Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Arnold famously said, in one of his few bits of dialogue from 1984’s The Terminator, “I’ll be back”.  Seven years later, his words would prove true, as the sequel to the hit low-budget flick, which gained enormous popularity in the home video and cable market, returned, and this time, with over 15 times the budget (becoming the most expensive film made up to that point).  Though superseded by many of today’s big-budget studio releases in special effects, for its day, these were the most stunning visuals around, with revolutionary techniques that blended with the live action in a near flawless fashion. 

It wasn’t originally supposed to take seven years to put out a follow-up. Hemdale Film Corporation, which released the first film to the biggest success they’d had, pushed forward putting together a sequel just the following year, in 1985, with James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and producer Gale Ann Hurd all expressing interest in making it happen.  Cameron, though, was more interested in providing the story and screenplay than he was in getting behind the camera yet again as director, effectively putting the project into some sort of limbo.  When the rights to the franchise, which Cameron had sold off for the insane price of $1 in order to be the director of 1984’s The Terminator, had been bought out by Carolco a few years later for a much higher (but still relatively low) $5 million, they set about again in putting forward a sequel, with the now-superstar status Schwarzenneger agreeing only on the condition that he would return only if Cameron returned to direct. A deal was hammered out in 1990 to give Cameron much more leeway into making additional passion projects if he took on Terminator 2, and production would begin on the follow-up immediately.

To bring back the talent, the budget would already start sky high just on talent, with Schwarzenegger taking upward of $15 million (or, a little over $21,000 a word uttered) and Cameron himself securing $6 million to get them on board.  Cameron set about working on the script with William Wisher, who wrote some of the dialogue and also co-wrote the novelization of the original film and knew the characters as well as anyone besides Cameron himself. The core of T2‘s ideas came from those that Cameron kicked around for the first film (two Terminators, the Cyberdyne takedown, etc.) but either didn’t have the budget to achieve, or which changed when he had cast Schwarzenegger into the original T-800 role (Schwarzenegger originally scoffed at playing the bad guy but agreed after some cajoling for The Terminator, then scoffed at playing the good guy who doesn’t terminate humans in T2, partially due to seeing his Conan franchise sink when it did a similar thing in toning down the killing.) After about two months of working together, the first draft of the screenplay would be complete, going more for more of an action-oriented feel to its thrills, rather than the more horrific beats provided in the original. Once production began, the costs to bring Cameron’s vision to life would balloon from its initial $60 million budget to a reported $100 million, placing it firmly as the most costly film ever made to that date (an honor Cameron would repeat with True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar).

Hamilton returns as buffed out Sarah Connor, the mother of humanity’s future savior, now holed up in a mental institution for her claims that the world is going to end in an apocalyptic nuclear war instigated by a sentient advanced computer system.  That savior, John (Furlong), is a rebellious boy living in foster care who soon learns his mother isn’t a crackpot after all after being chased by a cop who is actually a T-1000 model Terminator – a shape-shifting, liquid metallic artificial entity (Patrick) – sent from the future to kill him (interesting to note that the film sets up the T-1000 as the potential human sent back as savior, revealed later to be the assassin (and an advanced Terminator model, despite all of the advertising giving away all of these plot reveals).  John’s own savior is a T-800 cybernetic organism (Schwarzenegger) identical to the one sent to kill Sarah years before, only this time, his future self reprogrammed one of them to send back and protect the boy and mother.  However, the older model is barely a match for the nearly indestructible, futuristic killing machine, and a chase ensues that sees Sarah and company trying to stay alive while destroying the path to humanity’s downfall, the advancements learned through the finding of the chip and hand remnant from the previous T-800 machine.

Linda Hamilton would also return, beginning several months of physical training to get her up to the kind of physique that Cameron envisioned a woman gearing up for war would have, training in judo, in addition to learning how to properly handle and shoot a variety of weapons. Though much of it has been in place prior to filming, one of the last additions would prove to be the most important factor, which would be finding a young actor to play John Connor.  A then-unknown local boy with no prior acting experience, Edward Furlong, who the casting director found at a local Boys Club when the young actors auditioning for the role couldn’t give a convincing street-wise attitude, joined the cast a month prior to shooting beginning, during which he had to get up to speed with acting training, perform some minor stunt work, as well as learning how to ride a motorcycle. After Cameron toyed with initially having the T-1000 resemble Kyle Reese, then explored the notion of casting rock star Billy Idol as the T-1000 (he had to decline to recover from an unfortunately timed motorcycle accident), Robert Patrick, another relative unknown professional actor that caught Cameron’s eye when he watched Die Hard 2 during the casting process, gets to play the villain, with Cameron using the “everyman” looks that he meant for the Terminator in the first film to effect, even if he assumes the role of a police officer in order to do intel and gain access to places without question. Patrick says his performance used predatory animals like the American bald eagle and the shark for inspiration on how to behave as a Terminator on the hunt for prey. He also worked hard on building his running stamina so that he could perform the T-1000’s scenes of high-speed foot chases over and over without visibly showing signs of exertion.

There are many that consider T2 the superior of the Terminator flicks, and while I can understand why from an eye-candy standpoint, and perhaps a depth of characterization standpoint, I’m not quite willing to concede the point.  I think my preference partially stems from the fact that I was a kid who watched the first film endlessly for the seven years prior to T2‘s theatrical release, and it became one of my all-time favorite films (still is), so expectations were high enough for me to naturally scrutinize.  Perhaps a more important reason is that, with the exception of the budgetary restrictions on special effects, there is nothing I would change about the first film, whereas there are several things I wish could be better, or at least different, in the mega-budget sequel.  Some are lesser preferences, such as Edward Furlong’s casting (in addition to his seeming to labor to act on occasion, only seven years have passed, with Connor supposed to be ten years old, while Edward Furlong is noticeably older, hitting the age of thirteen during the time of filming.  To sidestep the inconsistencies, Cameron claims T2′s timeline to be around 1994, though there isn’t anything particularly within the film itself that would suggest anything that is set outside the world of 1990 when the film was shot. For the largest drawback, I’m thinking more along the lines of contrivances in the story that, while making for some cool moments, seem too convenient to swallow, such as the appearance of a liquid nitrogen truck (how common are these?) that just so happens to appear when needed, immediately followed by a scene at a metal foundry.  How convenient that the only two plausible ways to stop the T-1000 would present themselves right at the climax of the film? 

Regardless of whatever weaknesses one can ascribe to the film, this is, nevertheless, one of the best sci-fi/action flicks ever made, with some truly breathtaking scenes of action that should leave any who watch it with mouths agape.  James Cameron may not be the best screenwriter when it comes to dialogue, but he’s a phenomenal craftsman when it comes to mounting big-time, big budget action set pieces, especially in keeping the momentum up through shrewd editing and tight pacing.  He also knows his characters well enough to give them room to breathe within the construct of his thrill ride, filling in the in-between moments with actual character development, philosophical explorations, and bits of drama that have emotional resonance.  Although his premise is similar to the first film, he pulls off the feat without copycatting much else, actually delivering moments that mirror its predecessor by building on the themes without ripping them off.  A Terminator vs. Terminator battle gives us a fantastic showcase for special effects-driven action, but also with a surprising amount of pathos.  He also works well with his group of actors, drawing out Hamilton’s best performance in any film, and working well through some difficult moments with first-time actor Furlong.

The symbolic touches are well developed, and they stay true to form without taking us out of the moment.  John Connor wears a “Public Enemy” t-shirt, wholly appropriate for a young teen to wear in the early 1990s, while being chased by the representation of a policeman in the T-1000, which is equally appropriate in giving the machine a power to walk in and out of situations, gaining access and right of way, without being called into question.  Playground motifs abound, a place where life is just beginning for many people, but as shown in a horrific dream sequence, where life ends, with all humanity eradicated in a fiery display where all that’s left is the metal constructs we’ve built, paralleling the future where humans are also on the brink of extinction to agents of metal.  The character of Sarah Connor has gone from an unassuming waitress from the first film, to a warrior, and eventually dabbles into becoming something akin to a Terminator, with pre-knowledge of the man responsible for advancing the technology that will bring about the end of the world, essentially, and coldly trying to assassinate him to prevent an outcome that would nearly decimate life on Earth. This plays out in contrast to the T-800, a Terminator who learns how to be more human, and of the value of life. It’s a direct theme of the film, that human beings are the ones with the capacity to destroy ourselves if we don’t eventually learn the value of our own existence.

Above and beyond the action and special effects, the film is also quite humorous at times, especially during such scenes as the young John Connor teaching the T-800 to start using slang to fit in better (“Affirmative” should change to “No problemo”).  Schwarzenegger’s penchant for one-liners is second to none for his era, which gives him the ammunition he needs to deliver more funny moments later.  It’s also surprisingly affecting; the ending, in particular, provides a tearjerker moment that will leave a few eyes misty.  For such a robust film that strives for hearty machismo, it’s surprisingly adept with showing a kinder, softer side.  Cameron and co-screenwriter William Wisher have made sure that what could have been just a film that delivers on technical brilliance is also a humane and emotional experience, not dissimilar to the way that the T-800 is defined — an unrelenting, artificial construct with an unexpected core of human emotion.

Despite its sky-high budget, T2 would prove to be a major success at the box office, raking in over $200 just in the United States alone, and over $520 million in its worldwide take, making it the biggest box office earner of 1991.  Reportedly, it still holds the record for the highest percentage increase in box office from a sequel as compared to the original take, racking in about 4.34 times what the first film had done, theatrically.  In addition, to compensate for a ballooning budget, product tie-ins abound, from the Harley Davidson that the T-800 rides, to his sunglasses, to the soundtrack featuring the latest hit song by Guns N Roses, whose music video features clips from the film, as well as a cameo appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800), punctuated within the movie when the T-800 pulls a gun out of a box of roses.  Blessed with great critical write-ups and satisfying millions of fans, it would garner repeat viewings and a smash home video release to top off the phenomenal theatrical run. It would also be nominated for six Academy Awards for its technical achievements, taking home four Oscars for its visual effects, make-up, sound mixing, and sound editing (it lost to Oliver Stone’s JFK for cinematography and editing). Its Oscars made it the only sequel to get the award when its predecessors had not gotten any nominations, at least until The Bourne Ultimatum and Mad Max: Fury Road.

T2 is a spectacular motion picture experience that will probably knock the socks off anyone who doesn’t eschew anything with violence.  It’s one of the best sequels ever made, building upon the first film without complete recreation, giving us more of what we want, a great deal we don’t expect, and building up to a powerhouse ending that actually delivers. 

Note: Multiple cuts of the film exist in home video releases (Special Edition, Director’s Cut, SkyNet Edition, Ultimate Edition), adding scenes that explain more of the character motivations and plot. Famously, the Directors Cut contains a dream appearance featuring the return of Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese and an ending set in the future in which it shows the changes brought about by the actions taken within this film.

Qwipster’s rating:  A+

MPAA Rated: R for strong violence, gore, and language
Running Time: 137 min.

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Joe Morton, Earl Boen, S. Epatha Merkerson, Danny Cooksey, Castulo Guerra, Jeanette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley
Director: James Cameron
Screenplay: James Cameron, William Wisher Jr.