Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Film Structure
Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Film Structure
Looking at key story elements of the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is another example of a great sequel film. Writers James Cameron and William Wisher crafted a unique story that resists from lazily relying on the original film for its purpose of creation. They had a hit with The Terminator (1984), which featured great special effects. For the second film, they continued down the path with what made The Terminator popular, but they also took the time to craft a story around this big idea. A story that has its own unique message.
Opening Scene
First, we see Los Angeles on a normal sunny day. Then, it cuts to post-nuclear holocaust Los Angeles in 2029. It’s dark and desolate in the future. We are reminded of the premise illustrated in the first film. The narrator explains that Skynet, having failed to kill Sarah Connor in 1984, is now coming after Sarah’s son, John, in present day 1991.
This opening scene sets up the dramatic premise of the coming story and reminds us what we need to know from the first film.
Inciting Incident
Two Terminators are sent from the future to present day (1991). One of them was sent to kill John Connor, the other was sent to protect him. It’s not clear who is responsible for which mission yet. This event works to link John Connor into the storyline.
There’s also another story element to this incident. Given that the first movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 character as the “bad guy” whose mission was to kill Sarah, this scene is designed to lead us to assume the T-800 is the one who wants to kill John. This is important as it proves to be the source of a powerful twist at the end of the first act.
Act One Plot Point
At this plot point, we learn that the T-800’s mission is to protect John while the T-1000’s mission is to kill him. Now we enter the second act knowing that John’s dramatic need is to survive with the help of the T-800 (Arnold’s character).
Midpoint
The midpoint is important to the progression of the film because it introduces a second dramatic need, which focuses on Sarah Connor.
After the T-800 tells John and Sarah about the events that lead to the nuclear war, Sarah creates another goal, in addition to saving her son. Her dramatic need is to change the direction of the future and prevent the nuclear war from occurring. This is what drives her character to action for the second half of the film.
John’s dramatic need of surviving the pursuit of the T-1000 is paused at this point of the story while Sarah’s takes over.
This is a key story element because it ensures the Sarah Connor character maintains her strength from the first film (see Character Development below). It also helps create a less repetitive film by adding another aspect to the ‘run for your life’ drama.
Act Two Plot Point
The climax of act two is when John, Sarah, and the T-800 exit the Cyberdyne building and are again being chased by the T-1000.
Progressing into the third act, the story now has two dramatic needs that need to be resolved. First, their goal of defeating the T-1000 and, second, their need to destroy the chip and cyborg arm to alter the path of the future and prevent nuclear war.
Climax & Resolution
Our heroes defeat the T-1000 and destroy the Cyberdyne chip and cyborg arm. The T-800 must also be destroyed and he sacrifices himself to ensure the future is successfully altered. Both dramatic goals are achieved.
Theme
The theme of the film is hope. This story differs from the first in that it augments the ‘run for your life’ drama with the idea of restoring hope. This is what gives the film texture and depth and, in my opinion, makes it a better film than the first.
The quote below from Sarah Connor, as narrator, perfectly highlights the theme. It’s delivered in the final scene after they have successfully altered the path of the future to one that’s not sentenced to certain destruction.
“The future, always so clear to me, had become like a black highway at night… we were in uncharted territory now, making up history as we went along. I face it for the first time with a sense of hope.”
Character Development
In order to differentiate this film from the first and allow it to stand on its own, the writers utilized deeper character development.
T-800’s character development is the most prominent. At the beginning, he’s no more than a cyborg programmed to protect John. He’s the same character as he was in the first film, only programmed to protect instead of kill. Through the middle, he learns more about humans and their moral values and begins to understand their behavior. At the end, T-800 completes his development. Choosing to sacrifice himself, even when he isn’t able to do it himself (he says his programming won’t allow self-terminating), shows that he’s able to think more like a human and less like a computer program. Deciding to place T-800 in the spotlight as a protagonist in the second film required this type of character development.
Sarah Connor also experiences great character development throughout the story. In order to maintain the character’s strength from the first movie, it’s required that Sarah is not merely a passenger in the story, like she was in the first half of this film. This is fixed in the second half by introducing the second dramatic need and making it a function of Sarah. Her goal, along with saving her son, is to change the course of the future and prevent nuclear war. Instead of accepting and preparing for the inevitable future, she decides to impose her will upon it and change it. This change moves her from being a passive character in the first half to an active character in the second half.
Thanks for reading.
-Bryant
The Story Department is where I write about the story structure of films. I focus on identifying key story elements so we can break films down and see how they work.
“Hollywood… Not a place on the map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream, wonder, and imagine.” -Michael Eisner at the dedication of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This idea serves as my catalyst for writing about film and story structure.
Hollywood, as a creative state of mind.
