For years, fans have debated which entry in the Terminator franchise should be considered the real Terminator 2 sequel. After Terminator 2: Judgment Day changed the game with its groundbreaking effects and emotionally charged story, every follow-up has struggled to capture the same magic. That includes the 2019 movie Terminator: Dark Fate, which had James Cameron’s involvement and promised a return to form. But while Dark Fate might have been the franchise’s official attempt to follow up T2, there’s another installment that quietly did it better - and it didn’t even hit the big screen. 30105s

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is considered the best film in the Terminator franchise, pitting Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 against the ruthless T-1000 (Robert Patrick), whose sleek liquid metal form acts as the perfect foil to the Terminator's muscle-bound frame. However, in addition to bringing Schwarzenegger back as a good guy, T2 is also responsible for introducing one of the biggest plot holes in the series, which contradicts the rules of time travel established throughout the Terminator franchise.

Although the Terminator franchise has endured for 40 years, not all the films and TV shows set in the iconic sci-fi universe are created equally. Created and co-written by director James Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, Terminator is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's greatest action franchises ever, thanks in part to its story of humanity's fight to survive against all odds. In its earliest iterations, the Terminator movies centered on a cybernetic assassin, The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son, John, is destined to save humankind.

While the Terminator timeline isn’t very clear to the uninitiated, it is possible to work out every canonical fate that befell Sarah Connor after the ending of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The Terminator timeline is a mess thanks to endless revisions, reboots, and outright retcons. Few blockbuster franchises have been rewritten as aggressively as James Cameron’s killer robot saga, with every Terminator project after the first two movies offering another different version of the franchise’s timeline.

The Terminator franchise is among the most beloved sci-fi franchises in American cinema, but its recent entries have all failed to reach the heights of its first sequel, and the movies’ villains has a lot to do with it. The Terminator burst onto the scene on the back of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s intimidating and seemingly unkillable T-800 model, which was easily one of the best villains of the 1980s. James Cameron was charged with matching Arnold’s terrifying, time-traveling Terminator, and ultimately, he found a way to sur it in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Considering the struggles the franchise has faced since 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day might just be the most impressive sequel in movie history. Where subsequent Terminator movies messed up timelines, killed off iconic characters, and spectacularly frittered away the series' once-mighty reputation, James Cameron's original follow-up is a masterpiece in successful storytelling and lore expansion. Forget failed reboots and gaping plotholes – this is everything that a Terminator could and should be.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day's T-1000 is brought to life without CGI in a new video that pulls the effect off with real liquid metal. Released in 1991, the second installment in the Terminator franchise hails once again from filmmaker James Cameron. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a T-800 in the film, this time assigned to protect John Connor (Edward Furlong) from Robert Patrick's more powerful T-1000 unit, which has the ability to turn into liquid metal. The film was widely celebrated for, among other things, its groundbreaking VFX used to bring the T-1000 to life.

Although Terminator Zero season 2 hasn't yet been confirmed, a continuation of the sci-fi anime has the brilliant opportunity to reverse the iconic twist from 1997's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The show's positive reception and high stakes teased by Terminator Zero season 1's ending suggests it's only a matter of time before Netflix announces another run of episodes. When it does, there's a storyline from the franchise's first movie sequel that can avoid being repeated thanks to season 1's finale.

Director James Cameron reveals that Arnold Schwarzenegger hated one part of the original script for Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Originally released in 1991, the sequel has gone on to be lauded as one of the greatest action movies of all time. Following up on The Terminator, the sequel makes a significant change when it sees Schwarzenegger's titular character go from a murderous killing machine to John Connor's protector and father figure.

James Cameron explains why Terminator 2: Judgment Day is superior to 1984's The Terminator, reflecting on the larger evolution of action cinema. Released in 1991, the second installment in the hit sci-fi action franchise features the return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800, with the latter now serving as her protector against a more advanced T-1000 (Robert Patrick). Terminator 2: Judgement Day is now widely considered one of the best sequels ever made, and it paved the way for four more installments in the franchise.