I watched Terminator 1 & 2 with my kid, who didn't have any prior knowledge/details/spoilers. Through my kid's eyes, I vicariously experienced the "twist" in T2 and it was absolutely amazing, but also saddening because it proved the 1991 trailer was an absolute crime against cinema.

(Marked as Spoiler since that's kinda the point of this whole post. If you haven't seen Terminator 1 & 2, go watch them before reading this!)

About a week ago, I finally allowed my kid (12) to watch The Terminator with me. Naturally, just like for most kids that age, it was a huge hit. Arnold, with his Terminator's cold relentless brutality ... and Michael Biehn's determined conviction as Reese, "it absolutely will not stop -- EVER -- until you are dead!" ... these set the tone for an intense & terrifying film.

My kid knew there was a sequel (as I'd often praised it, without divulging any detail), so the immediate question afterward was, "When can I watch Terminator 2?!" Thankfully, kids these days don't talk much about such 'old' movies -- and I've always been tight-lipped about movie plots & details. I intentionally withhold just about everything I can about any movie we might watch together someday -- and Terminator 2 was no exception. I'd kept all plot & character details secret. Those of us who were around when the original movie came out can remember how the 1991 trailer straight-up spoiled the character details (as would become tradition for Terminator films, apparently) -- particularly how Arnold was the the good guy this time -- and many other key moments of the film.

And so this week, at long last, we watched Terminator 2 together. In the first act, we hit two particular scenes I was worried might spoil things:

• First, Arnold's Terminator shows up and wreaks havoc at the bar. As he exits to the tune of 'Bad to the Bone' this song seems a little out of place to me -- it's a little more 'upbeat' than we'd expect for this terrifying machine we'd just watched remorselessly murder 20-30 people in the previous film. I take a side glance at the kid, who doesn't seem to be offput by the music and has bought into 'this is the villain, just like before', so we carry on with no comments or questions asked.
• Next, the as-yet-unknown other character, believed to be another resistance fighter like Reese, shows up and moves about in more stealth, and even disguises himself as a police officer -- a guardian. Clearly my kid has bought into this being the hero/protector. He rolls up to the foster parents' house to ask about John, and I fear his cover is blown -- because for the first time, I notice the family dog is going bonkers in the background. Having just watched the first film a few days earlier -- where they made a big deal about dogs sensing Terminators -- I thought my kid would pick up on this and make the connection. Luckily, our own family dog also barks when a stranger is at the door, so this subtle clue was overlooked. Phew.

So then we get to the mall. And the hallway. Guns drawn. Then Arnold says, "Get down" and my kid goes bug-eyed and says, "....whaaaaaaat.....?" Arnold uses himself as a shield and my kid's eyes get wider. Then the two characters go toe-to-toe, grappling over the shotgun, and we see this smaller, character dwarfed by Arnold but is just as strong or stronger as they bash each other into the walls -- and my kid audibly goes, "wait, WHAAAAAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW???!"

Of course there's no time to fully comprehend what just happened because now it's time for the bike/foot chase, followed immediately by the bike/truck/motorcycle chase ... then the rescue and explosive ending to this incredibly intense action sequence, during which we've watched an apparently indestructible entity (who, moments ago we thought was our hero) nearly murder a child. My kid, like John Connor, is absolutely mind-boggled. We desperately need John to call the "ok, time out, stop the bike, come on, time out, stop the bike" so we can pause and unpack these revelations. We're given a moment to breathe, to try and process what we've just witnessed, are given a little on-screen exposition ... my kid's mind is completely blown.

It was absolutely magnificent, and I loved every second of experiencing this through my kid's eyes. At the same time, I was saddened that this wasn't the experience I -- or almost anyone else in 1991 -- got to have, thanks to that trailer. That trailer was an absolute crime against cinema and should never have been made that way.

Several other parts of the film also landed with great positivity, such as "Come with me if you want to live", and "I'll be back" -- which, of course, had also been spoiled for the rest of us by the 1991 trailer.

This is a message to anyone else who will soon be introducing this action classic (or most any movie, really) to the next generation: keep those viewers in the dark. Let the stories unfold as directed and watch it blow their minds -- and you too can vicariously experience the exhilaration that was blatantly stolen from us in 1991.

Submitted May 02, 2023 at 11:06AM by Xenomorphasaurus https://ift.tt/4bzcygs