I don’t think I’d even seen the original Terminator film when I headed to the theatre with a group of friends to see the sequel.  I knew the basic plot, but otherwise settled in rather blind for this one the first time.  The movie picks up years after the first one ended, with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) committed to an asylum while her teenaged son, John (newcomer Edward Furlong) angers and exasperates yet another set of foster parents.  The world as he knows it comes crashing down around him, though, when he realizes that his mom isn’t crazy, and that Terminators (Arnold Schwarzenegger) are real.  Only now, they’re after him.

This film hit all the right notes for me, with impossible action sequences, a pounding score, and a heartrate-raising race to stop Skynet from nuking humanity on what would later become known as Judgment Day.  To me, this will always be the best of the franchise, and it forever cemented my love for my imaginary girlfriend, the incredible Linda Hamilton.  Plus hello?  Robert Patrick!  I never get tired of re-visiting this one, which is why it’s still on my list of Top 10 Films of All Time!