protect himself. This is not just an ordinary sci-fi film; its emotional impact is no less than Titanic. John has no father, but the Terminator has silently played that role, teaching the machine to smile and learn human expressions. In the end, T800 defeats the T100, but to prevent robots from appearing again, T800 submerges itself in molten steel, sacrificing itself. At the ending, John cries and commands him not to do this, and T800 says an incredibly shocking line: 'Now I know why you cry, but that is something I can never do,' then slowly sinks into the molten steel. Just when you thought it was over, as it's almost fully submerged, it makes a thumbs-up gesture, the very one little John taught it. While the special effects of the film are excellent, the values it presents are superb. That sentence at the end could go down in history: 'This machine has learned the meaning of human life. Perhaps we can too.' In comparison, some people around me feel it's not even as good as a soap opera. How vulgar. Everyone should watch it for themselves; it's absolutely an excellent film. Definitely better than something like Swordsman.