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T2 without a doubt. Like  a_p_, it's one of my favorite movies, period, and it's one of the greatest sequels ever. If you haven't already listened to it, I highly recommend the DVD commentary on the Extreme Edition. It's James Cameron and co-writer William Wisher, and it's just interesting from start to finish, with everything from on-set trivia, to writing/story development, to lighting, effects, and other technical considerations.
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I've only seen T3 once, which I guess means I'm not a big fan, but I thought that as an action movie T3 was okay. Prior to seeing T3, I was extremely anti-T3, couldn't think of another story worth telling with the Terminator, but after seeing it, I can't hate too much. Jonathan Mostow had huge shoes to fill, and he did a better job of it than a lot of the hacks out there might have. The thing about Terminator, though, is that he's James Cameron's. Terminator without James Cameron is just another action movie. To me, T3 plays like fanfic or EU: some interesting ideas, but it's not authentic.
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| From: a_p_ |
Date:
July 25th, 2005 08:08 pm (UTC)
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Let's talk a little John Connor (in T2)...
I love the scene where John is telling the Terminator all about his life (right before he decides to go get his mom). This conversation -- along with the later talk at Enrique's -- shows just how devastating it was for John when his mother was arrested, and he was told she was just crazy. I think the best thing Sarah ever did for John was to make that kind of life (where there are Terminators and nuclear war and John has to figure everything out) absolutely normal to him, to the point that he never realized that other people didn't live that way at all. I get the feeling that John is finally back at ease when the Terminators show up...once the initial shock fades way, John's back to place where everything makes sense again, he doesn't have to be angry at or ashamed of his mother, and he now knows what he needs to do. It makes him clearheaded and focused, and we get to see him in his element.
I find John's absolute moral clarity impressive almost to the point of astonishing. Considering his age and his upbringing, the fact that he's the moral center of their little family unit (doing his best to keep the Terminator and his mother in check, particularly when they disagree with him) is quite something. And it creates an interesting dynamic, since he definitely looks to both of them as parents, but he's the most level-headed and responsible one of the three of them.
John sort of strikes me as what Kyle might have been had he grown up before the war. At least, John reminds me more of Kyle than of Sarah in terms of his personality.
Ignoring both T3 and the alternate T2 ending, I always wondered what became of John (and Sarah) in a warless future. I think John would have very little or no desire to return to a "normal" life (which he couldn't do with Sarah around anyway, I don't think), but he's smart enough to know that he can't live his life just to become leader of the Human Resistance any more. What does he do?
The young John Connor is quite a complex and well-drawn character.
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