Tim Miller: Love for Terminator 2’s Thumbs Up Scene is a “Symptom” of Age

The T-800 CSM-101, as played by Schwarzenegger in the second Terminator movie (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), learned human behaviour; it was done well and was important to the character development of the story.

We saw John share a friendship with a machine that fans like to call ‘Uncle Bob’, as a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) spent more time with the machine – the T-800 picked up human behaviours and idiosyncrasies which would then go on to allow the infiltrator unit to better blend in and, well, make him slightly cooler to hang around with… less of a dork all the time.

In the desert scene we saw John play high five (you’re too slow) with the T-800 as Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) narrated an internal monologue about the machine being more of a father figure than the men who had come and gone throughout their lives, as Sarah Connor had never really gotten over her love (and grief) of missing John’s real father, Kyle Reese.

In the brief reprieve; a lull in the action which was necessary, simply to allow the audience (and the characters) a moment of calm – the result of which was the T-800 learning a human gesture of thumbs up.

Later in the movie we would get the emotional payoff of those earlier scenes of the T-800 learning from John, which is also a physical affirmation of the T-800 telling John that what is happening is okay, and that everything will be okay.

Tim Miller had some less than complimentary words to say in relation to that scene, despite the iconic movie moment making sense to that story.

“I can only say that that was not my favorite part of the movie. And the fact that it is yours is a symptom of your age you saw it. Because when I saw T2, I was 27 right? But one of the first things I asked Linda is, ‘How do you feel about the thumbs up moment?’ And she’s like, ‘No.’ And I went, ‘Okay, we’re going to be fine.’ … Well, Jim loves that scene. Many people love that scene. For me, it’s just, it’s a little, it’s iconic, I know, but maybe a little too sentimental for me.”

Tim Miller told ReelBlend Podcast

Mr. Miller thinks that the age of the viewer defines the moment in Terminator 2 – which we believe goes to reinforce the fact that his [Miller’s] perception of the Terminator franchise appears to be somewhat at odds with that of a big portion of the fanbase.

Tim also drags Linda into the fray by including her in his statement.
Of course we are all allowed an opinion, Tim and Linda are allowed their own views and, yes, we have our own small gripes with Terminator 2 and the PG-13 transitioning – but the thumbs up scene was certainly not a part of that at all.

Also it is interesting that Tim previously told Fandango:

“But on the other hand, you certainly don’t want to get caught flat-footed if the movie is successful, and you want to have some idea of where the story could go. And we certainly do open a lot of doors, but I don’t feel like the movie ends in an unsatisfactory way, unless you thought Terminator 2 ended in an unsatisfactory way. “

Tim Miller told Fandango while promoting Terminator: Dark Fate

The ending of Terminator 2 was extremely powerful and emotional, which is funny because Mr. Miller recently stated the same of his Terminator: Dark Fate ending…

“I think it’s hugely emotional, and I’m not making this up when I tell you I just watched the ending again this morning because I was showing someone, and I cried,”

Tim Miller told Fandango while promoting Terminator: Dark Fate

Opinions are subjective and so is taste, so perhaps to Mr. Miller the ending of T2 is “too sentimental” – though when he criticises T2 – he displays a fair dollop of hubris, especially when his movie imitates it and actively utilises that nostalgia to promote it.

Leave a comment…