Whie I love both, T1 is my favorite. I like the romance, Kyle Reese was a badass and just a lovable character all around. Plus the Terminator seemed scarier in the first movie. Even if it wasn't as strong or as capable as the one on the second movie, there was something unnerving about it, particularly that scene when he takes the flesh off his eye in front of a mirror. The special effects look so creepy now.Plus, the ending is absolutely perfect. The very definition of bittersweet, just the right amount of sadness and tragedy as well as hope. What a movie!

While T2 is fantastic and still remains one of the best if not the best action film ever. It also in a way destroyed the series. It was too good and too successful that they had to make a million sequels chasing T2. All with the same bland idea of Arnold protects and new model is bad guy. T2's once novel concept is more tired and worn. T2 is a slick film. T1 felt original (tho it was a rip off of a book and episode of Outer Limits) T1 had that great gritty 80s feel. It felt more like a horror film. Since I was a big 80s horror fan and sci-fi fan. I'm going with T1.

Been many years since I saw either one, but from what I recall, T2 was better. Robert Patrick made a better villain imo, really cool action scenes, loved Arnold's lever action shotgun skills, special effects for the liquid metal of T-1000 were really cool for the time.

Terminator 1 by far. I've only seen both once, and in more recent years so I don't have an inherent nostalgia for them, but Terminator 2 I consider downright mediocre. It's like if someone made a bad Spielberg knockoff in the Terminator 1 universe.

T1 left an impression on me, not stellar, but very good movie. T2 on the other hand was massive dissapointment (watched them both on release).

T1. Better atmosphere, and greater sense of tension and horror.

T1 has good scenes. But T2 had everything.

I'm with you on this, hard for me to choose one over the other.

T2.It's one of the best examples of "I know my stuff, I know how to handle it and I know where it should go"

After agonizing consideration I'm going with T2, but only by the narrowest of hair's breath margins.

It's blurring of the lines between humanity and machine gives it just that little bit more depth.