It’s now been thirty years since John Connor and the T-800 successfully stopped the rise of Skynet and the war between man and machine… at least until Terminator 3, anyway. In the summer of 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day premiered in theaters about seven years after the release of the original movie. It was met with instant success and has since become widely known as one of the very best sequels of all time.
James Cameron returned to direct Terminator 2, using a screenplay co-written with William Wisher. Also back in the lead role was Arnold Schwarzenegger as a killer robot from the future, but not the same one that he played in The Terminator. In the original movie, Arnold’s T-800 was the antagonist, a time-traveling robot on a mission to terminate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). It failed when human time traveler Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) intervened, saving Sarah and fathering John.
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Terminator 2 reveals that Sarah Conner has since been locked up in a mental asylum, and teenage John (Edward Furlong) has become quite the troublemaker. That’s when the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a more powerful terminator with the ability to shape-shift, arrives from the future, targeting John specifically this time instead of his mother. From the future, an older John also sent back a reprogrammed T-800 (Schwarzenegger) to protect his teenage self, as John must stay alive to lead the human resistance in the war against the machines.
Various sequels have been released over the years, including Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the Fox TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate. The original movie from 1984 is also very popular with fans of the series. Even so, many still consider T2 to be the best installment of the franchise, and some go so far as to call it one of the very best action movies ever made.
“One of the best pure sequels ever made was released 30 years ago• today. And man, it still holds up,” tweets Craiger’s Cinema Corner.
One of the best pure sequels ever made was released •30 years ago• today.
And man, it still holds up. #Terminator2pic.twitter.com/MSUm1YOV2k
— ????????????????????????????’???? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? (@CraigKoban) July 3, 2021
“30 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day premiered in theaters,” another tweet reads. “Arguably the best sequel of all time, and to many far better than the original. Lots of character growth, and full of effects that really changed how movies were made.”
30 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day premiered in theaters. Arguably the best sequel of all time, and to many far better than the original. Lots of character growth, and full of effects that really changed how movies were made. pic.twitter.com/7YZKsI15VQ
— Larry King (@larrykingundead) July 3, 2021
Another fan who just finished another viewing in honor of the anniversary wrote: “Just re-watched Terminator 2, released 30 years ago. And it still holds up as an amazing movie!”
Just re-watched Terminator 2, released 30 years ago. And it still holds up as an amazing movie! pic.twitter.com/ls5q7Z6UxP
— Keith Atherton (@MrKeithAtherton) July 3, 2021
“30 years ago on this day, James Cameron released one of the most groundbreaking sequels ever made: Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” writes another fan.
30 years ago on this day, James Cameron released one of the most groundbreaking sequels ever made: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY
pic.twitter.com/AcoFwLhaLr
— 1st Row (@firstrowreviews) July 3, 2021
And another fan tweeted, “Happy 30th birthday to the best film ever made. Saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day three times in the cinema (no mean feat for a first year uni student) and it remains my favourite film in the world.”
Happy 30th birthday to the best film ever made. Saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day three times in the cinema (no mean feat for a first year uni student) and it remains my favourite film in the world #Terminator2#terminator2judgmentdaypic.twitter.com/lbnxFH78eM
— Mandy (@mandyist) July 3, 2021
If you want to revisit the movie, Pluto TV will be streaming Terminator 2: Judgment Day for free at 8 p.m. in honor of the movie’s 30th anniversary. The iconic sequel is also currently streaming on Netflix. You can also see what others are saying about the movie in celebration of its anniversary on Twitter. Hasta la vista, baby.
30 years of the greatest sci-fi action sequel of all-time. #Terminator2pic.twitter.com/f7RQA6KVhg
— Nick Bosworth (@NickMBosworth) July 3, 2021
THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released 30 years ago today on July 3, 1991. pic.twitter.com/dkM0LYNYP8
— Vanessinator ???? T-80085 (@ilovejohnkimble) July 3, 2021
It’s 30 years since the release of #Terminator2 and it’s still one of the best sci-fi action flicks of all time.
Hasta la Vista, baby pic.twitter.com/Yu5zFQZkfX
— Haricharan Pudipeddi (@pudiharicharan) July 3, 2021
Happy Anniversary to one of the best films sequels that any film fan I’m sure likes. Whichever version you like is great! Personally the 2nd version the Extended version is my favourite. Here is a small part of my T2 collection. #T2#Terminator2#IllBeBackpic.twitter.com/yysBUvelLS
— joeykeys05 (@joeykeys05) July 3, 2021
Hard to believe T2 is 30 years old today. Still one of the greatest of all time. #t2#terminator2#hastalavistababyhttps://t.co/jATPqaAHIl
— Chris Alley (@chrisalley) July 3, 2021
30 years of #Terminator2
03.07.91 pic.twitter.com/57um66793Q
— Maria Emma (@mariaemma16) July 3, 2021
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