The original Terminator was something of an atomic blast to the science fiction world. It was a bold, intelligent story that pulled no punches. The movie was rough and gritty, yet the plot was propelled forward with such a sure sense of style and conviction that the film seemed much more slick than it actually was. In one decisive blow, two mega-stars had arrived in Hollywood - James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both had been in the business for some time, but this was the vehicle that pumped pure nitro into their careers.

With The Terminator's phenomenal success and popularity, it seemed inevitable that a sequel would be made. Being such a talented writer and filmmaker, it didn't seem too unlikely that Cameron could create another Terminator story that was as rich and powerful as the first. The main difference, of course, was that as a major director Cameron now had a budget at his disposal that was higher than the original film's theatrical gross (many people don't realize that The Terminator was slow to gain a following, in fact, T2 made more money during its first weekend than the first film did in its entire theatrical run).

The plot of T2 is similar, but more expansive than the first film. In the original, a Terminator is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she can bear the son that will eventually overthrow a computerized government intent on exterminating mankind. You might need to take a breath after reading that. You'll need to take a bigger one after reading the plot of the sequel.

T2 picks up roughly 10 years (never mind the time traveling) after the first one. Sarah's son, John, is nearly in his teens and living with foster parents. Sarah herself was committed to a mental institution after her ordeal with the first Terminator (who wouldn't be?). In the future, Skynet (the computerized government) decides to send a newer model Terminator back in time to kill John while he is still young and vulnerable. John (now an adult) manages to reprogram one of the older Terminator models (the same model that was sent after his mother in the first film) to go back and stop the new model.

It all sounds very complicated - and it is, but Cameron handles all of the details very well, making the movie easy to follow (even if you've never seen the original).

Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as the T800, but this time he plays the protector rather than the villain. Robert Patrick plays the newer Terminator, the T1000. In terms of appearance, he is nearly the opposite of Schwarzenegger. Where Arnold is massive muscle and bulk, Patrick is slim and sleek. It creates a nice contradiction since the T1000 is more advanced and therefore the stronger, faster and tougher Terminator.

The one thing that separates good science fiction from bad is the story. You can have the greatest special effects in the world, but it's the story that's going to stick with you after the final credits. The Terminator films succeed because they aren't just about killer cyborgs. The real point of the films is fate, or rather that our fate is our own. This isn't a new theme in storytelling (A Christmas Carol) or even in Hollywood (It's a Wonderful Life), but it's presented from an interesting perspective. What if you had the ability to change the future, probably for the better, but to do so, you have to alter your morals and kill an innocent human being? This is exactly the dilemma facing Sarah Connor as she is presented with the chance to destroy the Terminators by killing the man who's research paved the way for their creation.

Now, I won't spoil how Sarah resolves the dilemma, or whether or not the T800 is successful in defeating the T1000, but I will say that the film further impressed me by daring to end on a note of uncertainty. Some may argue that this was a gimmick designed to pave the way for a sequel. Perhaps so. But this also proved to be an effective way to drive home the point that no matter what we think we know, the future is not set and the ability to change it is determined by our actions, not predetermined by fate.

T2 also contains some groundbreaking visual effects. I hadn't watched the film in quite some time, so I had forgotten just how good some of the effects were. The foundation for most of the computer effects being done in film today was laid in T2 and Cameron's earlier film, The Abyss.

Terminator 2 was originally released on DVD a few years ago. That disc was considered to be one of the best available at the time in terms of quality. It didn't have much in the way of extras, but many considered the picture and sound to be of reference quality (good enough to show off a system with). Artisan could have left it at that and still been proud of a good product. That isn't exactly what a film like Terminator 2 deserves, though, and they knew it.

In the way that the film pushed the envelope when it was released, this DVD sets a new standard in special edition content. This is no small feat given the incredible discs that have come out in the last year.

The first notable feature of this disc is the metal slipcase it's packaged in. This is a very cool idea that compliments the DVD presentation perfectly. Inside the slipcase is a more standard DVD package that contains a 30 page booklet about the making of the film. Also, depending on which version you get, you'll either have one dual-sided, dual-layered disc, or two dual-layered discs. The content is the same regardless of which version you receive. The reason for the variation is that demand for this title outweighed the ability to produce the dual-sided, dual-layered discs. Rather than risk running out, Artisan made the smart move to switch to two discs, which is faster to produce. I'm reviewing one of the dual-sided versions, so when I refer to "side A" and "side B" I'm also referring to "disc 1" and "disc 2."

Side A features the movie, but it's not that simple. There are a total of three versions of the film here. First is the theatrical cut, then there's the director's cut and finally, an added bonus of an extended director's cut.