Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
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A reprogrammed machine must protect a young boy from a lethal, shape-shifting assassin in a desperate race to prevent a future nuclear apocalypse.
The story
In a future ravaged by war between a malevolent artificial intelligence known as Skynet and the human resistance, a high-tech Terminator is sent back in time to 1995 to assassinate John Connor, the future leader of the resistance. To counter this threat, the resistance sends back a reprogrammed, less advanced Terminator to protect the boy. The story unfolds in 1995 Los Angeles, where John's mother, Sarah, is imprisoned for her efforts to stop 'Judgment Day.' As the two machines clash, Sarah and John must navigate a dangerous landscape to escape the relentless pursuit of the advanced machine while trying to secure their survival.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2029, Skynet's T-1000, a liquid metal assassin, is sent back to 1995 to kill young John Connor. A reprogrammed T-800 is sent to protect him. In Los Angeles, Sarah Connor is imprisoned while trying to stop Judgment Day. The T-800 intervenes when the T-1000 finds John in a mall. Sarah is eventually rescued and joins them. They discover that a microprocessor by Miles Dyson is key to Skynet's creation. After a failed attempt to kill Dyson, they realize his work must be destroyed. They break into Cyberdyne to destroy the components, during which Dyson is killed by police. In a final confrontation at a steel mill, the T-1000 is destroyed by Sarah and the T-800. The T-800 then sacrifices itself by entering a vat of molten steel to ensure its parts cannot be used by Skynet. Sarah and John escape, with Sarah finding hope for the future.
- First release year
- 1991
- Runtime (minutes)
- 137
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Cameron
- Writers
- James Cameron · writer; William Wisher · writer
- Cast and characters
- Arnold Schwarzenegger · the Terminator; Linda Hamilton · Sarah Connor; Edward Furlong · John Connor; Robert Patrick · T-1000; Earl Boen · Dr. Peter Silberman; Joe Morton · Miles Bennett Dyson
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- man vs. machine; fate; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; tense
- Setting
- 1995 Los Angeles and a future 2029 wasteland.
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; artificial intelligence; cybernetic; sequel
- Reception
- Terminator 2 was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1991 worldwide and being considered one of the best science fiction, action, and sequel films ever made.
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Science Fiction Film · 1992 · win; Saturn Award · Best Director · 1992 · win; Saturn Award · Best Actress · 1992 · win; Saturn Award · Best Performance by a Younger Actor · 1992 · win; Saturn Award · Best Special Effects · 1992 · win; People's Choice Award · Favorite Motion Picture · 1992 · win; Hugo Award · Best Dramatic Presentation · 1992 · win
- Production trivia
- It was the first film to win an Academy Award when its predecessor had not been nominated.; The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2023.; The production featured the first use of a computer-generated imagery (CGI) main character in a blockbuster film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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