Terminator 2: Judgment Day (film)
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is a landmark science fiction film directed by James Cameron, released in 1991. It serves as both a sequel to "The Terminator" (1984) and an exploration of themes related to artificial intelligence and humanity. The plot revolves around Skynet, an advanced AI that, after previously failing to eliminate future resistance leader John Connor's mother, sends a new terminator back in time to kill John while he is still a child. In response, the human resistance reprograms another terminator—played by Arnold Schwarzenegger—to protect him.
The film is notable for its groundbreaking special effects, particularly the liquid metal T-1000, which showcased advanced computer-generated imagery and won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger reprised their roles, with Hamilton's physical transformation for her character as a determined warrior gaining widespread attention. The film's narrative also delves into moral dilemmas, particularly the character of Sarah Connor, who grapples with the decision to kill the creator of Skynet to prevent a future nuclear disaster.
"Terminator 2" was both a critical and commercial success, setting new standards in filmmaking and influencing future portrayals of female action heroes. It laid the groundwork for an expansive franchise that includes sequels, television series, and video games, while cementing James Cameron's status as a leading filmmaker.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (film)
Identification Science-fiction film
DirectorJames Cameron (1954– )
Date Released on July 3, 1991
A sequel to the 1984 cult favorite The Terminator, this film utilized state-of-the-art special effects and a hip, updated story line to turn what had been a standalone film into a lucrative franchise spanning several decades.
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Skynet, the artificial intelligence responsible for a planetwide nuclear catastrophe, sends an advanced, humanoid, robot assassin—a terminator—back in time to kill human resistance leader John Connor at age ten, since the original mission to kill his mother before John's birth, depicted in The Terminator (1984) had failed. As in the previous film, the human resistance sends a soldier to protect John, but this time the protector is another terminator that John himself reprogrammed in the future.
At the time it was released, Terminator 2 was the most expensive film ever made, the first to cost over $100 million. Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton reprised their original roles. Schwarzenegger's reprogrammed terminator displayed more deadpan humor and humanity as he learned to value human life, while Hamilton's radical physical transformation, in which she lost weight and gained muscle to portray the determined soldier that Sarah ultimately became, stunned audiences. Terminator 2 also introduced Edward Furlong, an unknown actor who earned positive reviews for his portrayal of the young John Connor.
Terminator 2 was an immediate hit with audiences, who enjoyed the surprise twist that Schwarzenegger was a "good" instead of a bad terminator. They were also enthralled with the villainous T-1000 terminator model, played with understated yet effective menace by Robert Patrick. Comprised of a "liquid metal" alloy, the T-1000 could mimic any person it encountered, and the highly realistic computer-generated effects showcasing these transformations garnered an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
Although action-oriented, Terminator 2 had a compelling and thought-provoking story line. After quizzing the protector terminator about future history, Sarah decides to kill Miles Dyson (played by Joe Morton), the inventor of Skynet, thus preventing the nuclear holocaust. Ultimately, she finds herself unable to kill Dyson in cold blood, and instead convinces him to help destroy the technology upon which Skynet is based: the microprocessor and part of an arm left behind by the destroyed terminator from the first film. Audiences were fascinated by this time-travel paradox and, given the imminent advent of the internet and the World Wide Web in the early 1990s, particularly interested in the concept of computer network intelligence.
Impact
Terminator 2 introduced a new crop of viewers to the Terminator universe, which would grow to become a massive franchise spanning a variety of media. The film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines hit theaters in 2003, followed by Terminator: Salvation (2009) and Terminator: Genisys (2015), though none of these were as acclaimed as the first two films. A spin-off television series The Sarah Connor Chronicles, also aired from 2007 to 2009, and the animated web series Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series was released in 2009. Several video games and tie-in books also appeared. In 2019 Terminator: Dark Fate was released as a franchise reboot and direct sequel to Terminator 2, reuniting Schwarzenegger and Hamilton in lead roles. However, it performed poorly at the box office amid negative reviews, and a planned trilogy was canceled.
Aside from its role in launching a franchise, Terminator 2 raised the bar for special effects, driving further advances in computer-generated imagery (CGI) movie technology throughout the 1990s and beyond. In addition, it helped fuel a trend toward more physical and action-oriented female heroes, and its sophisticated plot left audiences wanting even more science fiction in the movie theater. Its critical and commercial success also helped director James Cameron secure his role as one of the most influential filmmakers in Hollywood, paving the way for his future blockbusters such as Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009).
Bibliography
Cramer, Bobby. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Films in Review 42 (September/October, 1991): 336-338.
Lussier, Germaine. "How Terminator 2: Judgment Day Changed the Blockbuster Game." Gizmodo, 24 Aug. 2017, io9.gizmodo.com/how-terminator-2-judgment-day-changed-the-blockbuster-1798318855. Accessed 8 Nov. 2019.
Shay, Don, and Jody Duncan. The Making of T2, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." New York: Bantam Books, 1991.