Blue Sterling Roses

Although its striking liquid metal scenes were the strongest talking point among critics and filmgoers in 1991, it's worth noting that the number of effects shots was quite low, at least by modern standards. Of the theatrical cut's hundred and thirty-seven minute runtime, only three-and-a-half minutes of those showed the T-1000 undergoing some sort of metamorphosis.

Nevertheless, those shots were a huge undertaking, given the computer technology of the time. Industrial Light & Magic had to expand their team of artists to thirty-six, and those three or so minutes' footage cost a staggering $5.5 million to bring to the screen.

While ILM's achievements become harder to appreciate over the course of time (just because, as an audience, we're spoiled when it comes to effects), it's still easy to admire Cameron's kinetic directing, and some of the most remarkable stunt work of the 90s, courtesy of coordinator, Joel Kramer.

And then there's the sterling performance of Robert Patrick. An amorphous embodiment of death, he brings an appropriately lizard-like sense of coldness to a role with minimal dialogue. There's something unforgettably nightmarish about the way Patrick moves in this film, whether he's prowling around shopping malls, or both sprinting and shooting at the same time.