Terminator 2: Judgment Day

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Tons of action, violence, and special effects.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film is extremely violent and features multiple scenes of post-apocalyptic imagery and strong language. However, the film does a surprisingly good job of addressing the issue of collateral damage, which is often glazed over in similar big action films. The point is made by multiple characters, most importantly the child protagonist John Connor, that the killing of bystanders must be avoided at all costs, even though the fate of the world may hang in the balance. In this way, while a definitive big science fiction action film, this movie has more of a conscience than many other films in its genre.

  • Not applicable.
  • Fetishized slow-motion shootings and car chases.
  • Brief scene depicting a guard licking the face of a restrained mental patient.

What's the story?

Continuing the story of the first film, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY finds The Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, sent back in time from the future again, but this time switching sides to become the protector of the human race's future hope, John Connor. Meanwhile, Connor's mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton), who tries to spread the knowledge of an apocalyptic future that she acquires in the first film, is deemed insane and confined to an institution. The action is almost nonstop with shopping mall shootouts, truck/motorcycle chases, and various other action set pieces saturating the film.


Is it any good?

 

This is the film that made CGI effects seem palatable and as such, can be considered a promulgator of all subsequent big budget action effects movies. Its greatest technical achievement is the shape-shifting T1000 character who pursues John Connor and makes it necessary for The Terminator to act as protector. The film continually ratchets up the tension as the T1000 comes closer and closer to destroying young John, making TERMINATOR 2 a thoroughly exciting thrill ride.

While playing the character with the same steely stoicism as in the original, Arnold obviously relishes the chance to be the "good guy" in this one, and the script provides him with plenty of silly one-liners to provide the otherwise dark film some levity. Linda Hamilton turns in a frantic performance as a desperate mother locked away because everyone thinks she's insane.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about the development of such amoral killing machines as The Terminators? What would the ramifications of the existence of such machines be?


This review was written by David Gurney
Adult
June 9, 2010
 
great classic watch it you'll it
teens will love this movie T2 IS THE BEST ONE lots of shooting ski fighting 14 and older for violence and intense scenes a one kissing part otherwise a real classic

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Parent of 10 year old
May 4, 2011
 
Depends on your 10yr old's maturity level
My 10 yr old daughter loved it. She's "gifted & talented" & wise beyond her years. It's up to each parent to decide if the movie is suitable for their own child. I always watch them 1st then make that decison. It was pretty loud w/ gunfire, yelling and chase scenes, but at least when the terminators got shot, it wasn't a lot of blood & guts. No sex, no bathroom humor and a few curse words.

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Teen, 15 years old
May 28, 2010
 
Best movie I've ever seen with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Teen, 16 years old
January 9, 2011
 
One of the best sequels of all time IMO.
James Cameron returns in this sequel, T2: JUDGEMENT DAY, and, just like another sequel he made, this is on my *unofficial* Top 10 Sequels of All Time. It has action, sci-fi, drama, with some comedy mixed in just for relief. It's special effects for the T-1000 were amazing at the time, and even for today's standards looks...alright. A lot of people say that he looks like gelatin or an ooze of some sorts. BUT THAT'S THE POINT! He's supposed to look like LIQUID METAL! DUH!! But, once again, it can get pretty violent. Not as gritty as the first, but a lot more violent. At the beginning, many soldiers are shot by machines. There is a bar fight at the beginning. A man is burned, another is stabbed, and many bones are broken. A man knocks out a police officer and takes his clothes and his car. Two men shoot at each other in a hallway. A truck explodes with a man in it. But the man melts into mercury and forms back into his human form. A woman's arm transforms into a sword-like weapon and stabs a man through a milk carton and through his mouth. She pulls it out and blood spurts. The T-1000 kills a dog and rips off it's collar, blood is seen on the collar. An officer is stabbed in the eye by the T-1000. A guard at a mental institute is hit on the face by a broom that was broken in half, blood spurts. Sarah Connor breaks a mans arm and puts a suringe in his neck that is filled with poison. She does not empty the poisen into him though. T-101 shoots an officer in the leg, he later fights officers in a hallway of a mental institute. In a deleted scene, Sarah Connor cuts the T-101's scalp to get a memory chip. Pretty violent. Sarah dreams about the world ending and things catch on fire. Sarah Connor then catches on fire and starts screaming. This scene is very intense. At Skynet Dyson is shot several times. Sarah Connor is shot in the thigh. T-1000 gets frozen by liquid nitrogen and shattered by a bullet. T-101 and T-1000 get in an intense fight. T-1000 terminates T-101. He then re-programs himself and comes back. T-1000 stabs Sarah Connor in the shoulder. She screams in pain. T-101 terminates T-1000 by shooting him until he falls into hot lava. You can see T-101's red eye, and the metal skeleton under his skin after the big fight scenes. T-101 lowers himself into the hot lava. And even though there's no sex, there IS this stuff: In the beginning, the T-101 is shown nude, but only his chest, back, and his butt is shown. Robert Patrick's character is shown nude and you can see his butt and his penis is visible very briefly. A guard at a mental institute licks Sarah Connor's face while she is restrained to a bed. You can see Sarah Connor's nipples through her shirt in the scenes while she's at the mental institute. When robert patrick's character is dying, he briefly morphs into a women and you can see one of her breasts for a few seconds. And language, 16 f-words(two being motherf*cker), 23 uses of sh*t, and numerous uses of milder profanities such as *amn, h*ll, *ss, b*st*rd, S.O.B, d*ck, b*tch, etc.; In the "Special Extended Edition," there are about 32 f-words, and each cuss word mentioned above is used more often. So, aLL-iN-aLL: Better than the first. Longer, too. It's more action-packed, has a lot more going for it, and is just an all-better film. 9.2/10. Go check it out!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
lol lol need to straighten yall out
About the "sexual" scene with the guard? Read up on your asylum tactics, that was a trick to see if Sarah really was in a vegetative state. As for the movie, there was blood and they cursed blue and green, but it wasn't terribly offensive. Even so, I only recommend this for like 15+. Happy terminator-ing.

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Parent of 13 year old
July 25, 2010
 
perfect for age 10-17

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Adult
December 1, 2008
 
Better than the first
Content: Sex - Nothing terrible. Maybe a few innuendos. Also, you see Terminator's bare backside, waist up, and all of his legs, getting extremely close to dangerous territory. Several women see him naked and whistle and stuff. Language: LOTS. Some very strong, which is expected in R. At least thirty swear words. Violence: Need I say anything? I highly recommend an edited version of this movie, such as ClearPlay DVD Player (clearplay*)

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Teen, 14 years old
May 30, 2011
 
Not as good as "The Terminator". This time, he gains heart and decides to help his original victim.
My rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action/violence and some brief language.

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Adult
January 14, 2009
 
Awsome
This movie is awsome. If parents don't like there kids hearing the f-word out of a 14 year old than rent in at block buster.

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Kid, 11 years old
February 18, 2011
 
not for little kids from 1-11
i think it is good beacause it teaches you to keep trying

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This review was written by David Gurney
Studio:Columbia Tristar
Director:James Cameron
Cast:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:147 minutes
Theatrical release date:July 1, 1991
DVD release date:October 29, 2001
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong sci-fi action and violence, and for language

This review was written by David Gurney
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
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