A “found family” triad

The film also has one of the best villains in cinema with the shapeshifting T-1000 (Robert Patrick). Cameron actually had the idea for a Terminator made of liquid metal when he was writing the first film, but the technology available at the time wasn’t up to the task. Then Cameron made The Abyss in 1989, which featured a flowing, water-like alien at the very end created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). ILM made a major investment, expanding its staff and spending over $3 million on new equipment and specially designed software just for Judgment Day.

The gamble paid off. The T-1000 and other visual effects earned critical raves and an Oscar (the film snagged four in all) and helped usher in the golden age of CGI. Audiences loved the character, which had as much to do with Cameron’s expert pacing as the effects. The T-1000’s abilities are only gradually revealed. Initially, the slender Patrick seems no match for Schwarzenegger’s heavily muscled T-800, even if he can take on anyone’s form. Then we see its liquid metal form is impervious to bullet wounds, healing them instantly—even when a gunshot blast splits its head in two. Cameron keeps upping the ante, until one becomes convinced the T-1000 is well-nigh invincible.

“T2 was made for theaters, and our lovingly prepared 3D version, coming back to the big screen, is the absolute best way to see the film,” Cameron told Deadline Hollywood via statement. “I believe it’s safe to do spoilers after 35 years, so SPOILER ALERT: the good guys win against the AI super intelligence. And maybe that’s a message of hope we could use this summer.”

There is a staggered global rollout for the rerelease. It’s now available in Germany, Latin America, the Czech Republic, the US, Italy, and Poland. The film will be released in France on September 2; Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Hungary on September 3; and the United Kingdom on September 4.