T2 3-D: Battle Across Time

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time is an attraction at various Universal Studios parks around the world including those at Florida, Hollywood and Japan.^[1] It is a mini-sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day and reunites director James Cameron and the main cast from the movie, including Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, Edward Furlong as John Connor, and Robert Patrick as the T-1000.^[1] The show is presented in two parts; a pre-show where a Cyberdyne Systems company hostess shows guests a brief video presentation about the company's innovations, and the main show, where live performers interact with a 3-D film.

Story

Queue

The queue features dozens of television monitors that show a series of video segments (which are being presented on the "Cyberdyne Information Network," or C.I.N.) about the latest innovations and products of Cyberdyne Systems. The video also includes several special musical segments, including two songs from the film; "Bad to the Bone" and "Guitars, Cadillacs", as well as a "live" video feed from Costa Rica of a performance of the song La Bamba. Mixed into the video cycle are live images of the waiting audience (in the manner of a closed-circuit security system) and two brief comical sketches of "customers" running afoul of Cyberdyne security - either being electrocuted by a security device or being arrested by security staff. Just before entering the pre-show auditorium, guests pass an unmanned kiosk where they pick up a pair of "safety visors" (which are actually Polarized 3D glasses) for use during the main show.

Pre-show

The pre-show is hosted in the "Miles Bennett Dyson Memorial Auditorium" by Kimberley Duncan and other Cyberdyne Systems Directors of Community Relations and Media Control. Here, the audience stands and views a promotional video about Cyberdyne's numerous technological innovations, which includes several references to the Terminator universe and a cameo by Shaquille O'Neal. However, the video and computers of the auditorium are suddenly interrupted by a message from Sarah and John Connor (who have hacked the Cyberdyne system) who exposes Cyberdyne's sinister plans behind Skynet and advises everyone to evacuate the building before they blow it up. Following the video, Kimberly Duncan reassures guests that security has the situation under control and invites everyone into the next auditorium for the main presentation.

Main show

Guests are ushered from the pre-show auditorium into a large theater where they are to see a demonstration of Cyberdyne's newest creation, robotic soldiers called T-70 Terminators. Once guests are seated, they put on their "safety visors" to watch a demonstration of the Terminators in action. However, John and Sarah arrive and disrupt the proceedings, followed by a T-1000 Terminator from the future, with whom they engage with automatic-weapons. Kimberly Duncan tries to stop the T-1000 but the attempt fails as she is strangled to death by the T-1000. A second Terminator, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, bursts through the movie screen "time portal" on his signature Harley-Davidson motorcycle to rescue John. He takes John back through the portal and into the future war between humans and machines. John and the Terminator make their way across the war ravaged landscape as they head towards Skynet. Along the way, they are chased by a Hunter-Killer (which was mentioned by Kyle Reese and seen in the first Terminator film), mini-hunters, and a terminator endoskeleton.

The duo successfully penetrate and descend with the audience into the Skynet core, where they battle the "T-1000000", a giant liquid metal spider that is similar to a very large T-1000. The Terminator finally sends John back to the present while he stays behind to blow up Skynet and the T-1000000. The show ends with the ground-shaking destruction of Skynet, leaving Sarah and John alone in the present time once again. Sarah finishes the show by saying that she feels that she owes her life to the Terminator for saving John's life. During this narration, a terminator endoskeleton's face fills the screen, which morphs into Schwarzenegger's face before the film fades to black, during which John and Sarah mysteriously disappear.

Cast

Production

The show was developed for the then-named MCA Recreation Services reflecting the studio's ownership of that time. A full scale mock-up duplicating the dimensions of the planned Florida venue was created in an airplane hangar at the Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley. The unique 3-D film format used six solid-state Iwerks projectors that were electronically interlocked to run 70mm film synchronously,^[2] at the high speed of 30 frames per second. The image was projected onto a triptych of adjoined silver screens. The effect of the six projectors running simultaneously results in what appears to be one, contiguous, 3-D image across the three screens, accomplishing a wrap-around effect reminiscent of Cinerama.

This 12-minute short featuring much of the cast and crew of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) cost $60 million to produce ($24 million for the film, $36 million for the venue), making it the most expensive venture per minute in movie history.^[1][3]

The attraction opened in the Hollywood area of Universal Studios Florida in Spring 1996, with additional venues opening in the Upper Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood on May 6, 1999 and the New York section of Universal Studios Japan on March 31, 2001. The Hollywood venue replaced a parking structure complex that previously held Fievel's Playland and An American Tail Theatre.

Terminator characters

T-1000000

The film features the T-1000000 (or T-Meg.), a gigantic spider-like version of the T-1000 seen in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It defends Skynet's CPU from attack. Like the T-1000, it is made of mimetic polyalloy, allowing it to form its legs into stabbing weapons. The only known T-1000000 was destroyed when Skynet's core was destroyed.

T-70

The demonstration featured as the premise for the film involves several large practical effects robots called T-70s, designed as mechanical soldiers, with large miniguns on their arms. They are the earliest terminator models shown to have a humanoid form with arms and legs.

In an interview for Starlog magazine, one of the ride's producers stated that originally, the T-800 endoskeletons from the Terminator films were going to be the machines being demonstrated. However, James Cameron pointed out to them that it was chronologically impossible for the T-800 Terminators to be present in a modern day because the T-800s were made by Skynet during the future war. As a result, the producers of the attraction agreed with Cameron and allowed him to design an early model Terminator for the attraction.

Halloween Horror Nights

At Universal Studios Hollywood, the Terminator Stage has been used for the annual Halloween Horror Nights event. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute was shown in 2009 at the Beetlejuice stage.

See also

• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• Universal Studios Japan
• List of amusement rides based on film franchises

References

External links

• Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time at Universal Orlando Resort
• Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time at Universal Studios Hollywood
• Terminator 2: 3D Battle Across Time at Universal Studios Japan
• T2 3-D: Battle Across Time at the Internet Movie Database
• Screenplay