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Terminator 2:  Judgment Day (1991)

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Robert Patrick.  Cinematography by Adam Greenberg. Editing by Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt, and Richard A. Harris. Produced by James Cameron. Written by James Cameron and William Wisher Jr.  Directed by James Cameron.

In 1994, two terminators (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick) travel back in time to find the future leader of the human resistance, John Conner (played by Edward Furlong), as a teenager.  The T-160, an identical model to the one sent back in 1984 to kill John’s mother, Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton), was captured by the rebel forces of the future and has been reprogrammed to protect John at any cost.

The T-1000, a new type of terminator made of a “liquid-metal” that can change its form to conceal its identity, is instructed to eliminate John and therefore eliminate the leadership of the resistance.  The two terminators destroy each other while John and his mom work to wipe out Cyberdyne Systems and Skynet before they can go independent.

There were discussions about a sequel to The Terminator almost as soon as it was released.  The film was a rarity in the science fiction world; a project that earned commercial as well as critical success. James Cameron has ideas for a continuing story line but Hemdale Film Corporation, the company that produced The Terminator and owned the rights to any sequels, wasn’t capable of handling the mega-budget picture that Cameron envisioned. And so he bided his time. 

In 1990, Hemdale started having some financial troubles. Arnold Schwarzenegger, impassioned about doing the sequel, urged the heads at Carolco Pictures Inc. to make a bid for the rights. For five million dollars to Hemdale, and five million dollars to Gale Anne Hurd, who produced and co-wrote the first film, Carolco won the bid and production began almost immediately.

Terminator 2:  Judgment Day was written to be a special effects extravaganza. Cameron’s script called for buildings to explode, giant trucks to burn, helicopters to crash, motorcycles to jump out of windows, and police cruisers to be shot to pieces.  Cameron paid top dollar to George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic to create his new type of shape-shifting terminator, as well as to Stan Winston and Fantasy II for work on other effects. The financial demands for the film continued to climb until the budget topped ninety four million dollars, making it literally the most expensive film ever made.  But the effort paid off in the box office.

It set a new record for earnings in a single week and later became one of the highest grossing films of all time.  T2 (the promotional abbreviation) is truly one of the greatest sci-fi action films ever assembled and will continue to impress fans for generations to come.

Budget: $94,000,000

Total US Gross: $204,843,345

Genre: Science Fiction

Runtime: 137 Minutes

US Release Date: 7/3/91

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Awards:

Academy Awards: 
Won for best sound effects, visual effects, makeup, and best sound. 
Nominated for best cinematography and best editing. 

American Film Institute’s Top 100 Lists: 
100 Years… 100 Thrills (#77)
100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains (#48 Hero – The Terminator)
100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes (#76 – “Hasta la vista, baby.”).

Tagline: Same Make. Same Model.  New Mission.

Quote: “If a machine, a terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too.”