A classic. I'm not generally a huge Schwarzenegger fan, but this is my favorite of all the films he has starred in. Yes, I think it even beats T2. Of course, my perspective could be somewhat colored by the memory of a ski trip long ago. (<reference only xenites will fully appreciate>Was it "10 winters ago?" Oh god, I think it might have been.</reference only xenites will fully appreciate>) A ski trip during which myself and several other naughty church school boys went out and rented an R rated movie. (The appropriate reaction at this time is a shocked gasp, followed by "Tsk tsk tsk")

(As another sidenote, someone (who I think reads this crap) queried me not too long ago about the etymology of the word/phrase "mindfuck". I can now say that the earliest documented occurance known to me was uttered by Scharzenegger. "The best mind-fuck yet." (Hyphenated as quoted in the subtitles.))

The movie is an stylish roller coaster ride through a futuristic world where technology has granted man the power to surgically alter memories. Of course, if memories can be artifically implanted or erased, how much can they really be trusted? This philosophical question is constantly beckoning beneath the surface, even while Schwarzenegger kills the bad guys, saves the planet, and gets the girl.

In the special effects department, it's also interesting to note (as is done several places during the accompanying documentary and commentary track) that many shots which would now be easily given to the CGI department to handle, actually had to somehow be filmed using physical means. This brought an interesting tangent to my mind, which I will now pursue since I have nothing better to do.

In today's CGI-enhanced film world, audiences have grown to take for granted the fact that practically any image can be manufactured. Therefore, the special effects seem less, well, special. If any picture can be generated, provided enough processing power is thrown at it, where's the magic to "oooh" and "aaah" about? (Not to dis Pixar. I still "Oooh" and "Aaah" quite frequently when I watch their stuff.)

In a world where every element of every frame can be presumed to have in some way originated from an actual photograph, even if taken from miniatures or composite shots, questions with non-obvious answers can be legitimately asked. "Wow, how did they make that alien landscape?" "Are their eyeballs really popping out of their heads?" "Wait a sec, it's not possible for a woman to have three breasts. Or is it?"

All humor aside, I do sometimes think about these things, perhaps too much, and maybe a bit too seriously. Or maybe it was all just an implanted memory.