It really pains me to say this because when I was younger Terminator 2 was always a personal favorite. Unfortunately watching it now with fresh eyes and comparing it conceptually to the original, it's really a colossal mess... Everyone praises T2 for being one of the rare sequels to outdo the original. Actually it just tries way too hard to outdo the first and completely loses the effective simplicity which made the original great. T2 strives to be a 'perfect Hollywood Blockbuster' by blending thought provoking sci-fi concepts and strong character drama with high budget special effects, shoot 'em up action, and lots of comic relief. Unfortunately the end result is nothing more than a McDonalds Big Mac... It looks nice and indulges your craving but ultimately is filled with lots of artificial ingredients and cheese that doesn't sit well long term. It's trying to walk a tightrope with mass appeal blockbuster on one side and sci-fi mastery on the other. Instead of effectively walking this tightrope it more often than not jumps from one side to the other.
The main problem I have with T2 is The Terminator itself. Going back to the original, the T-800 was designed to pass just as human enough that it can infiltrate resistance hideouts and assassinate everyone. Simply reprogramming one to go back in time and be a protector wouldn't result in the night and day character transformation the cyborg has from the original. Arnold does a good job staying stoic and cold for the most part but still this cyborg is way too human, and the biggest flaw of all is that it's 'more human than human'. Bladerunner reference aside, what I mean is The T-800 is actually the most likeable character in the entire movie which ultimately is problematic to the concept of the entire franchise. While almost all the human characters in the movie are flawed and unlikeable, The Terminator is perfect. It even points out that humans are destined to destroy themselves (granted if Skynet didn't start the war). When you really take all of that into account why are we rooting for the humans at all, why not root for the machines to win? The Terminator showing a sense of superior humanity is a thought provoking idea but it ultimately ruins the entire motivation of the story which should be that humans while flawed are capable of love and hope which conquers evil. That's the message the first movie conveyed which is completely lost here.
The main problem I have with T2 is The Terminator itself. Going back to the original, the T-800 was designed to pass just as human enough that it can infiltrate resistance hideouts and assassinate everyone. Simply reprogramming one to go back in time and be a protector wouldn't result in the night and day character transformation the cyborg has from the original. Arnold does a good job staying stoic and cold for the most part but still this cyborg is way too human, and the biggest flaw of all is that it's 'more human than human'. Bladerunner reference aside, what I mean is The T-800 is actually the most likeable character in the entire movie which ultimately is problematic to the concept of the entire franchise. While almost all the human characters in the movie are flawed and unlikeable, The Terminator is perfect. It even points out that humans are destined to destroy themselves (granted if Skynet didn't start the war). When you really take all of that into account why are we rooting for the humans at all, why not root for the machines to win? The Terminator showing a sense of superior humanity is a thought provoking idea but it ultimately ruins the entire motivation of the story which should be that humans while flawed are capable of love and hope which conquers evil. That's the message the first movie conveyed which is completely lost here.