Classic Movies: The Story of Terminator 2 Judgement Day on Sky Arts

 

Terminator 2 Judgement Day is the sixth and last in this first series of Classic Movies on Sky Arts, a 3DD production. Introduced as usual by Ian Nathan who says this is "the most revolutionary film since The Jazz Singer introduced sound". I had wanted to know why this film was chosen as a classic. It was the CGI and visual effects that had never been done like this before. Ian meets John Rowe, the VP lecturer from Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe. He takes us through the process of special effects created by the team at Industrial Light and Magic (15 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects). 

We see clips from the movie including the T-1000 melting through the bars of the cell with only his pistol banging on the metal frame, being hindered at first, to go through. It's Dennis Muren, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light and Magic who takes us through this, his favourite shot in the film. Then as we watch, John Rowe describes the way the T-1000 rises from what seems a normal floor. Neil Norman tells us what "an extraordinary concept was the T-1000". Steven Armstrong was impressed how different was this new Terminator, played by Robert Patrick ("an amazing performance"), in physicality to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seemingly slim and harmless, becoming "not quite human". Christina Newland called him "one of the most unforgettable villains". 

Neil Norman talks about Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. How she trained so hard for the role, "a survivalist commando". Steven Armstrong thought that her son John played by Edward Furlong was terrific, a boy who had not acted before. We hear a lot about director James Cameron's background, how a father as an engineer and a mother an artist was a perfect combination for a would be director. How his early movies including The Abyss and Aliens paved the way for this film. Ian Nathan talks about the locations in LA. How most were shot at night over many months. It had the same feel of old movies in a tech noir portrayal. 

Christina explains how Carolco Pictures purchased the film rights from Hemdale Film Corporation on the advice of Schwarzenegger  who had worked with them on Total Recall. In the end Terminator 2 became at the time the most expensive film ever made at a hundred million dollars. She talks about films that came after with these extraordinary effects. How the sharing of the technology became the norm. We see storyboards that are so impressive. The presenters thought the film worked better than the original with turning the original Terminator baddy to a good guy. Neil Norman said it was not just a sci fi movie but that it was "a genuine emotional experience" with "a human heart". Steven Armstrong thought it "conveyed the unimaginable" and Ian Nathan finished with telling us about "it's thunderous pace" but that "it never lost touch with the characters".