Terminator 2: Judgement Day is widely considered to be one of the best sequels not only in the Terminator franchise but in cinema history. The film successfully built upon what the original movie established, and James Cameron's direction and narrative choices shaped all the Terminator sequels that followed it.
This action sci-fi hit helped to make the Terminator movies what they are today. Yet while the sequel improved upon the original in many ways and set precedents that remained solid in further sequels, there were some aspects of Terminator 2 that failed to push the franchise forward.
5 Ways Terminator 2 Improved The Franchise
Terminator 2 Changed T-800 From The Villain Into The Hero
After moviegoers enjoyed Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal as the titular hero in Conan the Barbarian, his next role would be and remain one of his best. As an unstoppable killing machine from the future, he took a rare-for-him role as a villain in The Terminator.
But in this sequel, the T-800's return alongside another future cyborg provided plenty of tense moments before revealing himself to be the hero. Not many franchises would gamble with this, but it paid off as it is considered one of his best roles. The Terminator franchise will always need Schwarzenegger.
Terminator 2 Introduced An Even Deadlier Villain In T-1000
The first Terminator, the T-800, was an intimidating foe, surviving explosions and fire while bullets bounced off its metallic skeleton. Terminator 2 introduced the T-1000, a shape-shifting android with a liquid metal body that can morph into anything and anyone at will. The relentless T-1000 is one of the most terrifying movie villains of the 1990s.
The concept of upgrading and making these killing machines more deadly in each movie started right here. From the T-X in Terminator 3 that can shapeshift and reprogram robots to the Rev-9 from Terminator: Dark Fate that can split into two, these machines just get deadlier and deadlier.
Terminator 2 Gave Sarah Connor Greater Strength And Agency
James Cameron made a lot of changes to the formula from the first movie when he made the sequel. By far one of the most important was how these events would shape Sarah Connor and her role within the franchise.
Transforming from victim to fighter, Sarah became a confident and strong person who would unexpectedly team up with the T-800, which was similar to the machine that hunted her in the previous movie. Her impact on both the Terminator movies and female action heroes in general paved the way for the character to play an even bigger role in Terminator Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate.
Terminator 2's Eye-Popping Special Effects Were Revolutionary
Using stop motion in the first movie, the filmmakers brought the metallic skeleton of the T-800 to life. As good as those effects were at the time, they were nothing compared to the computer graphics introduced in T2.
Creating the liquid metal effects of the T-1000 as well as Sarah Connor's nightmare and the iconic finale, the CGI in the movies was groundbreaking, and it's a major reason why Terminator 2 still holds up today. The franchise strives to to improve on its special effects with each installment, whether it's the battles against the machines in the future or transforming the actors into deadly, metallic assassins.
Terminator 2 Acknowledges Previous Franchise Events In Logical And Satisfying Ways
In the first movie, the T-800 gets crushed and is defeated at the hands of Sarah Connor, leaving nothing more than an arm. Fans saw the arm resurface in the second movie as this would be found and researched by the man responsible for Skynet.
While the other movies throughout the years have used the events from previous plot points to develop and grow the series, this is one of many examples that Terminator 2 does right. From trying to explore alternative timelines to seeing the outcomes of John Connor himself, it's just one example of how well the films acknowledges and builds on past details.
5 Ways Terminator 2 Didn't Improve The Franchise
Terminator 2's Glimpses Into Its Dystopian Future Are Unsatisfying
The original premise of the Terminator franchise is based on trying to change the present-as-passed in order to prevent an apocalypse. However, it wasn't until Terminator Salvation that fans finally got a full-length movie set in the post-apocalyptic Earth. In The Terminator and Terminator 2, only a few brief scenes depict this future.
These scenes were a small window for audiences to see why John Connor is so important to these stories. And while some are better at others in demonstrating the devastating battles that will come, the second movie didn't make a great impact with its scenes set in the future.
Terminator 2 Set A Never-Improved-Upon Standard For The John Connor Character
The boy who will grow up to become the savior of the human race and leader of the resistance against the machines, Edward Furlong's rebellious teenage John Connor was a refreshing addition. Teaming up with the T-800, he slowly softens and accepts the important role he will have to play against Skynet.
But despite other actors coming in to helm their incarnations as the adult John Connor, fans have always had a soft spot for this interpretation of the character likable despite, or perhaps because of, his human flaws. There have been many John Connors over the year, but the character as an adult has never been as absorbing as he was as a teen in T2.
Terminator 2 Doesn't Adequately Explore Skynet
The introduction of Skynet in the opening of The Terminator is a fearful sight as skulls scattered on the ground get crushed by machines. The sequel built upon this opening with an adult John Connor leading a battle with his forces against some of Skynet's most dangerous machines.
Unfortunately, Skynet is a one-trick pony. It never seems to change or improve upon its plans, no matter how many times it gets defeated by the Connor family and their T-800 buddy. And while Skynet would eventually be replaced with Legion in Terminator: Dark Fate, there's no real difference between the two apart from the name.
The Death Of T-1000 Has Never Been Topped In The Terminator Franchise
The iconic death of the T-1000 as it screams in a pool of molten steel remains one of the greatest scenes in the entire Terminator franchise. After relentlessly pursuing John and Sarah Connor, the audience takes immense satisfaction at its defeat at their hands after all the chaos it caused.
Despite some of the filmmakers' attempts to create death scenes worthy of this one, they haven't quite been able to do so in subsequent Terminator installments. Perhaps T2 set the bar too high, because the rest of the franchise has never lived up to its climax.
Terminator 2 Doesn't Innovate On Its Time-Traveling Premise
Apart from Terminator Salvation, each movie features time travel that sends both heroes and villains to the past (our present). Yet the technology and the methods of time travel have remained static since the 1984 original.
Surrounded by a bubble of electricity and destroying everything within it, a naked person always emerges. No matter how advanced the machines get in each movie, time travel just remains the same and doesn't change or alter with each title. There are plenty of ways to change the details of how time travel technology works in the future, ways that could impact the story meaningfully, or at least make it possible for time travelers to wear pants.