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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (3D version)

9/10

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, S Epatha Merkerson, Earl Boen, Jenette Goldstein, Joe Morton, Xander Berkeley

Director: James Cameron

Benefiting enormously from a brand-new coat of 3D paint, this is the best of the series by some way. If big Arnie was well cast as the bad Terminator sent back to the future to kill the mother of the future world leader in Cameron's original, then he's perfectly cast as the good Terminator sent back to protect the now 10-year-old boy from the first film against bad Terminator 2 (Patrick).

The twists and turns of logic and time will amaze you almost as much as much as the 'liquid metal' effects and the highway chases of this 10-years-later sequel, as Arnie develops sufficient human traits and command of slang to bring additional veins of humour to the almost non-stop action.

If he was paid about $15 million, then Hamilton, appropriately beefed up as befits the world's toughest lady, is worth every cent of the one million she is said to have got to repeat her role. Notable assists come from Furlong as her son and Patrick as the mean and merciless T2 who has the edge of Arnie as he's a more advanced model.

There's a welcome sprinkling of deadpan humour, too, to give you relief from the bludgeoning action and thrills. 'Were you gonna kill him?' asks the boy, of one of Arnie's victims. 'Of course I was,' snaps the big man. 'I'm a Terminator.'

David Quinlan

USA 1991. UK Distributor: StudioCanal. Technicolor.
137 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 29 Aug 2017