Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Director:

James Cameron

Writers (WGA):

James Cameron (written by) &
William Wisher Jr. (written by)

Release Date:

3 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It's nothing personal

Plot:

The cyborg who once tried to kill Sarah Connor must now protect her teenager son, John Connor, from an even more powerful and advanced cyborg.

Plot Keywords:

Future | The Terminator | Cyborg | Sequel | Warrior

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 18 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Dec. 10	8:00 PM	AMC
Fri. Dec. 11	2:00 AM	AMC

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	The Terminator
Linda Hamilton	...	Sarah Connor
Edward Furlong	...	John Connor
Robert Patrick	...	T-1000
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Silberman
Joe Morton	...	Miles Dyson
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Tarissa Dyson
Castulo Guerra	...	Enrique Salceda
Danny Cooksey	...	Tim
Jenette Goldstein	...	Janelle Voight
Xander Berkeley	...	Todd Voight
Leslie Hamilton Gearren	...	Twin Sarah
Ken Gibbel	...	Douglas
Robert Winley	...	Cigar-Smoking Biker
Peter Schrum	...	Lloyd (as Pete Schrum)

Also Known As:

El Exterminator 2 (USA: Spanish title)
T2 (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
T2 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
T2: Extreme Edition (USA) (video box title)
T2: Ultimate Edition (USA) (video box title)
Terminator 2 - Le jugement dernier (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sci-fi action and violence, and for language.

Runtime:

137 min | USA:152 min (special edition) | USA:154 min (extended special edition)

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (analog 70 mm prints) | CDS (digital 35 mm and 70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (analog 35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) (original cut) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original cut) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) (original cut) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) (1991) | Italy:T | USA:R (certificate #31159) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Malaysia:18SG | New Zealand:M | Netherlands:12 (edited TV version) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:18A (Manitoba/Ontario) (DVD rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (1991) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Israel:PG | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (video rating) (director's cut) | Norway:18 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) (cut) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2001) (uncut) | UK:18 (laserdisc rating) (1992) (uncut) | Iran:18+

Filming Locations:

Bayside Parkway & Gateway Blvd., Fremont, California, USA

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

The mall scenes were spread out over two malls. The scenes shot outside the mall were filmed outside of the Northridge Fashion Center in Northridge California. This mall was closed for months after the Northridge earthquake destroyed much of it in 1994. Parts of the parking garage in the movie were destroyed in that earthquake.

Goofs:

Continuity: The getaway car stolen from the gas station is broken into by smashing the side window. Later the window is shown intact but wound down.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sarah Connor: [narrating] 3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the war against the machines. The computer which controlled the machines, Skynet, sent two Terminators back through time...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jailhouse Rock: The Stunts of 'All Souls Day' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

YOU COULD BE MINE

This is the sequel that dreams are made of.

Normally when people tell you about a sequel that was better than the original or just as good, Terminator 2 is always guaranteed to be in their list; why? Because this is THE action movie of all action movies, next to Die Hard, this is the movie that isn't just about the action as well, but has an incredible story and message behind it that will always stay with you. Terminator 2 like the first Terminator film has memorable lines, moments, and incredible effects. This is the film that made you believe in "liquid metal" machines. Robert Patrick's performance is flawless, to be honest I found him a million times more terrifying than Arnold in the first Terminator, because Robert looks like this normal average guy, but he's not like Arnold where he gets shot and you can clearly see he's a terminator, Robert goes back to human looking and won't stop. Not only that you don't know how to stop him. Linda Hamilton returns and gives a great performance as Sarah Conor who is no longer a meek little girl, she has turned into a strong woman who will do anything to protect her son and the future. Arnold is back and he's better then ever! No wonder in the future they made several terminators that look like him, he's great entertainment.

Eleven years after Sarah Connor destroyed the original Terminator that was programmed to kill her, two Terminators arrive in Los Angeles from the year 2029. The first is a Terminator identical to the one that Sarah first encountered, while the second is a new model which assumes the identity of a police officer. John Connor is now a 10 year old living with foster parents. Sarah's experiences have made her tougher and more vigilant, but also desperate to warn humanity about the coming apocalypse. After attempting to bomb a computer factory, Sarah is arrested and remanded to the Pescadero State Hospital for the Criminally Insane under the supervision of Dr. Silberman. Meanwhile, the Terminators locate John Connor in a mall. After John is rescued and a chase through the L.A. storm drain channels, the original Terminator escapes with John on his motorcycle. The Terminator explains that he is reprogrammed by the future John Connor to protect and obey John's younger self. The other Terminator is a T-1000, an advanced new prototype programmed to kill John. It is made of "a mimetic polyalloy", a liquid metal that allows it to take the shape and appearance of anything it touches. It can also form into knifes and stabbing weapons. Learning that the T-1000 will likely kill Sarah and then mimic her to lure John, John orders the Terminator to help free her. Initially, Sarah is terrified by the Terminator; but after seeing it fight off the T-1000, she accepts that they need its help. As they escape the city, the Terminator informs John and Sarah about Skynet, the sentient computer system that will nearly wipe out humanity in an apocalyptic nuclear attack on "Judgment Day".

Terminator 2 is one of the best films of all time, this is a film that I absolutely adore and if someone hasn't seen it, there's something seriously wrong. This story is a special one: humans, are we our own worst enemy? Arnold's line "It's in your nature to destroy yourselves" is something that always sends chills down my spine because it's true. I loved the relationship between Arnold and Eddie Furlong, interesting to see a terminator take the place perfectly of a father and you see the pain in Eddie's eyes of never wanting to let go of the terminator. Like Sarah Conor said " The terminator wouldn't stop, it would never leave him. It would never hurt him or shout at him or get drunk and hit him or say it was too busy to spend time with him. And it would die to protect him." meant a lot to me. Like I said, if for some odd reason you have seen this movie, do see it! I promise you that it's just an excellent film and one that will always stand out against cinematic history.

10/10