Considering the struggles the franchise has faced since 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day might just be the most impressive sequel in movie history. Where subsequent Terminator movies messed up timelines, killed off iconic characters, and spectacularly frittered away the series’ once-mighty reputation, James Cameron’s original follow-up is a masterpiece in successful storytelling and lore expansion. Forget failed reboots and gaping plotholes – this is everything that a Terminator could and should be.

Directed by James Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a direct sequel to the original Terminator and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Patrick, and Linda Hamilton. In this installment, John Connor is being hunted by an advanced Skynet prototype from the future. Thankfully, he receives help from a reprogrammed T-800 sent back in time by the resistance to protect him.Release Date July 3, 1991 Runtime 137 Minutes Distributor(s) Tri-Star Pictures Budget $94-102 Million Expand

Following in the footsteps of the surprisingly successful 1984 original, Terminator 2 massively expands the first film’s now-familiar blueprint. Where The Terminator revolved around a singular killing machine sent back through time to destroy the future leader of human resistance before he could be conceived, the 1991 movie ingeniously raises the stakes. In what initially seems like a reprisal of his role, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the T-800 Terminator, a cybernetic organism reprogrammed by John Connor and sent back through time to protect his 10-year-old self. Opposite Schwarzenegger is Robert Patrick’s T-1000, a highly advanced antagonist determined to eradicate John.

Rounding out the cast is Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, transformed from her passive role in the original movie into a ferocious she-wolf – determined to prepare John for the fight to come and reshape humanity’s bleak future – and Edward Furlong as the young John Connor, a rebellious tearaway who refuses to accept his destiny while yearning for a simpler life and a male presence he can rely on. These four central players collide in one of the most spectacular and daring combinations of filmmaking flair, narrative genius, and explosive action that science fiction has ever seen.

Terminator 2 Is Bigger & Bolder In Every Sense

Even though Terminator 2 is a sequel, it shouldn’t be measured against the same criteria as Cameron’s original movie. Where The Terminator was a low-budget and ultra-violent chiller, incorporating horror elements alongside sci-fi action, Terminator 2 is, first and foremost, a bonafide blockbuster. With a budget of between $94-102 million (compared to the first film’s paltry $6.4 million), Terminator 2 was always going to up the ante when it came to special effects, action, and story. The results remain impressive to this day.

Every one of the movie’s many set pieces crackles with energy under Cameron’s expert direction, keeping the audience glued to their seats.

The film features some of the most hair-raising practical stuntwork ever committed to screen. The famous chase following John’s first escape from the T-1000 is still just as nail-biting as it was 33 years ago – as is the semi-climactic helicopter sequence along the freeway. Equally impressive is Patrick’s oozing antagonist. While CGI may have come a long way since 1991, Terminator 2’s once ground-breaking effects still hold up surprisingly well. Every one of the movie’s many set pieces crackles with energy under Cameron’s expert direction, keeping us glued to our seats.

Terminator 2
made around $520 million at the global box office, becoming the third-biggest movie of all time.

Besides the plentiful explosions, Terminator 2 also offers surprising emotional nuance. For starters, it’s much funnier than the original movie, with John’s frustrated efforts to humanize his machine protector inevitably leading to some hilarious misunderstandings. Beyond this, the story also delivers some genuinely affecting moments. John’s realization that his newfound father figure must sacrifice himself in the movie’s climax is poignant and heartbreaking, while Linda Hamilton’s tortured performance as the psychologically damaged Sarah is the film’s beating heart. All in all, Terminator 2 is a superlative achievement on both a psychological and visual level.

Terminator 2 Lacks The Efficient Simplicity Of The Original
Custom image by Ryan Northrup

There’s no denying that Terminator 2 deserves its place among the all-time great sci-fi movies. Its legacy can still be felt to this day, and its financial success is the main reason why filmmakers determinedly reanimate the Terminator franchise’s corpse every few years (with admittedly diminishing returns). However, despite being a cultural icon, the film is not without its flaws.

In a franchise that’s ostensibly about a guerrilla campaign to preserve humanity, making things so epic is slightly at odds with the ”
plucky underdog
” message.

Part of the problem is that, by transforming into a polished popcorn actioner, Terminator 2 loses some of what made the first film so daring. There is none of the grit that makes The Terminator so raw and remarkable. Instead, like Patrick’s villain, the movie is slick, seamless, and polished. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it does feel more corporatized than Cameron’s rough-and-ready original entry. In a franchise that’s ostensibly about a guerrilla campaign to preserve humanity, making things so epic is slightly at odds with the plucky underdog message.

Related Terminator 2: Judgment Day Ending, Explained From the T-800’s sacrifice to Sarah Connor’s fate, there’s a lot to unpack in the explosive ending of Terminator 2: Judgment Day and its aftermath.

A second issue is the somewhat disjointed story. At its core, The Terminator is a chase movie, with its clear morality giving the whole narrative an elegance, enhanced by intellectual sci-fi trappings. Terminator 2 pivots from a similar search-and-rescue plot to a mission to reshape the entirety of human history – a change that can make some of the sequences feel slightly disjointed. It would be wrong to say these are major issues. If anything, Cameron’s bold decision to progress the story beyond what worked before should be applauded. Nevertheless, the film arguably loses something of the original’s brutal efficiency.

At the end of the day, these are minor quibbles. Terminator 2 is a landmark achievement in sci-fi cinema, proving that inventive storytelling and challenging ideas don’t have to come at the expense of entertainment. However, given how far the franchise has fallen, it’s obvious in hindsight that some of the seeds of Terminator’s demise were sown in the 1991 classic. Terminator 2: Judgment Day should be enjoyed and acclaimed. But, given how it began the trend of moving away from the original 1984 hit, it’s important to recognize that it isn’t perfect.

ProsIncredible action and spectacular effectsThe story mixes humor and heart incredibly effectivelyThe performances, particularly Linda Hamilton, are fantastic ConsIt feels somewhat commercial compared to the originalSome of the story feels slightly disjointed