I know 2 is the more popular one. It's a better big budget mindless summer blockbuster movie. But I think Terminator 1 is better from a horror/drama storytelling perspective. It's original and it has a way of making the little moments matter. In T1, one shot of a shotgun was cause for worry. In T2, bullets flow as freely as water.
Terminator 2 pretty much followed the same formula as the first film. While the first half added some texture, the 2nd half was mostly just set pieces which added nothing to the story.
I always go with T1. While T2 is certainly not mindless and it is still a fantastic, mature, well written and well made action film, T1 holds a special place in my heart. I always prefer darker, less mainstream films (that's why I much prefer Alien over Aliens) and I think that T1 is just so more concise and affecting. T2 is very much a Hollywood blockbuster, a great one at that, where as T1 is more horrifying, emotional and less-mainstream which is my kind of movie.
I'm more interested in seeing how people rank Rise of the Machines, Salvation, and Genisys, regardless of the obvious difference in quality between all three.
Salvation
T3
Genysis
First of all, I think none of these movies are bad, even Genysis. Salvation is kind of underrated, it fails a lot but it often succeeds for me. And it tried something different. T3 and Genysis are neck and neck for me. They are both forgettable, acceptable action movies. But I give the edge to T3 because it did not **** up the timeline like Genysis did.
A lot of things that arent over 30 years old with horrible special effects.
( -_-) Mmmmmm...
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I know 2 is the more popular one. It's a better big budget mindless summer blockbuster movie. But I think Terminator 1 is better from a horror/drama storytelling perspective. It's original and it has a way of making the little moments matter. In T1, one shot of a shotgun was cause for worry. In T2, bullets flow as freely as water.
Terminator 2 pretty much followed the same formula as the first film. While the first half added some texture, the 2nd half was mostly just set pieces which added nothing to the story.
Terminator 1 and 2 are very different movies so therefore it is hard to state which one is better. Although I do feel that the original is much more thrilling and intense. Bad Schwarzenegger was so relentless. While close Robert Patrick never managed to top that.
I enjoyed both movies very much, but as far as comparisons go, 1st is hands down better for me. For one, I'm a sucker for origin stories, I simply love when story kicks off, that's why 99% of the time I prefer original to the sequel. Also, as someone mentioned above, Arnie as a bad guy is just ****ing awesome. He just looks the part which I loved. ALSO, while T-1000 was threatening at times, he was simply too overpowered. This is the problem that these hyped villains have. Arnie in first movie still had some sense of inferiority which is good for the villain, when he got defeated I wasn't rolling my eyes over. But when you have a guy like T-1000 who can REPLICATE ANY FORM OF MATERIAL INSTANTLY, not to mention him being all around better version of T-800, it's just too much. For him to lose he did all kinds of stupid stuff which he didn't have to. It's the same thing why I can't get into all the captain americas and x-mens, villains are simply too overpowered at first and then they have to be idiots so they wouldn't win.
I enjoyed both movies very much, but as far as comparisons go, 1st is hands down better for me. For one, I'm a sucker for origin stories, I simply love when story kicks off, that's why 99% of the time I prefer original to the sequel. Also, as someone mentioned above, Arnie as a bad guy is just ****ing awesome. He just looks the part which I loved. ALSO, while T-1000 was threatening at times, he was simply too overpowered. This is the problem that these hyped villains have. Arnie in first movie still had some sense of inferiority which is good for the villain, when he got defeated I wasn't rolling my eyes over. But when you have a guy like T-1000 who can REPLICATE ANY FORM OF MATERIAL INSTANTLY, not to mention him being all around better version of T-800, it's just too much. For him to lose he did all kinds of stupid stuff which he didn't have to. It's the same thing why I can't get into all the captain americas and x-mens, villains are simply too overpowered at first and then they have to be idiots so they wouldn't win.
So when the T-800 makes mistakes, that's okay because there's a "sense of inferiority", but when the T-1000 makes mistakes it's "just too much"? As much as I like both films, I can still rattle off at least half a dozen instances of both characters making choices or mistakes that result in them failing to properly assassinate their targets. If anything, this suggests some fundamental weaknesses in the programming of Skynet's killer cyborgs that doesn't get fixed despite the various physical improvements such as liquid metal or the built-in weapons seen in T3.
As much as I like both films, I can still rattle off at least half a dozen instances of both characters making choices or mistakes that result in them failing to properly assassinate their targets.
For example, instead of finding and killing a target, terminators choose to go on mass killing spree.
As much as I thoroughly enjoyed both films I would have to say I prefer T1. Just the story alone was so good, albeit a lot darker. Who can ever forget the speech Reece yells about the Terminator not going to stop. It's amazing and quite frightening. While so many movies use the computers turn on us idea, T1 just really made it believable and you feared about the future and only got small glimpses of it. It left so much to the imagination.
I love both films, but the second one was nothing what I expected the sequel to be, which was a pleasant surprise, but the story took a lot of complex detours that slowed it down, though I did like the idea of Arnold's cyborg there to protect John Conner in the second film as opposed to trying to kill Sarah in the first one and the ending of the second is one of the saddest and most heartbreaking things I have ever seen.
Though I think I'll always give the edge to the first film and can comprehend the inherent flaws in the second film, I think that calling it mindless is being needlessly harsh. It has to change things up rather than slavishly imitate the original (in a way, this is comparable to the shift in tone between Alien and Aliens, where the original could not be outdone in terms of horror so it made sense to up the scale and go all-out in action for the sequel).
Also, it's not like the second half consists purely of set-pieces either. While the first film was a relentless chase from start to finish without much time for introspection, the second film has room to "add texture" as you put it. This is why there's the inclusion of the entire "destroying CyberDyne" sub-plot, which was originally intended for the first film (a deleted scene reveals that the factory from the finale is a CyberDyne factory, which sets up the discovery of the original Terminator's remains).
I agree with you, Iro.
T2 for me. Now I admit I'm subjective. T is a typical 80s (don't get me wrong, I watched it like a nut more than once), and T2, one could even say set the tone for the entire (ok, not entire obviously) 90s cinema. I saw it in cinema when it came out, and appropriately so, bc I was in a middle of an actual war here in Croatia. I even remember the exact date - 17th Aug '91. Bloody good experience. The 1st one really is relentless start to finish, with the unstopable Arnie and it had some humor (i.e. the punks in the beginning) and it gave me an intro line which I'll use if I ever have sex with a woman
I am the terminator. I can't be reasoned with. I can't be bargained with. I don't feel pitty, remource or pain. And I absolutely will not stop! EVER! Until you are dead.
T2 had that sweet little twist, when first you don't even know who's who and what's going on and when T-1000 killed the guy through a milk pack, well...maybe the most effective introduction of special effects in cinema history. There's also a set of very intelligently applied SE, with it performing shapes in various situations. My favorite scene, however, is Sarah's dream
since I'm very much impressed and terrified of a bomb. I used to have nightmares about a nuclear strikes just like her as a kid.
I guess that's got something to do with its very hazy treatment of time-travel that does get more and more convoluted with each new film, so there's no telling whether or not stopping Skynet would actually kill John Connor - I guess it depends on how much of the series you really want to count as canon at this point.
If anything, this thread might as well be a "rank the series" kind of deal like with Indiana Jones. I think that could be more interesting than once again hashing out the same old "1 or 2" debate.
I'm more interested in seeing how people rank Rise of the Machines, Salvation, and Genisys, regardless of the obvious difference in quality between all three.
1. Rise of the Machines 2. T2 3. T 4. Salvation 5. Genisys
Myself, I have a soft spot for T3 despite its outwardly derivative nature and somewhat hokey approach ("Talk to the hand", anyone?) but I can still sort of enjoy it as a straightforward action movie. I am torn on whether or not I consider Salvation or Genisys the better film, though these days I want to give Salvation the edge because it at least tried to take a different approach to the franchise instead of the convoluted contrivances that allowed Genisys to recycle the same chase plot from the first three movies.
T3 is my fave for a number of reasons. First of, Kristanna Lokken
and it's always smokin' hot when a woman is superior to Arnie, let alone a man in every sense, especially in brute physical strenght, fighting etc. (we get a lot of it these days).
The humor is balistic. "Talk to the hand", anyone? Me. Or how about those "inappropriate" glasses?
As much as I thoroughly enjoyed both films I would have to say I prefer T1. Just the story alone was so good, albeit a lot darker. Who can ever forget the speech Reece yells about the Terminator not going to stop. It's amazing and quite frightening. While so many movies use the computers turn on us idea, T1 just really made it believable and you feared about the future and only got small glimpses of it. It left so much to the imagination.
Micheal bhien is such a great actor he portrays reese in such an emotional heartfelted guy, he has this nuanced portrayal the only character i didnt like him in was the movie the abyss felt a bit too edgy and stubborn.
T2 was my always my favourite but having re watched T1 recently I forgot how good it is and now I think it's unfair to compare them as very different films but both have their own merits, T2 is a powerhouse action flick, more family friendly I think whereas T1 is darker, it feels at times like you are watching a serial killer go about his work and is really scary. I think that now T1 is the better film, in fact I remember this conversation with my friend. But T2 is one of the best sequels ever, that is without doubt
T1 and I don't think it's close at all. Not saying that T2 isn't good, but my opinion of it might be lower than some. I see it as a very good movie, but not quite a great one.
Pretty much agree with every word you said there. T2 is very entertaining. But T1 is a classic in both the 'cult' way and on a cinematic level as well. The dance club scene still gives me chills to this day the way Cameron filmed it.
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