Director James Cameron has been discussing a return to the iconic Terminator franchise. The problem, Cameron asserts, is that “science fiction has caught up and is actually overwhelming us at this point.” The issues we face today were, until recently, only in fiction created to warn us about a dangerous future. Well, we’re here, living in a strange amalgam of Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World. Now, Cameron faces an uphill battle to relaunch his involvement in the Terminator universe, but is not as worried about AI as other critics because he knows that the technology’s generative creations are all derivative.
For decades now, Skynet — the corporation responsible for creating the technology that destroyed civilization in the Terminator universe — has been a cultural shorthand to reference where many fear technology is leading us. Any look at Sora, or worse, the US Government’s use of AI in the Department of Defense, and it’s easy to think “here comes Skynet!” Just in time for us to consider the film’s prescient warnings, the greatest action flick of all time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, is heading back to the big screen for eight weeks starting on May 22. The film will be presented in original 35mm, 4K DCP, and 3D DCP restorations from Rialto Pictures and StudioCanal.
Terminator 2 was released in 1991, making over $200 million in the US and landing Academy Awards for Best Makeup, Sound, and Visual Effects. Anyone who has watched the film recently knows it hasn’t aged a day, becoming a largely timeless (or, rather, timely) action thriller about the dangerous cocktail of corporate greed and unchecked technological innovation. This was an impressive feat at a time when the action genre was largely unserious yet delightfully fun. Cameron gave us both heart-pounding scenes with a narrative that kept us thinking for decades.
Cameron has directed some of the best sequels of all-time — Aliens and Terminator 2 — both of which, arguably, outshine the originals, which are great films in their own right. After spending too many years on vanity projects and Avatar sequels, Cameron will be a welcome presence back in the franchise he brought to life in the 1980s. It will be nearly impossible to top Terminator 2, but the opportunity is ripe to create another relevant commentary on today’s challenges as we look at a possibly dark future. For now, it will be great to revisit Cameron’s killer 1991 film in theaters, especially for those who didn’t catch it in the original run.
- Release Date
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July 3, 1991
- Runtime
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137 minutes
