Terminator 2: Judgment Day Movie

A sequel to the sci-fi action thriller that made him and star Arnold Schwarzenegger A-list Hollywood names, writer/director James Cameron upped the ante with this follow-up by employing a more sweeping storyline and cutting-edge special effects. Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, now a single mother to rebellious teen John Connor (Edward Furlong), during the late nineties. Having been informed by a time-traveling soldier in the first film that John will one day grow up to become humanity's savior from a computer-controlled Armageddon, Sarah has responded by becoming a muscle-bound she-warrior bent on educating John in survival tactics and battle strategies. Her ranting about humankind's future has landed Sarah in an insane asylum and John in the foster care system. The rebellious John has responded to his situation by getting into scrapes with the law. When a new and improved Terminator android called the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) arrives from the future to eliminate John, an older model T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is sent to protect the boy. The T-1000, however, has the ability to morph itself into any shape it desires, allowing it chameleon-like powers and near indestructibility. The T-800 saves John's life and helps break Sarah out of the institution. Staying only one step ahead of the dogged T-1000, Sarah leads her son and the T-800 to the headquarters of Cyberdyne Systems, the company that will invent a robotic intelligence that will eventually take over the world. There, they attempt to convince inventor Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) to help them stop the future from ever occurring by destroying his work. Dyson sacrifices himself in an explosion to save the world, leading to a final showdown between the two Terminators at a steel foundry. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), which won four Oscars in technical categories for its groundbreaking effects, was followed by a short sequel filmed exclusively as an attraction for theme parks, Terminator 2: 3-D Battle Across Time (1996).

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is most notable for being one of the first films to seamlessly combine a large amount of computer graphics -- in this case, the "morphing" technique -- with live action. Director James Cameron's bigger-budgeted sequel to his 1984 hit, Terminator, T2 capitalizes on Arnold Schwarzenegger's increased stardom by changing the persona of his indestructible cyborg character from creature of destruction to lovable protector. After a number of TV parts and supporting film roles, Linda Hamilton comes into her own as a believable action hero, expertly balancing human drama with a rough, taut physicality. Newcomer Edward Furlong is also quite good as her rebellious son. As with many of Cameron's films, however, the visual effects are what make the movie really stand out. Integrated into several lengthy action sequences, the indestructible molten-metal villain (played in human form by Robert Patrick) is audacious and exciting, enough so to avoid becoming stale even on repeat viewings.