11. Show And Tell - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: Armed with knowledge of Skynets creator and an arsenal of weapons, Sarah attacks Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) and his family. Then John shows up with the T-800 and decides a little show and tell might be more effective.
Why Its Great: Poor Dyson and his family are completely oblivious to his role in the worlds demise. But thats nothing compared to the flabbergasted look on his wifes face as the T-800 slices the flesh from his arm and flings away the chunk like a butcher chucking cuts to his mutt.
Memorable Quote: Sarahs voiceover: Dyson listened while the Terminator laid it all down: Skynet, Judgment Day, the history of things to come. It's not everyday you find out that you're responsible for three billion deaths. He took it pretty well.
10. Robot Press - The Terminator
The Terminator Moment: The final moments of the first T-800s lifespan - crawling through a production mill to a cornered, cowering Sarah Connor.
Why Its Great: With thirty years of Terminator lore lodged in our collective minds, its easy to forget there was a time when the relentless nature of the machines still had to be proven. The eery scrapes, ringing out in a staccato clank as the half-decimated Terminator drags itself through a hydraulic press, were just a signifier of the lengths the machines would go to to eradicate John.
Memorable Quote: Youre terminated, fucker.
9. The T1000s Death - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: Theres a split second where it appears the T-1000 has the better of Sarah... until the T-800 rolls around the production line and blasts him with a rocket launcher. The impact sends the hideously disfigured machine plunging into the molten steel.
Why Its Great: Flailing in the orange hues of the burning liquid, the T-1000s termination is executed by "killing" every human hes mimicked. The contorted forms of his victims thrash as if drowning in a burning sea, like a flame-gobbled run-through of his kill list.
Memorable Quote: (the busted-up T-800) I need a vacation.
8. Love Story - The Terminator
The Terminator Moment: Mere seconds before John is conceived, Kyle reveals to Sarah his real reason for returning to the past.
Why Its Great: The bare boned tinkling of the score and the convincing delivery by Michael Biehn, casually mentioning romance and time travel in the same breath. Together they offer a tiny glimpse into the emotional complexity sci-fi rarely investigates.
Memorable Quote: I came across time for you Sarah. I love you, I always have.
7. Bye, Bye Cyberdyne - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: Armed up the wazoo, Sarah, John, Miles Dyson and the T-800 march into Cyberdyne with the sole purpose of blowing every shred of Dysons painstaking and life-changing research sky high. With a host of bombs rigged to blow at the flick of a switch, a crew of SWAT cascade into the room. Sarah, John and the T-800 escape as a barrage of bullets knock down Dyson, who clutches the detonator until his very last breath.
Why Its Great: The T-800s learning processes are tested, as he incapacitates the swarm of police outside - without killing a soul - while Dyson sacrifices his own life and the entirety of his lifes work. In essence, the man who made the machine must die to ensure the robot who has come to understand the cost of humanity can never be manufactured. Trippy, huh?
Memorable Quote: (T-800 to John): Trust me.
6. Tech Noir - The Terminator
The Terminator Moment: Ducking out of the Terminators sight and into dingy nightclub,Tech Noir, Sarahs reprieve from his pursuit is all too brief as he barges his way in and hunts her down. The scene plays out like a real-life laser tag; a dimly-lit, smoke-filled chamber with participants screeching. Except theyre screaming for their lives as the T-800 riddles them full of bullets. Luckily, Kyle Reese makes himself known to Sarah for the first time and escorts her to a sort-of safe place.
Why Its Great: This moment houses the genesis of another classic one-liner from the Terminator canon, the reason Kyle gives to Sarah, traces of which have rippled throughout the series - but never with as much impact as this first time.
Memorable Quote: Come with me if you want to live!
5. The LA Canal Chase - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: After his narrow escape from the mall, John shakes free the T-1000 in the abandoned L.A. canals... for about twenty seconds. Behind the wheel of a colossal tanker, the T-1000 crushes a brick wall and slams into the concrete waterbed below. He pursues John, whose super-fast dirt bike doesnt seem quite so speedy now. Luckily, the T-800 scoops him up and the pair screech away...
Why Its Great: The momentary pause following the oil tankers crash and burn as a lone tyre rolls from the flaming wreckage. Is a tyre, or is it the Terminator?
Memorable Quote: (John Connors high-pitched yelps as the T-1000 smacks into him): Gah!
4. Hasta La Vista, Baby - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: Pesky liquid nitrogen. Leave it unattended and someones bound to slip in it. This time, the T-1000 is subjected to a downpouring of it, causing the mimetic polyalloy to seize up like a terrifying gargoyle.
Why Its Great: Hopscotching on the back of an earlier moment, the T-800 harnesses his capacity to learn quirky catchphrases while squeezing the trigger of his pistol. The result? An unstoppable killing machine shattered into countless tiny shards.
Memorable Quote: Err.... Hasta la vista, baby.
3. Ill Be Back - The Terminator
The Terminator Moment: With Sarah Connor safely scuppered away in a stuffy interview room at the local precinct, her robotic stalker transforms the police department into total carnage. In about two minutes.
Why Its Great: While its certainly that now-iconic line uttered in Ahnalds monotone that wedged this moment onto best-of lists, its the quasi-comical moment when he smashes through the front of the station in a beat-up car that nails the scene.
Memorable Quote: Ill be back.
2. The Pescadero Breakout - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Terminator Moment: John and the T-800 head to Pescadero Mental hospital to bust Sarah out before the T-1000 murders her horribly. The ever-resourceful muscle-bound Sarah breaks loose and so does all hell. The trio escape, with the T-1000 leaving a trail of corpses and gobsmacked bystanders.
Why Its Great: Sarahs transformation from prisoner to entitled badass is exhilarating. From beating up the slimy male nurse to holding Dr. Silberman (Earl Boen) hostage with a hyperdermic dripping with drain cleaner - this is what payback looks like. ... the T-1000s head splitting in two from a shotgun blast, showing off Stan Winstons SFX is pretty damn phenomenal too.
Memorable Quote: (Sarah to Silberman after breaking his arm) Theres 215 bones in the human body. Thats one.
