Movie fans have named a 1991 film with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes as the ‘best action movie of all time’. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science-fiction action film directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the script with William Wisher.
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick, it is the sequel to The Terminator (1984) and is the second instalment in the Terminator franchise. In the film, the malevolent artificial intelligence Skynet sends a Terminator – a highly advanced killing machine – back in time to 1995 to kill the future leader of the human resistance, John Connor, when he is a child. The resistance sends back a less advanced, reprogrammed Terminator to protect Connor and ensure the future of humanity. Film lovers took to Reddit to discuss the “best action movies of all time” – films with “intense thrills, epic stunts, and unforgettable moments”. The top response was Terminator 2, with hundreds of upvotes and dozens of responses. One user said: “Hard to argue against T2. It’s stellar. Right down to the soundtrack.”
Another said: “This is the one and only answer. The finest moment in action film history. There is not one single gram of fat on this masterpiece. 10/10. Absolute perfection.
“Excellent story, captivating backdrop, top-notch action sequences, perfect hero, perfect villain, masterfully edited, iconic theme song and soundtrack, groundbreaking effects, and the acting is fucking amazing all the way through.”
Terminator 2 was released to critical acclaim. Many reviews focused on the state-of-the-art physical, special, and makeup effects, which were roundly praised as “revolutionary” and “spectacular”, particularly those calling the T-1000 a “technological wonder”.
Several publications wrote that Cameron’s ability to realise cinematic action blockbusters was unmatched. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said that at his best, Cameron’s work is akin to that of director Stanley Kubrick.
The film received a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus saying: “T2 features thrilling action sequences and eye-popping visual effects, but what takes this sci-fi action landmark to the next level is the depth of the human (and cyborg) characters.”
The 64th Academy Awards earned Terminator 2 four awards: Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects, as well as nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
It received six awards at the 1992 MTV Movie Awards, including: Best Movie, Best Action Sequence (“L.A. Freeway Scene”), Best Breakthrough Performance (Furlong), Best Female Performance (Hamilton), Best Male Performance (Schwarzenegger), and nominations for Best Song From a Movie (“You Could Be Mine”), Best Villain (Robert Patrick), and Most Desirable Female (Hamilton), as well as a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.