Featured Article Summary #11

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the sequel to The Terminator and follows a plot where a malevolent artificial intelligence sends a killing machine back in time to kill the future leader of the human resistance. In response, the resistance sends back a reprogrammed Terminator to protect the leader. The film went through various challenges during production, but ultimately became a huge success, earning critical acclaim and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1991. It is considered one of the best science fiction and action films ever made and had a significant impact on visual effects in movies. Despite being intended as the end of the franchise, Terminator 2 was followed by several sequels and a television series. In the year 2029, there is a war between Skynet, an evil artificial intelligence, and the human resistance. Skynet sends a shape-shifting Terminator, the T-1000, back in time to kill John Connor, the resistance leader, when he is a child. The resistance sends back a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator to protect John. In 1995, John's mother, Sarah, is in a mental hospital for her efforts to prevent "Judgment Day." The T-1000 finds John, but the T-800 saves him. They all escape together, with Sarah initially distrusting the T-800. They learn about a microprocessor that is crucial for Skynet's creation and decide to destroy it. They break into Cyberdyne and retrieve the CPU and set explosives. The T-1000 pursues them, and they end up in a steel mill where they destroy it. The T-800 sacrifices itself by also being destroyed to protect the future. John and Sarah reflect on their hope for the future. The main cast of "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" includes Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, Edward Furlong as John Connor, and Robert Patrick as the T-1000. Other cast members include Earl Boen, Joe Morton, and several others who play various supporting roles. Development of a sequel to The Terminator was delayed due to disputes with the rights holder, Hemdale Film Corporation, and Cameron's work on other films. Schwarzenegger convinced Carolco Pictures to purchase the film rights, and they offered Cameron $6million to be involved and write the script. The film became a collaboration between several production studios and had to be ready for release by May 27, 1991. James Cameron had a few weeks to write the sequel to Terminator. He worked with William Wisher to develop a story that focused on the relationship between John, Sarah, and the T-800. They decided to have two Terminators from different times sent to protect and kill John, with one of them being made of liquid metal. They also had to make changes to the script, cutting out some scenes and characters due to budget constraints. Arnold Schwarzenegger initially had trouble understanding parts of the script but eventually embraced the new direction of his character.