Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn’t be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That’s why we’ve rated them 1-5 on the patented “crunchy goodness” scale. Written by James Rocchi.
Title: Terminator 2
Date: 1991
Vitals: James Cameron’s sequel to Terminator has it all — Arnold, a kick-ass Linda Hamilton, knockout action, envelope-pushing effects and a time-travel plot that ignores all serious thoughts about causality in favor of robot-on-robot action. Robert Patrick’s T-1000 is one of the great robotic baddies of all time, and the fist-fights, fire-fights and run-or-be-killed action never flags. Yes, some of it’s a bit cheesy (“Now I know why you cry …”) but that washes away in the flood of pure pulp adrenaline.
Famous Names: James Cameron (Director, co-writer); Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick (Cast).
Crunchy Goodness: 5
Spin-offs/Sequels/Copycats: The Cameron-less, too-little-too late Terminator 3 (2003) and the upcoming TV series The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Bang for Your Buck: The silvery, featureless T-1000 striding sinuously out of a burning big rig before flowing back to the unscathed visage of Patrick’s hunter-killer cop — the moment CG effects became an inescapable part of the Hollywood landscape.
Life Lesson: When a robot from the future shows up and says ‘Come with me if you want to live,’ believe him.
