Terminator 2: Judgement Day (T2) was released on July 3, 1991. It is generally considered the benchmark of the franchise. It was the last film of the franchise with direct involvement of James Cameron until he did the story for Terminator: Dark Fate (2019). Inspired by what he was able do with CGI in The Abyss (1989), Cameron set a new standard for the use of CGI in a film, though like Jurassic Park, its combination with outstanding models, animatronics, and practical effects has allowed the movie to age better than many CGI specticals especially of the same era. The use of twins was another technique employed including Linda Hamilton's twin Leslie Hamilton Gearren. The movie took place years from the events of the previous film with John Conner (played by 13-year-old Edward Furlong) now ten and Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) radically transformed into a dark survivalist, the T-100 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) reprogrammed to be a protector, and introduced the advanced morphing T-1000 (Robert Patrick). It was the first sequel to win an Academy Award from an earlier film that was nominated for none. It was also the only Terminator film to date (2026) to win or be nominated for Oscars (Best Visual Effects - W, Best Make-Up - W, Best Sound - W, Best Effects: Sound Effects Editing - W, Best Cinematography - N, and Best Film Editing - N) also to date, (adjusted for inflation) second highest grossing Rated R film of all time (behind Deadpool & Wolverine 2014). Robert Patrick recreated one of his T-1000 scenes for Wayne's World (1992). The Simpsons also parodied scenes from this movie several times. ("Terminator 2: Judgement Day", Sci-Fi Movie Event)
