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25th Anniversary of Terminator 2, The Movie That Changed the History of Special Effects.

This summer marks twenty-five years since the release of one of the most iconic science fiction films in the history of cinema. "Terminator" (1984) quickly rose to become a cult film that, in the 80s, revitalized the fantasy genre by cleverly combining action, adventure, suspense, and science fiction. It also propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger to stardom. Just when it seemed difficult to surpass, James Cameron surprised everyone with one of the most spectacular, thrilling, and adrenaline-pumping films ever released to date, leaving all film fans in awe: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).

While the movie's framework was similar to the original, Cameron's created universe expanded with characters like John Connor, offering a fresh vision of the cyborg and turning the villain into a hero; transforming the T800 into a positive character, increasing the levels of action and adventure, and making a qualitative leap in the technical department highlighted by its CGI effects.

What are CGI effects? Nothing more and nothing less than computer-generated effects. Nowadays, they are part of our audiovisual culture so commonly that they sometimes go unnoticed by our eyes. Cinema, television, advertising, video games, photography—there is no format or artistic discipline untouched by the use or misuse of digital effects, infographics, or 3D. Similarly, nowadays, very few film directors refuse to use CGI when the opportunity arises, whether due to budget constraints or in order to achieve images that would otherwise be impossible.

The origins of CGI date back to the 1940s and 50s with John Whitney, who created a device capable of controlling a light beam to illuminate objects in moving photographs. Like many inventions related to cinema, its early uses were strictly for scientific and research purposes. Interestingly, the first two directors to take advantage of Whitney's discoveries were Alfred Hitchcock for the opening credits sequence of "Vertigo" (1958) and Stanley Kubrick for the final sequence of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). Undoubtedly, two visionaries in the film industry. Can you imagine what Hitchcock would have accomplished with today's CGI technology at his disposal?

In the seventies, we find the first film to use digital image processing with "Westworld" (1973), and three years later, its sequel "Futureworld" (1976) would be the first to use 3D images. However, it was in the eighties with the release of "Tron" (1982) that a new era for special effects in the film industry began. "Tron" was the first film to extensively use CGI, showcasing a completely virtual world designed exclusively for the film. Subsequently, "morphing" would appear, a technique where a sequence of images gradually transforms into another through small variations, first seen in the film "Willow" (1988). A year later, James Cameron himself integrated CGI realistically in a sequence in "The Abyss" (1989), blending them as another character alongside the actors.

While "Terminator 2" did not invent CGI, it did cause a before and after due to the impact of its use in the film. The most striking effects are related to the on-screen appearances of the T1000, the film's villain portrayed by Robert Patrick. Fictionally, it features a liquid metal prototype capable of transforming into anyone, providing moments of great beauty and spectacularity, which still captivate despite a quarter of a century having passed. It could be said that "Terminator 2" was the first major commercial film to base its success on the use of special effects, turning CGI into a genre in itself.

Following would be "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Toy Story" (1995), "The Matrix" (1999), "The Lord of the Rings" (2001), "Avatar" (2009), along with techniques like motion capture, match moving, or virtual cinematography… and what is yet to come.

James Cameron is personally overseeing a 3D version of “Terminator 2” set to be released later this year, giving us the opportunity to once again enjoy or, for some, discover one of the key films in the history of special effects. As Schwarzenegger had already stated in the first installment of the saga: I'LL BE BACK!

This summer marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of one of the most iconic science-fiction films in the history of cinema. "Terminator" (1984) quickly became a cult classic in the 80s, refreshing the fantasy genre by intelligently combining action, adventure, suspense, and science fiction. It also propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger to stardom. Just when it seemed that the bar was set too high, James Cameron surprised everyone with one of the most spectacular, thrilling, and fast-paced films ever released to date, leaving all movie fans in awe: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).

While the film's structure was similar to the original, Cameron's created universe expanded with characters like John Connor. It brought a new perspective to the cyborg, turning the villain into a hero; making the T800 a positive character, increasing the action and adventure elements, and making a qualitative leap in the technical department notable for its CGI effects.

What are CGI effects? Nothing more and nothing less than computer-generated effects. Nowadays, they are such a common part of our audiovisual culture that they sometimes go unnoticed by our eyes. Film, television, advertising, video games, photography—there is no format or artistic discipline that escapes the use or misuse of digital effects, infographics, or 3D. Similarly, very few film directors nowadays refuse to use CGI when given the opportunity, whether due to budget constraints or to achieve images that would otherwise be impossible.

The origins of CGI date back to the 1940s and 1950s, and the name John Whitney, who created a device capable of controlling the light beam and illuminating objects in moving photographs. Like many cinema-related inventions, its initial uses were strictly for scientific and research purposes. Interestingly, the first two directors to take advantage of Whitney's discoveries were Alfred Hitchcock for the opening credits sequence in "Vertigo" (1958) and Stanley Kubrick for the final sequence in "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). Undoubtedly, two visionaries in the film industry. Can you imagine what Hitchcock would have accomplished with today's CGI technology at his fingertips?

In the seventies, we find the first film to use digital image processing with "Westworld" (1973), and three years later, its sequel "Futureworld" (1976) would be the first to use 3D images. However, it was in the eighties that the release of "Tron" (1982) marked a new era for special effects in the film industry. "Tron" was the first film to extensively use CGI, showcasing a completely virtual world designed exclusively for the movie. Subsequently, "morphing" would appear, a technique where a sequence of images gradually transforms into another through small variations, first seen in the movie "Willow" (1988). A year later, James Cameron himself integrated CGI realistically in a sequence in "The Abyss" (1989), making them part of the cast alongside the actors.

Although "Terminator 2" did not invent CGI, there was a before and after due to the impact of its use in the film. The most striking effects are related to the on-screen appearances of the T1000, the film's villain portrayed by Robert Patrick. It is, in fiction, a prototype of liquid metal capable of transforming into anyone, offering several moments of great artistic beauty and spectacle that still captivate despite a quarter of a century having passed. It could be said that "Terminator 2" was the first major commercial film to base its success on the use of special effects, turning CGI into a genre of its own.

Following this, we had "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Toy Story" (1995), "The Matrix" (1999), "The Lord of the Rings" (2001), "Avatar" (2009), and techniques like motion capture, match moving, or virtual cinematography... and much more to come.

James Cameron is personally overseeing a 3D version of "Terminator 2" set to be released later this year; giving us the opportunity to once again enjoy or discover, for some, one of the key films in FX history. As Schwarzenegger already said in the first installment of the saga: I'll be back!