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Terminator 1 is absolutely amazing. Terminator 2 is great, but it's no T1. I recently wrote a longish post about it: https://blog.habets.se/2022/11/Terminator

Terminator 1 is absolutely amazing. Terminator 2 is great, but it's no T1. I recently wrote a longish post about it: https://blog.habets.se/2022/11/Terminator-1-is-the-best-Terminator-movie.html https://blog.habets.se/2022/11/Terminator-1-is-the-best-Term... But long story short is that 1) T1 terminator is uncanny valley, and T2 is not. 2) T1 is a perfect time loop, and T2 is not.

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mitthrowaway2 4y ago
The gaps in T2's time loop are pretty alarming in retrospect. Killer robots suddenly materialize in the present, time traveling from a future that never comes about. It's quite a spooky thought. In my opinion the film only gets away with it by riding the coattails of how cleanly T1 executed the time travel concept.
abdullahkhalids 4y ago
There are philosophical differences between T1 and T2 which I think are much more substantive than critiques of fan service. T1 is, "if we go ahead with improved computing technology with no thought, ultimately machines will take over and kill us. But with our humanity (Kyle) we can defeat them." T2 is, "The leader of the resistance, who successfully leads humans towards victory, is someone whose mother was human, but whose strongest father-figure was a machine. It is only if we understand machines, and teach them humanity (like John does the Terminator) can we attain victory." I think if you reflect on this a while, you will see that T2 has a lot more philosophical nuance in what it says about the relation of humans and technology, than T1.
- thomashabets2 4y ago
  Yeah that message is not exactly subtle in T2. Though again at the cost of "that's not what happened". John Connor doesn't grow up to become the Great Skynet Negotiator. I'm not saying every single aspect of T2 is worse than T1. But the little philosophy that T2 adds is vastly overshadowed by what it contradicts from T1, and partly itself.
ddalex 4y ago
They are very different types of movies. T1 is an art horror that gambled a lot on Arnold who was just some pretty muscle at that time. T2 is made to be a blockbuster action flock no expenses spared. I think both are among the best movies of their genres.
- thomashabets2 4y ago
  Sure. But it's still fair to compare them. I don't think T2 is a dumb movie. But it is a dumber movie than T1.

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mitthrowaway2 4y ago

The gaps in T2's time loop are pretty alarming in retrospect. Killer robots suddenly materialize in the present, time traveling from a future that never comes about. It's quite a spooky thought. In my opinion the film only gets away with it by riding the coattails of how cleanly T1 executed the time travel concept.

abdullahkhalids 4y ago

There are philosophical differences between T1 and T2 which I think are much more substantive than critiques of fan service. T1 is, "if we go ahead with improved computing technology with no thought, ultimately machines will take over and kill us. But with our humanity (Kyle) we can defeat them." T2 is, "The leader of the resistance, who successfully leads humans towards victory, is someone whose mother was human, but whose strongest father-figure was a machine. It is only if we understand machines, and teach them humanity (like John does the Terminator) can we attain victory." I think if you reflect on this a while, you will see that T2 has a lot more philosophical nuance in what it says about the relation of humans and technology, than T1.

thomashabets2 4y ago
Yeah that message is not exactly subtle in T2. Though again at the cost of "that's not what happened". John Connor doesn't grow up to become the Great Skynet Negotiator. I'm not saying every single aspect of T2 is worse than T1. But the little philosophy that T2 adds is vastly overshadowed by what it contradicts from T1, and partly itself.

ddalex 4y ago

They are very different types of movies. T1 is an art horror that gambled a lot on Arnold who was just some pretty muscle at that time. T2 is made to be a blockbuster action flock no expenses spared. I think both are among the best movies of their genres.

thomashabets2 4y ago
Sure. But it's still fair to compare them. I don't think T2 is a dumb movie. But it is a dumber movie than T1.