By Chris Snellgrove | Updated
Arnold Schwarzenegger quickly established himself as an unexpected sci-fi icon thanks to films like The running man, Total recallAnd Predator. However, Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains his absolute best sci-fi blockbuster, yet to be surpassed by any other genre film all these decades later. If you’re ready to time travel to the ’90s (and hey, who isn’t?), you can now stream this high-caliber R-rated masterpiece on Netflix.
The day AI killed us all
The premise of Terminator 2 is that humanity’s evil AI overlord, Skynet, sends a killer robot into the past in hopes of killing the leader of the human Resistance when he is just a teenager. But humanity sends its future commander an unexpected defender: the same model of murderous machine that tried to kill his mother before he was even born. Now our future savior must team up with his paranoid mother and a robotic father figure to fight an enemy whose shapeshifting abilities have transformed him into the ultimate living weapon.
The cast of Terminator 2: Judgment Day is filled with apocalyptically awesome actors, including Linda Hamilton (best known outside of this franchise for Dante’s Peak) as Sarah Connor, a former Final Girl transformed into a warrior ready to face the end of the world. Robert Patrick (best known outside of this film for The Faculty) is dead-eyed perfection as a shapeshifting robot ready to commit police brutality on John Connor, humanity’s only hope in the fight against Skynet. John is protected by a Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (best known outside of this franchise for Hero of the last action), a more faithful carbon copy of the murderous robot that hunted Sarah Connor in the previous film.
Hollywood’s most ambitious director
All of this on-screen talent was brought together by someone almost as famous as Arnold himself: James Cameron. The first Terminator made Cameron a profitable hit director, a reputation he cemented by directing Extraterrestrials (still the best film in this franchise) only two years later. With Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the director tried to make his action travel in time epic to a truly dramatic ending, but the film’s financial success ironically guaranteed that it would get a slew of increasingly bland sequels.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day was bigger and more ambitious than the first film, with a budget between $94 million and $102 million. Fortunately for the studio and for James Cameron, this sci-fi sequel grossed an equally impressive box office of $520 million. This turned Terminator into a bankable franchise, which has since had a number of very mediocre sequels, although you can skip straight to Dark destiny if you want a movie that is a direct sequel to Judgment Day and reunites Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton to fight the future together again.
Oscar-winning sci-fi perfection
When Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released, critics called it a worthy and successful sequel to James Cameron’s previous science fiction masterpiece. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 91 percent, with critics praising the film for its breathtaking special effects and thrilling action sequences. In addition to the visual thrills and visceral thrills, critics have also praised the film for the surprising depth of its characters (organic and otherwise).
Cameron’s film ended up winning four Academy Awards, winning Oscars for Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects. These prestigious awards help to highlight how James Cameron’s film resonated with critics, making it one of the most acclaimed blockbusters of all time. The film also made Academy Award history, as it was the first sequel to win an Academy Award despite its predecessor not being nominated for any awards.
The horror film marketed to children
When I was younger, I thought that Terminator 2: Judgment Day It was a near-perfect movie, and I was the perfect age to become an absolutely unabashed superfan of the franchise. After watching this sequel, I emptied my wallet of coins to play it cool Terminator 2 arcade game, and I bought every Terminator comic book I could find (thanks for keeping it weird, Dark Horse!) at my friendly neighborhood comic book store. I even collected Kenner toys, and my plastic cybernetic army regularly had to protect itself from my equally embarrassing collection of Alien toys.
Obviously, I grew up in an era where this R-rated movie was heavily marketed toward children, and I lapped it up like only a young consumer can. So part of me wondered if I wouldn’t like Terminator 2 as much by revisiting it as an adult. After all, as a kid, I didn’t really focus on the plot or the acting, but rather on the epic action scenes that had me continually exclaiming “this is really awesome!” » Peter Griffin type! exclamations every few minutes.
Rock’em Sock’em Robots
After re-watching the film several times as an adult, I realized that “this is really great” applies as much to the acting, writing and directing as it does to the balls-to-the-wall special effects. Although it is one of the greatest action films ever made, Terminator 2: Judgment Day also tells a rich and complex story about everything from family relationships to individual destiny. In this way, this blockbuster about two robots battling each other manages to be the most human film of all.
Would you agree that Terminator 2: Judgment Day is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best film, or will this film have you reaching for Jingle All the Way faster than Terminator can say “I’ll be back?” The only way to find out is to stream this Oscar-winning sci-fi masterpiece on Netflix and decide for yourself. Remember, Sarah Connor’s wise words about destiny also apply to your entertainment options: the future is not set, and there is no streaming queue other than what we make ourselves.
