Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 30, 2017

Here’s a little hint for those wondering if there’s a metric whereby reactions to home video releases can be measured: look at our Forum. When a thread devoted to any particular release is up to several hundred pages and several thousand responses, it’s a pretty good indication that something is up. It could be good (yeah, it could be), but chances are it isn’t, and with regard to the new 4K UHD release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, it is arguably not just “not good”, but downright bad. I’ve been mentioning Lionsgate’s somewhat peculiar “relationship” with 4K UHD product for several months now, something that became apparent to me over the spring and summer of 2017 when the studio seemingly just brought out releases randomly in this still somewhat new format. But along with Lionsgate’s odd choices of what to release have been some niggling but recurrent quality issues that I personally haven’t seen (or at least seen as much) in the 4K UHD product from other major labels that I’ve reviewed. Aside from the fact that the 4K UHD disc only contains the theatrical version of the film (the 1080p Blu-ray also included in this package boasts three versions), Terminator 2: Judgment Day on 4K is a really odd duck, though, one that has been shorn of virtually all film grain while also having its palette tweaked in ways that can’t be attributed solely to HDR. Why these changes were made has helped to contribute to the pretty intense at times conversation across the internet about this release, but I won’t posit any theories, other than to say (with tongue planted somewhat firmly in cheek) that this is not your father’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, at least in terms of how it looked in its original theatrical exhibition or even in some of its (at times despised) previous home video releases.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day has received several previous Blu-ray releases. Rather than rehash the by now well known plot, I refer you to my colleague Martin Liebman's Terminator 2: Judgment Day Blu-ray review for a thorough plot summary. I will mention only in passing, though, that if I were to participate in the giveaway we currently have running on this title as this review is being published that I would certainly list Terminator 2: Judgment Day as my personal favorite in the Terminator series. It's one of the most smartly written and viscerally exciting sequels ever made in my not so humble opinion, which is another reason why some of the technical issues surrounding this particular release are all the more disappointing.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. Fans have long complained about Terminator 2: Judgment Day's previous home video releases, to the point that some are calling this title "cursed", but it's interesting to note that my colleague Martin Liebman actually gave the first Blu-ray release a 4.0 video rating, even while he complained that the entire transfer was on the lackluster side (several users who have contributed reviews to the site gave the release much lower marks). The two biggest issues most videophiles will have with this new release are the near absence of organic looking film grain and some tweaks to the palette that, for example, add a kind of greenish-teal tone to several scenes that never had them before. Some folks in our forum have complained about excessive sharpening as well, but I saw no really outrageous signs of haloing or other phenomena that would suggest overly aggressive digital tweaking in that particular regard. Now I may raise some hackles with this next statement, but if (and it's a big, maybe massive, if) you can accept the aforementioned two major changes, especially the lack of grain which now gives the entire presentation the sleek, smooth look of modern digital capture, there is definitely an uptick in detail in the 4K "restoration". Even with grain scrubbed, elements like the pock marks on Hamilton's cheek or fabrics of costumes have a decidedly precise and sharp appearance. When some of the "new, improved" grading techniques aren't on display, the palette is actually rather nice looking, and some of the intentionally colored scenes (for example, some of the POV "scan" shots from the Terminator's perspective) pop quite vividly. Fine detail is actually quite good in my estimation in the many outdoor scenes once Sarah has escaped from her "confinement". I'm sure some fans think that both the Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs deserve zero scores in the video department, but I'm actually kind of conflicted. This is revisionism, to be sure, and rather peculiar revisionism at that, but from a (hopefully) purely objective standpoint, to my eyes detail levels are in fact improved in the 4K version. For that reason, I'm splitting the difference and giving the 4K video a 2.5, indicating a barely passing grade. (I've slightly upped the rating for the 1080p Blu-ray, ironically because the lower resolution doesn't provide the same clarity in terms of the some of the deficits in grain and changes to the palette.)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The first Blu-ray release that Marty reviewed years ago didn't even have lossless audio (this later release does), so fans perhaps have something to be thankful for on this new version, since the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix provides good immersion and some forceful LFE, especially in the film's final act when various showdowns accrue. I've read some complaints on our forum about amplitude, but through my receiver, everything sounded quite energetic, with well placed discrete channelization and regular engagement of the side and rear channels, and no substantial differences that I could discern from the lossless track on the 2015 Blu-ray release. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and the entire track is well prioritized.

Note: Audio and subtitle specs are slightly different for the 4K UHD and 1080p Blu-ray discs included in this package. The specs above are for the 4K UHD disc. The 1080p Blu-ray does not contain a German DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio option, nor does it feature German subtitles.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc included in this package has no supplemental material (something that accounts for the lack of a score above). The 1080p Blu-ray disc contains the following:

• Theatrical Version (1080p; 2:17:07)


• Special Edition Version (1080p; 2:33:13) comes with a warning that there are "variations in the picture, colour and sound quality" when compared to the Theatrical Version.


• Extended Special Edition Version (1080p; 2:35:55) comes with the same warning.


• T2: Reprogramming The Terminator (480p; 54:07) is a good overview of the film, with some interesting interviews and behind the scenes footage.


• The Making of T2 (480i; 30:54) is an archival piece from 1993.


• Deleted Scenes (480p; 3:18) feature two brief scenes with optional commentaries by either Robert Patrick and James Cameron, or Stan Winston, Linda Hamilton and James Cameron.


• Trailers (480p; 6:33)


• 23 Members of Cast and Crew Commentary actually lists a number that's a few less than on the original release, but I frankly haven't listened all the way through to see if someone was edited out.


• Director James Cameron and Co-Writer William Wisher Commentary

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Here's an idea: maybe the Terminator should come back from the future to caution Lionsgate about their kind of peculiar 4K UHD release strategy, not to mention some deficits in quality that seem to afflict this label's UHD product more than some others. I of course can't recommend this release outright, but I would say for those interested in a purely intellectual enterprise, it's kind of interesting to see this version looking like it was captured with an Arri Alexa or Red Dragon, and generally speaking I personally think detail levels are fairly striking throughout the presentation despite the obvious tweaking that's been done.