Franchise Flashback: “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (35th anniversary)

For my review slate last week, to coincide with this film’s 35th anniversary, I began a little Franchise Flashback and started going through the entire “Terminator” franchise for the first time - obviously with revisiting the first film (I have only seen the first three). Now, it’s time to talk about one of the best action films ever put on film - “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

“Terminator 2” is considered one of the best sci-fi, action and sequel films ever made. It’s also seen as a major influence on visual effects in films, helping usher in the transition from practical effects to reliance on CGI.

In this sequel, set a decade after “The Terminator,” young John Connor, the key to civilization’s victory over a future robot uprising, is the target of the shape-shifting T-1000, a Terminator sent from the future to kill him.

Another Terminator, the revamped T-800, has been sent back to protect the boy. As John and his mother go on the run with the T-800, the boy forms an unexpected bond with the robot.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” is a beloved film that is well known for its revolutionary liquid metal special effects, the clever twist turning Schwarzenegger’s iconic cyborg into a heroic protector, Hamilton’s intense physical transformation as Sarah Connor and just non-stop high-stakes action.

In 1984’s “The Terminator,” Schwarzenegger played one of cinema’s most terrifying villains. Turning him into the protector and surrogate father figure for young John Connor is easily one of the best aspects of the film. The dynamic between them is incredible as John taught the machine human slang, the thumbs up and the rule not to kill people, giving the intense, heavy action a surprisingly amount of heart.

The-T-1000, this film’s iconic villain and excellently portrayed by Robert Patrick, is still hands down one of the most memorable antagonists in film history. Created through then-groundbreaking CGI (that still holds up) by Industrial Light & Magic, the T-1000’s liquid metal morphing and ability to walk through solid metal doors still leaves me astounded.

“Judgment Day” is practically packed end to end with defining cinematic moments. One of the best moments is actually early in the film as the T-1000 chases young John Connor down the flood control channels of LA in a stolen tractor trailer. And as the truck crushes John’s bike, the T-800 leaps onto a Harley and saves John while shooting his sawed-off shotgun with one hand while riding.

There’s plenty of other stand-out moments, such as Sarah Connor’s break out of the state hospital, the entire intense climax at the steel mill and the minigun assault at the

Cyberdyne building. One of the most iconic moments comes at the end as the T-800 gives John a sacrificial thumbs up.

What set “Terminator 2” apart from standard sci-fi blockbusters was its surprising emotional core. While the 1984 film is pretty much a sci-fi slasher, this sequel grounded its massive action with several deeply human subtexts that easily resonates strongly with audiences.

The surrogate father-son dynamic between John Connor and the T-800 gave the film its primary emotional engine. As a lonely ten year old living in foster care with no reliable adults in his life, John finds the ultimate protector in a machine programmed to follow his every command.

Initial audiences deeply empathized with - and were also unsettled by - Sarah Connor’s trauma as she has been hardened by years of institutionalization and carrying the impossible burden of knowing the apocalypse is coming, nearly losing her own humanity.

The film’s ending lands with genuine emotional weight because the hero’s victory requires a painful personal loss. Destroying Skynet’s future means John has to lose the father figure he just found. The iconic sacrificial thumbs up as the T-800 sinks into the steel converts an action spectacle into a deeply poignant farewell.

Released in July 1991, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” received overwhelmingly positive responses from critics and audiences alike. It became a massive box office hit and a cultural milestone, praised globally for pioneering CGI special effects, intense action sequences, and a clever character flip that turned the iconic villain into a hero.

The 1991 sequel completely reshaped modern filmmaking and remains widely celebrated as one of the greatest sci-fi action blockbusters of all time. Directed by James Cameron, it proved that a sequel could surpass its original film.

MPA: Rated R for strong sci-fi action and violence, and for language   (runtime 137 minutes)

Initial release date: July 3, 1991

Streaming services: Paramount Plus/Pluto TV/various PVOD services   (as of working on this review)

https://youtu.be/CRRlbK5w8AE?si=DB-BHf6kxFAiQ_r9