Favorite Terminator Movie
- Thread starter Borsk
- Start date
Jedi Daniel
Geek Jedi
Terminator 2
I just had a Terminator marathon (I've watched them all before, but just felt like watching them again), so I thought I'd poll the group.
Basically, I think the first one had so-so acting, mediocre effects (I'm not cutting it any slack for being an older film), but a nice story. The 2nd one has great acting, nice effects and a great story. The 3rd one has decent acting, great effects and shallower story.
Disclaimer: I'm judging the movies equally. I realize that, for their time, they all had cutting edge effects.
Basically, I think the first one had so-so acting, mediocre effects (I'm not cutting it any slack for being an older film), but a nice story. The 2nd one has great acting, nice effects and a great story. The 3rd one has decent acting, great effects and shallower story.
Disclaimer: I'm judging the movies equally. I realize that, for their time, they all had cutting edge effects.
darthskellington
Dark Lord of the Typos
Yeah, 2 is teh best. 1 is good, but less entertaining. 3 is really cool, but not so great as a stand-alone.
I'm looking forward to the possible 4: Future War. Not that I'm expecting a brilliant movie, but jstu a really cool one. I remmeber when 2 came out......the future war was where all the super cool stuff was. Post apocalyptic death and skulls and terminators everywhere!
I'm looking forward to the possible 4: Future War. Not that I'm expecting a brilliant movie, but jstu a really cool one. I remmeber when 2 came out......the future war was where all the super cool stuff was. Post apocalyptic death and skulls and terminators everywhere!
i like T2 the best and that is what i voted for it, but it doesn't work w/o the 1st movie. kind of like saying empire is the better movie over a new hope. it may be, but it wouldn't be w/o the 1st one. this is why i will sometimes change my answers on questions like this.
They setup the idea of the Terminator being "bad" through Sarah's visions of the future. Plus, if Arnold comes storming towards me with a shotgun, I might get the idea that he's gonna kill me (regardless of seeing the 1st movie).
I don't think T2 depends on T1 anywhere near as much as ESB depends on ANH.
I don't think T2 depends on T1 anywhere near as much as ESB depends on ANH.
Are we debating whether T2 can stand on it's own or are we talking about the quality of the first one?
The big thing is that without the success of the first movie, the 2nd might not have gotten made. You couldn't make the 2nd one the same way it was made in 1984 because of the limitations on visual effects. BUT, from a story standpoint, I think T2 can be viewed without watching T1 and you won't miss much.
T2 is basically a reversal of the first movie. The first movie had Arnold as a strong/agressive character and Linda Hamilton as a timid/weak character. In the 2nd movie, Arnold was more passive and Linda Hamilton was the one running around trying to kill people. The first movie is about being a prisoner of your own fate and the 2nd is about free will (no fate but what you make). In a way, they're the same story. One just has better acting and effects.
All I'm saying is that T2 is more independent than most sequels. Saying you HAVE TO watch T1 before watching T2 is sorta like saying you HAVE TO watch The Prequels before ANH.
The big thing is that without the success of the first movie, the 2nd might not have gotten made. You couldn't make the 2nd one the same way it was made in 1984 because of the limitations on visual effects. BUT, from a story standpoint, I think T2 can be viewed without watching T1 and you won't miss much.
T2 is basically a reversal of the first movie. The first movie had Arnold as a strong/agressive character and Linda Hamilton as a timid/weak character. In the 2nd movie, Arnold was more passive and Linda Hamilton was the one running around trying to kill people. The first movie is about being a prisoner of your own fate and the 2nd is about free will (no fate but what you make). In a way, they're the same story. One just has better acting and effects.
All I'm saying is that T2 is more independent than most sequels. Saying you HAVE TO watch T1 before watching T2 is sorta like saying you HAVE TO watch The Prequels before ANH.
The problem with the 2nd and 3rd Matrix films are that they went in a totally different direction (thematically) than the 1st one. I think everyone had an idea of where those movies where going to go and the writers took a wrong turn somewhere. Matrix 2 and 3 still have some really cool ideas, but it seems like they would have been better off putting them in a movie not called "The Matrix".AmShak said:
Borsk said:
i missed where i said that ... what i am saying is you don't HAVE T2 with out T1
if i were going to sit down and watch one of the movies, i would watch T2
if i were going to show the movies to someone who had never seen them, i would show them T1 before i showed them T2
would you?
No.AmShak said:
I was 6 when the first Terminator came out - so I'm going out on a limb here, but I think it was probably a lot more impressive back in 1984 than it is now. If I made someone watch the first Terminator movie and then told them there's a sequel, I don't think they'd want to watch the sequel. It's not that it's a bad movie. It just looks like a low-budget scifi movie from the early/mid 80s. I think, going by today's standard, that the 2nd movie would be a better introduction if you want the person to bother to watch the other films.
I get that. My point is that T2 doesn't need T1 to function as a movie. I think there's enough information in T2 to inform the audience of what's going on.AmShak said:
You should absolutely watch ANH before ESB.
I think part of it is the amount of time between the release of T1 and T2.
Barada
Saboteur
If all things were equal, T1 would be the better movie.
In 1984, James Cameron was an unknown director who received a far less sum of money to make Terminator than the James Cameron who had the success of Aliens, The Abyss, as well as T1's strong cult following, and a much more advanced method of special effects.
Give Cameron the same budget he had for T2, and he wouldn't be hiring aerobics instructors from 20 Minute Workout to perform relatively big roles in his movie.
The acting would have been better, and so would the effects.
Kinda unfair to compare the two in this way.
On the upside, at least Arnie didn't wave his schlong to everyone in T2 like he did in T1.
Trivia: James Cameron had TWO actors from T1 reappear as Marines in his Aliens film. Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese/Cpl. Hicks) is the obvious one. Name the other.
Trivia #2: A different actor in T2 also appeared as a Marine in Aliens. Name this actor, or at least the roles, because the actor was never really 'famous'.
Barada
In 1984, James Cameron was an unknown director who received a far less sum of money to make Terminator than the James Cameron who had the success of Aliens, The Abyss, as well as T1's strong cult following, and a much more advanced method of special effects.
Give Cameron the same budget he had for T2, and he wouldn't be hiring aerobics instructors from 20 Minute Workout to perform relatively big roles in his movie.
The acting would have been better, and so would the effects.Kinda unfair to compare the two in this way.
On the upside, at least Arnie didn't wave his schlong to everyone in T2 like he did in T1.
Trivia: James Cameron had TWO actors from T1 reappear as Marines in his Aliens film. Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese/Cpl. Hicks) is the obvious one. Name the other.
Trivia #2: A different actor in T2 also appeared as a Marine in Aliens. Name this actor, or at least the roles, because the actor was never really 'famous'.
Barada
Jedi Daniel
Geek Jedi
Bill Paxton was also in T1 and Aliens.