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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen ... see more see more... , Joe Morton , S. Epatha Merkerson , Castulo Guerra , Jenette Goldstein , Dalton Abbott , Xander Berkeley , Ennalls Berl , Lisa Brinegar , Charles Robert Brown , Casey Chavez , Danny Cooksey , Nikki Cox , Gwenda Deacon , Michael Edwards , Abdul Salaam El Razaac , Noel Evangelisti , Leslie Hamilton Gaerren , Ken Gibbel , J. Rob Jordan , Peter Kent , Pat Kouri , Don Lake , Mark Christopher Lawrence , Van Ling , Jared Lounsberry , Colin Patrick Lynch , Tom McDonald , Mike Muscat , DeVaughn Walter Nixon , Dean Norris , Jim Palmer , Denney Pierce , Diane Rodriguez , Pete Schrum , Tony Simotes , Dan Stanton , Don Stanton , Charles Tamburro , Richard Vidan , Shane Wilder , Gerard G. Williams , Robert Winley , Ron Young , Terrence Evans , Michael Biehn , Nancy Fish

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 sweepin... read more read more...g 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). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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88% liked it

658,647 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

46 critics

R, 2 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: James Cameron

Release Date: July 3, 1991

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DVD Release Date: March 31, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (35,092)


  • February 11, 2013
    The greatest sci-fi film of all time and James Cameron's finest achievement, in my honest opinion of course. The visual effects still hold up today and the action scenes are some of the best I have ever seen. Cameron has a strong sense of character and he creates people that we c... read moreare about, even a machine. Everything about this film is bigger than the original but it never gets bloated with a bunch of mindless action and explosions; it stays grounded in the story and keeps you interested. "Terminator 2" is a near perfect film.
  • January 21, 2013
    The Terminator: I swear I will not kill anyone.

    "This time there are two."

    Terminator 2: Judgement Day is every bit the classic the first Terminator was. It's as good as the first, which is something very few sequels can claim. There's a lot of cool stuff going on in this film... read more, from the T-1000 to endless action. It all works extremely well in keeping the viewer glued to the screen. The story in this one may even be slightly more intriguing than that of the first.

    In T2, Sarah Connor begins in a mental hospital because of her ranting and raving about the approaching Judgement Day. Her son, John Connor is under the care of some foster parents. Two Terminators come back to find John. Ones(T-1000) mission is to kill John Connor. The other(The Terminator, who was supposed to kill him in the first film), is rewired to protect John. The sweeping action and storyline is definitely a spectacle to behold as The Terminator and the T-1000 battle for the life of John. We also see a new addition to the film in bringing a human element to The Terminator.

    James Cameron is obviously a skilled director and this and his first Terminator film may be the movies that define his greatness best. Sure, he's made other great movies, but for some reason these are the ones that stick in peoples heads the best. This movie is an exercise in visuals, in action, in suspense, and in pure filmmaking glory. It's perfect.

    T2 is one of those movies you just have to see before you die. There's not a second of downtime in the film and yet it's not just another mindless action film that puts blood and guns before character and plot. Instead, it combines the action and character, blood and plot to make an action movie that rivals the best to ever be made. It's truly that good, and if you don't believe me; just watch it. You'll soon be a believer.
  • December 2, 2012
    Not as brilliant as the first film and this time investing more in action and first-rate special effects, with a bigger budget to create an epic feel to it - and while it is always exciting to see Schwarzenegger as the hero here, the plot is also a bit overlong.
  • October 28, 2012
    Hasta la vista baby! If there's one thing that can be said about creative genius James Cameron, it's that he's one of exceptionally few directors in Hollywood who gives the word "sequel" a good name.

    I love the original and think it's a great film, but this is by far my favouri... read morete in the series. For while the first movie is marked by an inescapable 80's feel, "T2" has truly stood the test of time. Particularily in the SFX department, where its groundbreaking CGI still holds up to a highly convincing degree.

    Add to that an iconic performance by a cooler-than-ever Arnold Schwarzenegger, joined by an equally memorable turn by a chilling Robert Patrick (playing the T-1000), and there's no question as to how it gained its world-wide popularity. Because who other than Arnie could take a seemingly mundane phrase like "I'll be back" and turn it into a classic movie line, repeated to infinity.

    A masterpiece of a sci-fi film, with some of the greatest, most thrilling action sequences ever made for modern cinema. The kind you can watch an endless amount of times, if only to hear Arnold say his famous lines once more.
  • August 7, 2012
    What makes James Cameron stands out is his success with making sequels, which can stand out more than the original film. Cameron did it with 'Aliens', he had done again with a sequel with his original masterpiece. With more iconic lines,characters and events, this is possibly the... read more most acclaimed film Cameron has done, aside from 'Aliens'.
  • March 9, 2012
    One of the greatest action movies of all time and a personal favorite. Everything about this movie works. For its time, the CGI was groundbreaking. Imaginative action set-pieces compiled with a true, one of a kind villain with a one-of-a-kind plot. Though at its heart, "Terminato... read morer 2" is an action movie, audiences are sure to be emotionally involved with the characters like no other Terminator movie.... just please stop making more Terminators. Terminator Gayvation sucked, Terminator 3 sucked. No more, please. Let's leave the first two masterful Terminators alone.
  • January 12, 2012
    Arnold at his best. One of those movies you want to own so you can watch it again and again. That James Cameron guy knows what he's doing.
  • December 29, 2011
    Along with Aliens, James Cameron has been responsible for two of the most inventive sequels around. This follow up to his own sci-fi classic The Terminator sees another sent back through time to protect John Connor in childhood from a shapeshifting assassin bent on preventing him... read more from leading the human race to salvation. It puts an interesting spin on the original concept, essentially switching the roles of Arnie and Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton turning in easily the best performance); he becomes the nurturing parental figure, she the emotionless, singleminded terminator who only regains her humanity when shown the human face of her target. Throw in a nice time paradox, some excellent set pieces and innovative effects and you have a great cocktail for breathless action sci-fi. The one near fatal flaw is the badly misjudged humour and generous dollop of schmaltz trowelled on by Cameron when dealing with the (really rather bad) Edward Furlong. I would have preferred to see more of the T-1000 and less of the sentimentality and feeble jokes resulting from the father-son bond of the boy and his cyborg, but thanks to some ingenious plotting and ground breaking special effects it has dated rather well.
  • September 17, 2011
    Terminator 2 shows few of the director James Cameron's strenghts and many of his flaws also. At it's best it is with tightly edited action sequences, like the effectively concieved escape from the mental institution, but few good sequences can't take away the fact that this is on... read moree corny, ridicilous and overlong action flick that somehow has gained even a surprisingly much critical praise. One of the films biggest mistakes come in the form of poor and cliched screenplay that is basically a action sequence after anoher. To say that James Cameron is just another one of those directors who lost his potential as a director after thrillingly good Aliens, would be understatement. This is just bad in so many ways. Anyway, in my opinion Terminator 2 is just far cry from the film it aims to be.
  • August 2, 2011
    Against the grain of what so many other people think, I don't really like JUDGMENT DAY anywhere near as much as THE TERMINATOR.

Critic Reviews


Owen Gleiberman
February 4, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Terminator 2 is a state-of-the-art action movie, all right: It gets you thinking that the most reasonable thing might just have been to blow everyone away. Full Review

Richard Corliss
May 18, 2009
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

A humongous, visionary parable that intermittently enthralls and ultimately disappoints. T2 is half of a terrific movie -- the wrong half. Full Review

David Ansen
May 18, 2009
David Ansen, Newsweek

For all its state-of-the-art pyrotechnics and breathtaking thrills, this bruisingly exciting movie never loses sight of its humanity. That's its point, and its pride. Full Review

Variety Staff
May 8, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Arnold Schwarzenegger is more comfortable and assured here than the first time around, reprising a role so perfectly suited to the voice and physique that have established him as a larger-than-life fi... Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 1, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

As a fancy mechanism fueled by the pleasure of watching legions of people and equipment being summarily destroyed, this is pretty hot stuff. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Structured as a simple chase, the story sags midway, but the first hour and last 30 minutes display an enjoyably relentless bravura. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Mr. Cameron has made a swift, exciting special-effects epic that thoroughly justifies its vast expense and greatly improves upon the first film's potent but rudimentary visual style. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

It's Cameron's show; he's the reigning king of movie pow, with dark wit and a poet's eye for mayhem. T2 cost a reported $100 million, and you can actually see where the money went.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Nobody, I think, will complain that it doesn't have enough action. Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

It's a tank of a movie, big, powerful and hard to resist. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts


    • The Terminator: Hasta la vista, baby.
    • Sarah Connor: Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! It's all your fault!
    • Dr. Silberman: You! You broke my arm!
    • Sarah Connor: There are 215 bones in the human body, thats one!
    • Sarah Connor: Three billon human lives ended on August 29, 1997. The Survivors of the nuclear holocaust called the war Judgement Day. They lived only to face a new nightmare: the way against the machines.
    • The Terminator: What's wrong with your eyes?
    • The Terminator: Torque wrench, please.

Terminator 2: Jud... : Watch Free on TV


Terminator 2: Judgment Day Trivia


  • Ten Years Ago. The Machines Who Rule The Future Sent An Unstoppable Terminator To Assassinate The Yet Unborn John Connor. They Failed. In 1991. The Machines Will Try Again this tagline is to which movie  Answer »
  • What was the name of the shape-shifting Terminator in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'?  Answer »
  • Who plays the T-1000 in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY?   Answer »
  • In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, what does the security guard say after getting a full house on his coffee cup?  Answer »

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