Terminator 2

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Brian Earl Spilner
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2:47p, 9/4/26
AG
Came across a good video essay on the cinematography of T2. Wanted to share it with the board.



Where does T2 rank for you among the best action movies of all time?
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Lathspell
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3:15p, 9/4/26
AG
Overrated.

To be serious, I love T2. I think it's a GREAT action movie and will watch it any time it's on. But this idea that so many have that it is literally the BEST action movie of all time? I can think of many others I would rather watch and they don't have the cringy voice-cracking kid who was barely passable as an actor.

Without giving it much thought, I would put Die Hard above it, in the action movie tier list. Top 10 action movie? I can give you that. Seems like splitting hairs, but it's always something that grates at me a little when people claim it is the GOAT.
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rhutton125
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3:32p, 9/4/26
AG
Haven't watched the video yet but I DO think it's that great. Maybe I just got used to Furlong but I think everything about it is great and iconic.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Lathspell • 3:37p, 9/4/26
Lathspell said:
Overrated.

To be serious, I love T2. I think it's a GREAT action movie and will watch it any time it's on. But this idea that so many have that it is literally the BEST action movie of all time? I can think of many others I would rather watch and they don't have the cringy voice-cracking kid who was barely passable as an actor.

Without giving it much thought, I would put Die Hard above it, in the action movie tier list. Top 10 action movie? I can give you that. Seems like splitting hairs, but it's always something that grates at me a little when people claim it is the GOAT.


Die Hard above T2?

The truck/semi/helicopter chase at the end of T2 is by itself better than the whole of the action in Die Hard.

Add in the chase from the mall earlier in the movie, much less all of the shooting in the movie, plus the T800 cutting his skin off to reveal the mechanical arm while explains Judgement Day to Mr. and Mrs. Dyson, it's just epic.

But a cop with some good one liners who suddenly has Tom Cruise Mission Impossible skills is also good.
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Bruce Almighty
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3:54p, 9/4/26
AG
I'm one of the few that thinks the first Terminator is better than T2, though T2 is a better action movie. Rogue Nation, The Matrix and T2 are probably my top 3 action movies of all time.
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tk for tu juan
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3:58p, 9/4/26
2:14 am EDT on August 29, 1997 2027
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Ornithopter
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5:07p, 9/4/26
AG
T2 might be the greatest movie of all time.
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Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag
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5:27p, 9/4/26
Great movie? Sure. Greatest action movie ever? No way.

In no particular order, some movies I have ahead of it:

Seven Samurai
Die Hard
John Wick (part 1 specifically)
Mad Max Fury Road
The Dark Knight
The Matrix
Aliens
Casino Royale
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag • 6:39p, 9/4/26
AG
For me the love for Fury Road is confounding. A fun but mostly forgettable action flick.
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WeightedWhiskey
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6:42p, 9/4/26
AG
Still remember my dad taking me to see it in the theater.
Top 5 movie all time for me.

Admittedly my top 5 list is movies that bring me the most joy and could watch over and over.
Can readily concede there are better movies.
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rhutton125
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6:48p, 9/4/26
AG
I guess if you compare it to a pure action movie like the Raid, then it's apples to oranges and you could say this one is weirdly paced, etc. But the highs are so high. I dunno man.
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to rhutton125 • 6:54p, 9/4/26
AG
I've never felt pacing issues with the movie. Maybe a bit slow in the middle?

But that's only because you come out of the gate with one of the best chase scenes of all time, and the last act is so action-packed, the middle act seems much slower in comparison.

But for me, it's a perfect action movie.

I'm also one of those that loves T1 though and think it's hugely underrated.
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Bruce Almighty
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In reply to Brian Earl Spilner • 7:14p, 9/4/26
AG
Brian Earl Spilner said:
For me the love for Fury Road is confounding. A fun but mostly forgettable action flick.


It agree with this, but I feel that way about the entire Mad Max franchise.
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surfandturfsbisa96
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In reply to Lathspell • 7:17p, 9/4/26
AG
Lathspell said:
Overrated.

To be serious, I love T2. I think it's a GREAT action movie and will watch it any time it's on. But this idea that so many have that it is literally the BEST action movie of all time? I can think of many others I would rather watch and they don't have the cringy voice-cracking kid who was barely passable as an actor.

Without giving it much thought, I would put Die Hard above it, in the action movie tier list. Top 10 action movie? I can give you that. Seems like splitting hairs, but it's always something that grates at me a little when people claim it is the GOAT.

Agree- without thinking too much I would place not only Die Hard but Raiders of the Lost Ark way above it.
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Philo B 93
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7:26p, 9/4/26
I'm just hoping the aliens come for us before Skynet becomes sentient. It was looking good for a while, but odds are heavy in AI's camp as of Sep 4, 2026.
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toucan82
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In reply to Philo B 93 • 7:41p, 9/4/26
What if the aliens are already here and they're making AI?
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AGinHI
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In reply to Bruce Almighty • 7:53p, 9/4/26
AG
Bruce Almighty said:
Brian Earl Spilner said:
For me the love for Fury Road is confounding. A fun but mostly forgettable action flick.


It agree with this, but I feel that way about the entire Mad Max franchise.

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maroon barchetta
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In reply to toucan82 • 9:05p, 9/4/26
toucan82 said:
What if the aliens are already here and they're making AI?
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jokershady
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10:22p, 9/4/26
AG
Best action movie of all time? Hard to say but my immediate answer would be no. Definitely in the top 1% though.

Better argument for this movie would be the best sequel of all time.
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CharleyKerfeld
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11:35p, 9/4/26
T1 is a horror movie disguised as an action movie.
T2 is the only movie I ever snuck into; I wouldn't turn 18 for about 6 months after it was released.

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Brian Earl Spilner
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12:11a, 9/5/26
AG


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tk for tu juan
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12:33a, 9/5/26
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FTA03
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In reply to Lathspell • 1:39a, 9/5/26
AG
Agreed. And I'll die on this hill….the original Terminator is the best of the films and the rest just ride the coattails of a successful movie and made popcorn movies for $. Cool action sequences sure, but not even close to the original.
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bam02
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5:59a, 9/5/26
AG
It's my favorite action movie of all time. My number two would be Predator. My dad RARELY would go to a movie theater but he took me to see T2 twice…. Once at a regular theater and then again at the imax in SA so it will always have a special place in my heart.
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jokershady
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6:16a, 9/5/26
AG
I'll also just add that T2 holds that memory for me being the first movie I remember crying to. Hell I was probably only 9-10 years old when I watched it at home with my dad but that was the first time I recalled seeing a movie where the good guy dies.

"I order you not to go."
"I ORDER you not to go!"
"I ORDER YOU NOT TO GO!"

So the entire concept of the heroes sacrifice was first presented to me with this film and man was it done to perfection.



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Cinco Ranch Aggie
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11:38a, 9/5/26
AG
Terminator 2 was a great movie, but I'm in the camp that The Terminator is actually better. The original movie was made for pennies as compared to its sequel, yet it managed to convey a dread with marginal effects and excellent pacing. But, I will never forget the first time my dad watched it - when the robot stands up out of the fire of the crashed truck, he just laughed in kind of a "are you kidding me" way.
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Eliminatus
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10:21a, 9/6/26
AG
T2 is amazing and tells an epic story of the hubris and downfall of man. I even hate to call it an action film because it feels like it belittles it somehow. It is so much more. It is a just a great story with action added in at the right parts IMO.

I also love T1 but agree that they are two completely different types of movies. As mentioned above, 1 is a straight up horror film while 2 is an epic. They both have their place. Kinda weird we never got any continuation after T2. Guess the timeline was fixed after all!

It's a Top 5 for me of all time. Probably Top 3 if I actually sit down and think about it.
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to Eliminatus • 10:30a, 9/6/26
AG
I agree, movies like T2 and The Matrix are not only perfect action movies, but are so much more than that that it's a little unfair to call them action movies.
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Brian Earl Spilner
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10:49a, 9/6/26
AG
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YouBet
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11:44a, 9/6/26
AG
I think T2 gets mentioned thusly because it was also fairly ground breaking with the FX, right? Cameron took his Abyss tech and evolved it to another level with the T-1000.

It's an incredible, haunting film. I wish he still made films like this and hadn't gone all-in on Avatar. It's like he let his tech innovation expertise take over his movie making expertise.
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agracer
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In reply to Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag • 12:25p, 9/7/26
AG
Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Great movie? Sure. Greatest action movie ever? No way.

In no particular order, some movies I have ahead of it:

Seven Samurai
Die Hard
John Wick (part 1 specifically)
Mad Max Fury Road
The Dark Knight
The Matrix
Aliens
Casino Royale

LOL, wut?

How late did you stay up drinking before you posted that?
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Orlando Ayala Cant Read
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1:38p, 9/7/26
AG
IMO it is not the greatest action movie of all time, but it is one of the best sequels of all time. And is certainly in the discussion of "sequels that may have been better than the original".
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fig96
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2:36p, 9/7/26
AG
It's definitely up there, hard for me to truly have a "best" as so many of the greats are so different. John Wick, The Matrix, Aliens, Die Hard are definitely all in contention.

But one of my all timers not yet mentioned...

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CharleyKerfeld
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In reply to fig96 • 2:56p, 9/7/26
fig96 said:
It's definitely up there, hard for me to truly have a "best" as so many of the greats are so different. John Wick, The Matrix, Aliens, Die Hard are definitely all in contention.

But one of my all timers not yet mentioned...


Given you're a 96 like me, did you see this at Rudder?
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YouBet
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In reply to fig96 • 3:08p, 9/7/26
AG
fig96 said:
It's definitely up there, hard for me to truly have a "best" as so many of the greats are so different. John Wick, The Matrix, Aliens, Die Hard are definitely all in contention.

But one of my all timers not yet mentioned...



Great movie that I think has been forgotten a little.
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