Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the 107th episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell, Andy Signore and Roger Barr. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 1991 American sci-fi action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It was published on June 23, 2015, to coincide with the theatrical release of the film's sequel Terminator Genisys. It is 4 minutes 42 seconds long. It has been viewed over 6.2 million times.
Watch Honest Trailer - Terminator 2: Judgment Day on YouTube
"In the grand tradition of R2-D2, the Iron Giant, and Johnny 5, comes another "adorable kid and their pet robot" story... only this one's f*cking intense." ~ Honest Trailers - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Script[]
(multiple comments pop up to the beat of the film's main theme)
(in a cheery tone of voice) In the grand tradition of R2-D2, the Iron Giant, and Johnny 5, comes another "adorable kid and their pet robot" story... (normally, while showing the T-800 ripping off his skin to reveal his mechanical arm) only this one's f*cking intense. (shows Sarah burning to death in a nuclear explosion in her dream)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. (singing) DUN-dun-DUN-dun-dun. DUN-dun-DUN-dun-dun.
Return to an era when hard-R films were sold to children...
Boy (Terminator 2 Toy Commercial): (as the T-1000) "You're next, John Connor." (as the T-800) "I'm back. Hasta la vista, baby." Terminated!
...full of things we probably weren't ready to see, and would've been even more disturbing if it starred the studio's first choice: O. J. Simpson. (hangs on a courtroom photo of Simpson) Euugh...
Journey to a future so grim, the streets are literally paved with human skulls, as the evil A.I. Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill John Connor, whose father was a man sent back in time to protect him. (shows Michael Biehn's Kyle Reese in The Terminator) Meaning, if the robots really wanted to kill John, they shouldn't have sent anything to kill him at all, since he never would've been born; but if Skynet doesn't send back the first Terminator, he wouldn't leave behind the technology... that led to Skynet existing in the first place...? (shows Dyson looking at the 1984 Terminator's severed arm) Yeah, the timeline's all f*cked up.
Meet the T-1000, the iPhone of killer cyborgs, whose liquid metal body can take any shape, meaning those ears were a deliberate choice (zooms in on the disguised T-1000's protruding ears); and the T-800, the indestructible Nokia brick phone of killer cyborgs, a stiff, emotionless, monotone giant that Arnold Schwarzenegger was born to play...
T-800: (to John) I know now why you cry. But it's something I can never do.
...full of awesome features, like... shotgun twirling, an endless supply of one-liners...
T-800: I'll be back. / Come with me, if you want to live. / Hasta la vista, baby.
...a casualty counter that's specific down to the decimal point for... some reason, and detailed files on human anatomy...
T-800: (while stitching up Sarah's wound) I have detailed files on human anatomy.
...except for crying...
T-800: (to John) What's wrong with your eyes?
...or smiling. (shows the T-800 giving a weak smile)
Watch these killers spend the first third of the film in a cat-and-mouse game, that would have you guessing which one is the good guy... if the trailers hadn't already given it away --
Don LaFontaine (Terminator 2 Trailer): (narrating) Once, he was programmed to destroy the future. Now, his mission...
T-800: Get down.
Don LaFontaine: (narrating) ...is to protect it.
A lesson we STILL HAVEN'T LEARNED, APPARENTLY!
Sarah Connor (Terminator Genisys Trailer): What have they done to my son?
John Connor Terminator: Survival is what you taught me.
-- and thrill as they track down the Connor family: Sarah, the Che Guevara of soccer moms, with some big guns, and... some big guns (shows Sarah doing pull-ups); and John, her... 9-year-old son (?), played by Edward Furlong, who would go on to star in numerous court appearances.
John: (to Sarah) Did you call... moi... a dipsh*t?
Yes.
So witness an amazing film with horrible consequences, that spawned a thousand lazy pop culture references...
Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air): (while being carried away from Denise in his desk by her boyfriend) Hasta la vista, baby.
Kelly Bundy (Married... with Children): (dressed as the "Verminator") Hasta la vista, buggies.
Chance (Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey): Hasta la vista, kitty! (jumps on a rock that sends a wildcat flying)
Chuck "The Sherminator" Sherman (American Pie 2): Hasta la vista, Jessica.
ALF (ALF): Hasta la vista, baby!
...turned Arnie into a spoof of himself...
Trench (The Expendables 2): (to Church) I'll be back. / I'm back.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: (giving a commencement address) I'll be back.
Adam Gibson (The 6th Day): I might be back.
RePet Salesman: You'll be back.
T-850 (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines): I'm back. / She'll be back.
Det. Jack Slater (Last Action Hero): "I'll be back." Ha! You didn't know I was going to say that, did you?
Danny Madigan: That's what you always say!
...and led the film industry to overvalue sequels, stars, and CGI that still doesn't look much better today, when all we really want is a good story about a hero who... sacrifices himself to save humanity... (sniffles) even if it means leaving behind... the only people who ever loved him...! (stops crying) What? No, I'm not crying! Why would I be crying?! It's just a dumb, stupid action movie! S-Stop looking at me!
Starring: So Much Promise (Edward Furlong as John Connor); Iron Miles Dyson (Joe Morton as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson); Budnick (Danny Cooksey as Tim); Alex Mack (Robert Patrick as the T-1000); Hey Arnold (Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800/Terminator); Guns N' Roses (shows John and Tim listening to Guns N' Roses while working on a motorcycle); Guns in Roses (shows the T-800 revealing a shotgun hidden in a bouquet of roses); The Only Sarah Connor Who Wasn't in Game of Thrones (Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor); Hank from Breaking Bad... No, Really! (Dean Norris as SWAT Team Leader); and The Fonz. Ayyyy! (shows the T-800 giving a thumbs-up as he sinks into a vat of molten steel).
Terminator 2: Bad They Kept Making Sequels
Honest title for Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Terminator 2: Bad They Kept Making Sequels. Title design by Robert Holtby.
You know, I'm all for self-sacrifice and everything, but you know you left your arm back in the factory, right? That's the exact same mistake they made at the end of the first one! You had one job, bro!
Viewer comments[]
Say, "I'll be back" - thewarmach20
Say: "The day Epic Voice Guy read one of your comments was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday." - Just Some Guy with a Mustache
Say: "The claaaaaaaaw" xD - Pedro Victorino
Ring a bell and say "SHAME" over and over again in your awesome voice! - ejl1000
Say "I ate my brother's turtle" - Mr Mcdoodle
Say "Victory... is my destiny." - Kyoobur9000
Say "For the watch" - Yunis Rajab
Trivia[]
- Screen Junkies have also produced Honest Trailers for several other science-fiction films including Terminator Genisys, Predator, Blade Runner, Interstellar, Aliens, Alien: Covenant, Avatar, Inception, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World and many more (see list of Honest Trailers).
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
- The comments at the intro are introduced in a pace that makes the resulting noise resemble the Terminator theme. This was repeated in the Honest Trailers for Terminator Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate.
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - Terminator 2: Judgment Day has a 98.8% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Gizmodo appreciated the Honest Trailer for discussing the cultural impact of the film, and agreed with Screen Junkies' comment that "in trying to reach the benchmark set by T2, action movies now rely too heavily on special effects and abuse the idea of sequels and end up choreographing action sequences over writing a good story." IndieWire described the Honest Trailer as "a very funny “honest trailer” that, if anything, serves as a tribute to the 1991 film." Geek Tyrant also noted Screen Junkies' positive take on the film, writing the Honest Trailer "celebrates the awesomeness of James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This is one of those classics that you just can't tear apart, so they amusingly point out all of the things we love about the movie, as well as a few plot holes."
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
Title design by Robert Holtby
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell, Andy Signore, and Roger Barr
Edited by Anthony Falleroni and Dan Murrell
External links[]
- Honest Trailer For Terminator 2 Shows How It Ruined Sequels Forever - Gizmodo article
- Watch: Honest Trailer For ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ Takes On James Cameron’s Blockbuster - IndieWire article
- Honest Trailer for TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY - Geek Tyrant article