The movies that followed it have been a mixed bag but Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains a classic and it actually had a surprising sequel of sorts way before Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. James Cameron’s follow-up to The Terminator arrived in 1991, completing one of the best 1–2 punches in movie history. It wasn’t for another decade that we got the third Terminator installment, which was ultimately disappointing, as has been most of the other sequels.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the box office action star of the franchise, has appeared in all but one film in the series despite its mixed reception. However, he actually also returned to play the Terminator in between the second and third films in unexpected fashion. He reprised his role for a special attraction show at Universal Studios Florida, Hollywood, and Japan, and he was not alone.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Featured In The “Battle Across Time” Terminator Ride Set After Judgment Day

The Cast & Director Returned For This Attraction

Opening in 1996, T2-3D: Battle Across Time was a hit attraction for Universal Studios. This wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill attraction though, as it was actually set up as an official direct sequel to T2: Judgment Day. The first half of the attraction featured a Skynet hostess presenting a video about the company’s innovations, while the second half had performers who interacted with the 3D short film.

The 24-minute short cost around $24 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive movies per minute in history (via Orlando Sentinel). That pricetag may seem high but this short did mark the return of James Cameron as well as Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, Robert Patrick as the T-1000, and Edward Furlong as John Connor.

The story sees John and Sarah interrupt the show, chased by the T-1000 until the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) shows up and takes John through a time portal with him to the war between machines and humans in 2032. The duo must survive against Hunter-Killers and the T-1000 to face the spider-like T-1000000. In the end, the T-800 sends John back through the portal as he blows up Skynet and the T-1000000. Of course, the attraction makes you feel like you’re part of the action, spraying you with water and dropping you during the big explosion.

Battle Across Time’s Storyline Is No Worse Than Schwarzenegger’s Other Terminator Sequels

There’s Not Much To It, Putting It In Line With The Other Sequels

On the surface, the plot of Battle Across Time is simplistic and not really the kind of thing you think James Cameron or Arnold Schwarzenegger would return for. However, there’s a good chance they did because it was an innovative idea (which Cameron loves) and the franchise was still held in high esteem. Since then, the sequels have disappointed and might’ve been better if they opted for the simple approach of this special attraction.

None of the films have managed to have a storyline that has been well received and they mostly feel like missed opportunities. So, while this special attraction short film might not seem like exactly the Terminator 2 sequel that longtime fans wanted, at the very least it’s about as good as Rise of the Machines, Salvation, and Genisys.

There has been some discussion that this short film breaks Cameron’s own time travel rules as the T-800 shows up fully clothed on his bike while everyone else who time travels in the films to that point arrives naked. There is merit there as it makes sense to question that but it’s more than likely just a case of not wanting a Universal Studios ride to be R-rated. Even so, plot holes and such are kind of par for the course with Terminator sequels, so Battle Across Time fits right in.