Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Three Act Structure

James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgement Day follows Hollywood's three act structure of filmmaking fairly well.

In the film, the first act introduces the main characters, such as John Connor, Sarah Connor, and the two terminators. This act lasts until about the thirty-two minute mark, where the inciting incident occurs, thus transitioning into the second act. This act develops through the separate depictions of each John, Sarah, and the terminators, establishing their identities and locations. For example, Sarah is in the insane asylum, which will become very important in the second act. The inciting incident in this film happens when the more advanced, antagonist terminator finds John Connor in the mall and attempts to kill him.

The second act contains multiple conflicts and problems, while always present is the looming threat of the terminator that is out to kill John. This act includes Sarah breaking out of the mental hospital, with the help of John and his ally, and it also consists of the destruction of Skynet. However, by the end of the second act, the terminator is still trying to kill them, and although they've successfully (or so they believe) prevented the Judgement Day from ever happening, the resolution is yet to come. The second act ends with the truck full of liquid nitrogen crashing, causing the terminator to freeze and finally concluding with Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous line, "Hasta la vista, baby," at approximately two hours and ten minutes into the movie, making the second act about 98 minutes long.

The third act contains the climax and the resolution. It is approximately twenty-two minutes long, and contains the suspenseful battle between the two terminators. The climax occurs as the two battle it out. Eventually, the resolution happens as the antagonist terminator is blown into the pit of magma that finally  destroys him. This final act also consists of the departure of Schwarzenegger's character, as he is lowered into the pit by John Connor because he "cannot self-terminate."