8.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
It has been 10 years since the events of "Terminator." Sarah Connor’s ordeal is only just beginning as she struggles to protect her son John, the future leader of the human resistance against the machines, from a new Terminator, sent back in time to eliminate him while he’s still a child. Sarah and John don’t have to face this terrifying threat alone, however. The human resistance have managed to send them an ally, a warrior from the future ordered to protect John Connor at any cost.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick, Earl BoenAction | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 69% |
Thriller | 64% |
Adventure | 58% |
Epic | 38% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 ES Matrix
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: Dolby Digital Headphone 2.0
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
This is gonna blow 'em all away.
In the entire history of motion pictures, few, if any, sequels hold as many distinctions as James
Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Perhaps the biggest follow-up ever to a
modestly-budget film, T2 arrived in
theaters on July 3, 1991 to intense scrutiny, incredible hype, and colossal expectations. The film
aced its many tests, delivering a perfectly-balanced story, groundbreaking special effects, and
wonderful performances, all the while adding to the lore of the Terminator universe
established in the first film without sacrificing its integrity. By 1991 The
Terminator had become a fan favorite, not to mention the film that would mark the
beginning of a string of mega-hits helmed by Director James
Cameron that would carry him to nearly unparalleled heights as one of the industry's leading and
most bankable directors. Still, it was 1991's Terminator 2 that would solidify his career
and pave the way for his effort on Titanic, the film that would sink all box-office
records, still holding that distinction more than a decade after its theatrical release. Of all the
films in his repertoire, though, T2 may be the most important. Though
not his highest grossing film or perhaps even his best (rivaled by 1986's Aliens and the
original The Terminator), Cameron's T2 will always be remembered as a film
that redefined the summer movie experience by delivering dazzling and innovative special effects,
an intensely-paced and incredibly smart story, and featuring Hollywood legend Arnold
Schwarzenegger (Predator) in his
career-defining role.
Buy this movie again if you want to live.
Terminator 2 again morphs onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. T2, inherently, does not seem to offer the potential for dazzling, eye-catching visuals. The film is generally dark and steely in appearance and with a rather flat look about it. Still, the movie holds up well when taken into proper consideration. This VC-1 encoded "Skynet Edition" seems to have more in the way of noise reduction applied to it versus the previous release, but it also looks a bit sharper, offers a slightly improved range of visible detail, and looks a bit darker in comparison to the original Blu-ray release. When watching the film -- whether during the exterior shots of each Terminator's arrival to the past, the late-night interior scenes inside the Pescadero State Hospital, or the interior shots of the Cyberdyne building -- this transfer reflects the heavily blue-tinted and, frankly, visually uninteresting look of the film well. As noted earlier, such scenes lack much in the way of depth, texture, and fine detail, and at times looks a bit soft. Daytime exterior shots or brightly-lit interior shots, particularly those inside the Galleria or partway through the film as Sarah, John, and the T-800 Terminator travel towards Enrique's home, offer more in the way of visible details, textures, and depth. Flesh tones never veer too far away from "normal," and blacks hold up fairly well, though sometimes appearing slightly too gray and bright, and occasionally meshing with the many dark blue color schemes. The transfer appears rather smooth in many scenes; grain is not heavy at all, and the print exhibits the occasional speckle. At the end of the day, though, one may wonder whether this edition looks "better" than the last. That's a matter of subjective opinion, though there is no doubt that this edition has seen more in the way of noise reduction but also enjoys a bit more in the way of clarity, sharpness, and fine detail.
Terminator 2 features a plethora of audio options, highlighted by the inclusion of a DTS-HD MA 6.1 lossless soundtrack. The film's futuristic battle sequence always serves as a potentially reference-grade sonic moment, and while it's not quite up to the level of excellence as more recent mixes, this lossless edition serves up wonderful clarity, amazing directionality, and rumbling bass, bringing to the sequence a new life and sonic excitement never before heard in the home. The track throws sound effects all over the soundstage throughout the course of the movie; they each play crisply and distinctly, though sometimes sounding like they don't quite belong where the track is placing them. Still, this one is a blast to listen to. Bass devastates the listening area in all the action scenes. Very impressive is a battle scene featuring the T-800, Sarah, and John firing a model 1911 .45 and a 12-gauge shotgun inside a closed elevator at the T-1000 above. Not only do the shots present room-shaking bass and power, but the reverberations of the discharges in the tiny enclosed space reflect the cramped location and, most importantly, draw the listener into the action by placing them inside the elevator with the characters. The track also features plenty of atmosphere, with many small nuances finding their way into the track that seemed to have been lost in the shuffle on previous VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, and even Blu-ray editions of the film. Rounded out by strong dialogue reproduction, this "Skynet Edition" of Terminator 2 represents the best the film has ever sounded for home listening.
Terminator 2 travels onto Blu-ray packed with a decent but somewhat underwhelming
selection of mostly recycled supplements, all of them squeezed onto the same 50 gigabyte disc
that houses the feature film. The menu is also cumbersome to navigate and
only remains on-screen for several seconds before vanishing, in many cases not allowing viewers
enough time to figure out which option they would like to select. The disc begins with a pair of
commentary
tracks,
the first dubbed "Production Commentary" and hosted by Creative Supervisor Van Ling. The
track
features a hodgepodge of participants, recorded separately, sharing a wealth of information about
the film. Each is identified atop the screen with a title, name, and photo. Track two, labeled
"Writer/Director Commentary," features Writer William Wisher and Director James Cameron.
A more traditional track but not necessarily more entertaining, Cameron and Wisher offer plenty
of
pertinent and interesting information about the shoot, the locations, the scriptwriting process,
the
acting, and most any other movie-related tidbits. Both tracks come highly recommended.
Interactive Modes features several picture-in-picture options. To access these features,
users must first select the feature from the menu, and then return to the top of the menu to
"activate" it, a needless extra step in what is already a cumbersome menu navigation system.
The following summaries of the pieces
are taken directly from the disc menu. Visual Implants allows users to "view
picture-in-picture video about the making of the film during the feature."
Trivia Data Overlay provides "text commentary and trivia during the film."
Production Data Overlay allows viewers to see "specific shot
methodologies during the film." Linked Data Modules "branch[es] out from the film to
[allow users to]
view behind-the-scenes slideshows with audio." Source
Code allows users to "view original storyboard sequences in sync with the film." Query
Mode provides a "T2 trivia quiz during the film." Finally, Processor Tests
allows users to "test [their] skills with minigames during the film."
Ancillary Data begins with a selection of 1080p teaser and theatrical trailers for the film
(1:17, 1:40, 2:05) followed by trailers for the special edition version of the film (1080p, 2:27)
and the T2 THX trailer (1080i, 0:47). Also included are two deleted scenes, T-1000's
Search (1080p, 1:27) with optional commentary by Robert Patrick and James Cameron, and
Future Coda (1080p, 1:50) with optional commentary by Stan Winston, James
Cameron, and Linda Hamilton. Also included are the Blu-ray disc production credits. Moving
along, Skynet Access is a BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) feature that was unavailable at
time of writing. Finally, this disc is D-Box enabled.
Terminator 2 leaves behind it a lasting legacy as both the cornerstone film in what is now a four-film series and as a benchmark Action picture that remains nearly as fresh and enticing as the day it was released to theaters. Though some films both before and after its release top it on the intensity of the action, the merit of the story, or the quality of the special effects, few capture the entire spectrum and excel across the board quite like Terminator 2. Oddly, the film's one negative is its massive proliferation, seemingly having reached a breaking point where overexposure and countless home video releases seem to have -- slightly -- lessened the film's magic. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release features more of the same. Included is a decent video presentation that, while different in several areas from its predecessor, offers neither a substantial upgrade nor a sharp decline in quality; an excellent lossless soundtrack; and plenty of recycled extras making up the bulk of the bonus presentation. No doubt T2 will see yet another re-release somewhere down the road, but until then, serious fans will want to upgrade to this Blu-ray or to the above-referenced "Complete Collector's Set," for the lossless soundtrack.
1991
Limited Edition T2 Complete Collector's Set
1991
Skynet Edition
1991
Special Edition
1991
Skynet Edition
1991
1991
+BD with the 3 versions
1991
Endo Arm Special Edition | +BD with the 3 versions
1991
Retro VHS Collection
1991
+BD with the 3 versions
1991
1991
1991
1991
Director's Cut
2009
1080i
2003
2015
40th Anniversary Edition
1984
2019
3 Disc Edition
2012
1990
2008
2015
2015
2020
2003
2015
1985
2009
Corrected Disc / Mad Max 2
1981
1999
2003
Collector's Edition
1979
2018