Master Rank #23

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

1991

GCML Total9.4440% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by James Cameron

CastArnold Schwarzenegger · Linda Hamilton · Edward Furlong · Robert Patrick

USAEnglishAction / Thriller137 minR
IMDb Top 250Narrative FeaturePropulsive pace
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 4BAFTA · 2

Spoiler-free premise

Nearly 10 years have passed since Sarah Connor was targeted for termination by a cyborg from the future.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Skynet sends the liquid-metal T-1000 into 1995 to kill young John Connor. The resistance answers with a reprogrammed T-800, forcing John and his institutionalized mother Sarah into an uneasy alliance with the machine once modeled as their enemy.

Why it belongs

Terminator 2: Judgment Day's liquid-metal villain, muscular set pieces, and transformed bond between John and the Terminator give technical spectacle an affecting ethical trajectory.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Cameron joins Stan Winston's practical effects, early digital morphing, lucid chase geography, and Linda Hamilton's transformed physical performance, making technological spectacle serve a story about fate, protection, and learned humanity.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

Plus 4 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

Plus 2 additional wins

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

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