Running head: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 1

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Name

Course Name

Course Number

Instructor’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Date
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 2

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Introduction to the film

Terminator 2: Judgement Day, or also referred to as Terminator 2 or T2, as it is

sometimes known, is a well-executed, action-packed sequel to the Terminator of 1984.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is a movie that is widely regarded as belonging to an elite

group of science fiction films; films close to perfection that exemplify what fans in a great

science fiction film are looking for. The movie poses an American science fiction, which was

directed and produced by James Cameron, who also co-wrote the film, assisted by William

Wisher. The film Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released on July 1, 1991, in Los

Angeles, accounting to run 137 minutes. On the day of release, the film was at a budget that

was totaling to $102 million, which made the film recognized as the most expensive movie to

have been made ever (Alan, 1994). When it was released, it made an important success, with

praise for the performances and undertook of the action scenes, its cast, and its visual effects.

Considered way better to the first original film (Terminator), it is regarded to entail and one

of the best sequels ever made, the film influenced popular culture, in particular, the film's use

of visual effects. Terminator 2: Judgment Day features some of the best action scenes in the

science-fiction genre, and one of them was accidentally foreshadowed, as portrayed in the

film.

A well-balanced mix of action, suspense, adventure, comedy, and mystery all rolled

up into the production of top-notch quality with excellent writing, direction, and cast. The

Terminator 2, movie has it all and perfectly doles it out in an entertaining classic for the ages

that has defied the test of time and done it well after 25 years, in a film wrapped in timeless,

memorable scenes. The film stars Robert Patrick, Edwin Furlong, Arnold Schwarzenegger,

and Linda Hamilton as their principal cast. It grossed $517 million worldwide and became

the highest-scale film of 1991 and the career of Schwarzenegger, as well as the highest-scale
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 3

R-rated film of all time until it was surpassed by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003 (Eillen, 1992).

It has won many honors, including Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound

Mixing, Best Production, and Best Visual Effects.

Summary of Terminator 2: Judgement Day Story and Plot

The story of the film

At the root of this story lies the age-old archetype of human beings who are victims of

the technological advances they have created to enhance or make their lives simpler, which

ironically results in their downfall or even their destruction. While innocent Sarah Conner

was the target in the first film, the target in Terminator 2 is John Conner himself, as a boy. In

addition, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator is the hero, not the villain, and the

combination of these two new characters gives the series a new depth. Edward Furlong is

having fun with his Terminator, although he is mindful of the grim situation. The only

director James Cameron could introduce Terminator's gritty action and horror and yet still be

able to put humor into it by training a boy to be human by his newfound pet, a robot.

Arnold makes his second appearance in the film as the titular character, a role he

made in the original that was justifiably famous. A job that promised everything but, and

solidified a successful career as an action movie star for the muscle builder. His perspective

on the somewhat wooden gestures and voice of the protagonist is here a little more confident

as the film depicts his transformation as he/she learns more about what it means to be a

human. Another explanation that this movie resonated so well with viewers is the relationship

between John Conner (Edward Furlong) and Arnold's Terminator. It acted as a device to help

break the tension in what's a pretty grim plot, involving the constant attempt to kill a young

boy by what's a killing machine. Furlong is outstanding as the snarky younger version of the

future leader in the human struggle against the machine overlords that made the world hostile

after Skynet's initial transformation into the world's first AI.

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 4

Robert Patrick is the T-1000, the more advanced Terminator prototype that made

Arnold's older model obsolete, was an unknown element whose career got a big boost as a

changing form, homicidally inspired, the computerized killing machine through his

involvement in this movie. Despite not having much to do, he is unforgettable in the role,

except as a basis for many of the award-winning CGI effects of the movie, in a great and

wonderful story where he is the creepy, chief antagonist of the film. The real star of this

movie is the incredibly unforgettable Linda Hamilton, who almost steals the show. Since the

last time we saw her in the first version of the series, she has changed. Her behavior reflects

the pain she has suffered and trauma.

The Plot of the film

In 1995, John Connor lived with foster parents in Los Angeles. His mother, Sarah

Connor, prepared him for his future role as the leader of the Human Resistance against

Skynet throughout his childhood but was arrested and jailed in a mental hospital after trying

to bomb a computer factory. In 2029, to destroy John, Skynet sent a new Terminator, known

as T-1000. The T-1000 is coming under an autobahn, killing a policeman and assuming his

identity. Meanwhile, a reprogrammed-800 (Model 101) Terminator has been sent home by

the former John Connor to protect his young self.

In a shopping mall, the Terminator and the T-1000 converge on John, and a chase

follows which John and the Terminator escape on a motorcycle together. Fearing that the T-

1000 will kill Sarah to get to him, John orders the Terminator to help her liberate, after

finding out that the Terminator has to follow his orders. They meet Sarah as she leaves the

hospital, even though she is initially reluctant to trust the T-800. The Terminator informs

John and Sarah about the history of Skynet after the trio escape from the T-1000 in a police

car. They discover from the broken CPU and the right arm of the former Terminator who

assaulted Sarah back in 1984 that much of his work was reverse-engineered. Convincing him
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 5

that it is necessary to destroy these things and his plans, they break into the Cyberdyne tower,

retrieve the CPU and weapon, and set explosives to ruin Dyson's lab. The police arrive, and

Dyson is shot fatally, but he is rigging the switch of an improvised dead man who detonates

the explosives when he dies. The T-1000 continues to pursue the surviving trio relentlessly.

The T-800 and the T-1000 fight and the more sophisticated model are seriously

damaging, and the T-800 shut down. However, unknown to the T-1000, the T-800 uses

emergency power to bring itself back online. The T-1000 almost kills Sarah and John, but the

T-800 takes it by surprise and blasts it with an M79 grenade launcher into a molten steel vat,

destroying it. John also drops the original Terminator's arm and CPU into the vat. As Sarah

expresses relief that the ordeal is over, the Terminator explains that it must also be destroyed

in order to ensure that it is not used for reverse engineering. T-800 asks Sarah to help lower it

into the molten steel vat because it cannot complete itself. While John begs and tells the

Terminator to consider, it decides to disobey him, bid them farewell and embrace anguished

John before it is dropped into the vat, giving the last thumbs-up as it disappears into the

molten steel. Sarah and John are driving down a highway, and Sarah is saying in a voice,

"The unknown future is rolling to us (McCullaugh, 1991). I face it with a sense of hope for

the first time. Because if a machine, a Terminator can better understand human life's value,

perhaps we can.

Theory learned and experienced in the film

Genre theory is widely illustrated in the progress of the film; this is evident, as Arnie

described himself as an action hero in the seven years between the two movies (Denby,

1991). Therefore, there was no way for the audience to embrace him as a robot to fight evil.

He must have been a hero. And he is, though a muscular Ripleyalike Linda Hamilton is

almost pipped to the line. This time the antagonist is a liquid metal T2000 killing machine

that can morph into any shape it touches-a floor piece, a human being, but not, uncomfortably
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 6

enough, "anything with moving parts. We don't know this at first, and the movie starts in a

very similar fashion. The original-two characters are thrown back in time; the Arnie one

dresses again in badass biker gear, they both seem to target an innocent party, the young John

Connor. In a moment of extreme dramatic reversal, our hopes are smashed as it turns out that

this time, the Arnie Terminator is a good guy, and we don't need to be accused of his

inexorability in our enjoyment.

Techniques and design elements deployed in the film

(i) Camera Angles (high and low angles, etc.)- High angles used on the first introduction of

the Terminator, revealing it to have the upper hand in the fight as the human skull cracks to

be negligible, and the terminators are the superior ones (Corliss, 1991).

(ii) Sound techniques (non-diegetic, diegetic, dialogue, silence) – Non-diegetic music that

produces a bridge of sound throughout the release. Silence used at the outset of the series of

battles. In the scene, it is also possible to hear both sonic distortions through the use of

weapons and the dialog between women playing Sarah Connor, followed soon by music even

in other titles.

(iii) Actors positioning and movement – The movement of actors during the sequence of war

seems quite erratic and desperate as the terminators move as typical machines, very robotic

and fixed, they do not always seem to move right to the left in the frame.

The connection between Terminator 2: Judgement Day and the Society

The film Terminator 2: Judgement Day, largely relates and connects to the current

society in different forms like politically, and culturally, which attribute either positively or

negatively way. One of the evident scenarios in the film is the connection culturally that show

commerce. We get a good example of commerce in the film when there is the use of

biometric identification in the first scene of the film featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Garcia, 1991). Sent from the distant future movie of sometime after August 1997 (the
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 7

foretold doomsday of the film), Arnie materialized out of a biker bar without clothes in 1995.

When he joins the seedy establishment in search of clothes and some borrowable motorcycle

keys, we are given a first-person perspective just to find trouble. In the movie Terminator 2:

Judgment Day, we can also ascertain that it discusses the current political on numerous

occasions; whether directly or indirectly, this would include potential commentary on the

ruling leaders' present era.

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY 8

References

Bunce, Alan. (1994). Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The Christian Science Monitor, 86(119),

15.

Corliss, Richard. (1991). Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Time, 138(1), 55.

Denby, David. (1991). Terminator 2: Judgement Day. New York, 24(27), 50.

Garcia, Guy. (1991). Make sticky, morph! (movie "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" has a

computer-generated character, an innovation created by Lucasfilm Ltd. Industrial

Light and Magic Div.). Time, 138(1), 56.

Fitzpatrick, Eillen. (1992). 'I'll be back-to-back.' (LIVE Home Video Inc. to offer 'The

Terminator' and 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' together in video set). Video

Business, 12(24), 6.

McCullaugh, Jim. (1991). LIVE looks to Sharp for 'T2' promotional products. (LIVE Home

Video; Sharp Electronics; Terminator 2: Judgement Day) (Billboard Home Video).

Billboard, 103(40), 64.