15. Sarah Connor Redux
Though the drawback of being detained in a psychiatric ward would deter many, it does little to encroach upon Sarah Connor's motivation. When we first see her in Pescadero State Hospital, she is far away from the fun-loving, big-haired waitress we met in the first film; here she is ripped and in her own way, an immense force to be reckoned with. She sticks in the firm Cameronian tradition of strong female protagonists while also remaining emotionally relatable as a protective mother still missing the child's father, Kyle. It is an excellent performance, and alongside Sigourney Weaver's own Oscar-nominated performance in Aliens, is the best of any female lead in an action film to date.
16. Dr. Silberman
A series staple for the first three films - and disappointingly elided by McG in the fourth - poor old Dr. Silberman, played by Earl Boen, really gets put through the wringer in this film. The condescending psychologist who helped protect Sarah the first time around is now her captor, locking her away in a mental hospital and denying her access to her son. Still, he gets his just desserts when Sarah threatens to inject liquid rooter into his blood stream during her escape attempt, and then he gets an up-close look at both the T-800 and T-1000. This is referenced in one of T3's better moments; Dr. Silberman shows up at the T-800's church shootout, and upon catching a glimpse of the it, promptly high-tails it out of there.
17. Quote
"Easy money!"
John and his red-haired friend hack a bank's ATM machine with the same ease that most of us toast our bread in the morning. At once it makes us jealous of this kid and also allows us to appreciate his moxy a little more, while making it clear he is intelligent and proactive, as are qualities needed for his later resistance.
18. Guns N' Roses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlzptZ9wieQ&feature=player_embedded While Cameron's original T2 script had The Ramones' classic "I Wanna Be Sedated" touted as the rebellious music John Connor plays on a boom-box as he rides to the arcade, it in the end turned out to be Guns N' Roses killer track "You Could Be Mine". It's a superb choice, as it also resulted in a fantastic music video, which features Arnold, decked out as the T-8000, hunting GnR before ultimately deeming them a "waste of ammo". This is alluded to later on in rather po-faced fashion, as the T-800 walks through the shopping mall carrying a box of roses which houses a shotgun inside. Imagine a deleted scene where he buys the roses...