The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

You can call me AI.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 15, 2024

James Cameron's absolutely iconic sci-fi classic The Terminator has finally arrived on UHD... but given the hit-or-miss of his other films on the format as of late -- The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies, ranked in order from best to worst -- fans certainly have a right to proceed with caution. (You'll notice that I didn't include the 4K release of Terminator 2 on that list, because it's so bad that it barely even counts.) And while I certainly can't claim that this "new" 2160/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer offers a head-and-shoulders improvement over MGM's mostly well-received remastered Blu-ray, it's at least a side-step in the visual department yet offers appreciated improvements in all other areas including lossless theatrical audio (!) and a few reinstated bonus features. A Steelbook variant is also available.

For a full synopsis and appreciation of The Terminator, please see either Martin Liebman's review of the 2006 Blu-ray (which is old enough to vote now) or Michael Reuben's more recent review of the 2013 remastered Blu-ray linked above. Both of them awarded this film a full five stars, and I ain't about to argue with those numbers.

The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These slightly compressed screenshots are sourced from the new 4K disc but downscaled to 1080p/SDR; therefore, they should not be considered a 100% accurate representation of this release's video quality.

It's darkly ironic that The Terminator, a cautionary tale about the impending threat of artificial intelligence, would be mired in controversy regarding the use of AI for its "new" 2160p/HDR transfer... but this is James Cameron's timeline, and we're just living in it. Those who question my use of quote marks back there should know that The Terminator's 4K treatment appears to be sourced from identical elements to those used for MGM's (again, mostly well-received) 2013 remastered Blu-ray. This recycled master was reportedly completed in 4K but finished in 2K, and by that logic this release should be considered an upscale with the obvious benefits of better compression and HDR.

Yeah yeah, but how does it actually look? Much like Cameron's recent treatment of The Abyss and Aliens, I dare say that the good outweighs the bad: the older Blu-ray's almost absurdly tight amount of image detail and texture seen on specific items -- Lt. Traxler's tweed jacket and other fabrics, close-up text, weaponry -- has been heightened further here, which I'm guessing was aided by some sort of AI trickery or, at the very least, some good old-fashioned manual sharpening. Normally I'd call foul on this kind of thing but, in the majority of cases, it's extremely well done and looks surprisingly natural, grabbing and holding our attention without the usual accompanying side effects like ringing and other signs of edge enhancement. Colors also play a key role here, with HDR subtly emphasizing and bolstering many of the same hues -- some newly introduced -- from that remastered Blu-ray. At its very best, it's a striking effect that, occasionally light levels of artificiality aside, still somehow has the authentic feel of a production a from this era, albeit one with considerably lower (but not invisible) grain levels that render it somewhere between analog film and digital video. But let's put it this way: Lionsgate's rightfully maligned 4K treatment of Terminator 2 (which absolutely buried its native film grain and textures) actually made me enjoy that film less than earlier Blu-rays, but at no point did The Terminator's 4K transfer even come close to achieving that dubious and damning diagnosis.

That said, there are a few clear signs of "meh" on display. Those same AI sharpening filters don't always play nicely with other elements, from the foliage seen during Sarah's bike ride to certain hairstyles and select shots in less-than-ideal lighting, which briefly robs key objects of their remaining native textures from the remastered Blu-ray. Do these fleeting moments look as bad as Terminator 2 in 4K? Perhaps, but they're so brief and infrequent that it's hard to get too upset. Additionally, the brighter whites afforded by HDR don't really introduce any more details at the high end; rather, direct light sources often look a bit more blown-out than their Blu-ray counterparts. Again, not a deal-breaker, but it could've likewise been alleviated with a steadier hand (or a hand, period) on the controls.

To circle back and end things on a positive note, disc encoding is clearly better this time around, with basically zero signs of the occasional macro blocking or posterization seen on the remastered Blu-ray. (To be fair, 2013's smaller TVs and lower expectations probably didn't make them as noticeable back in the day.) The main reason is that it now runs at a healthier bit rate that hovers right around the 70Mbps mark, which is plenty given the amount of on-disc content here, and this helps to tie together what's essentially a good presentation; not great, mind you, but good enough under the circumstances. Of course it would look better with a fresh 4K scan and no processing, but that's simply not in the cards... so with that in mind, I'm mostly happy with what we get here and score it a 3.75/5.

The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Here's where the real good news arrives: in addition to a retooled Dolby Atmos remix of the existing (but rightfully controversial) 5.1 remix found on all previous Blu-ray editions of The Terminator, Warner Bros. has finally, mercifully resurrected the film's original theatrical mono mix (presented here in lossless split-channel DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio) as a secondary option. This will be my default choice from here on out, though: as die-hard fans of The Terminator can tell you, this mono option offers a substantially more authentic 1980s sonic experience than the surround track, which notably replaced more than a few stock sound effects and artificially sweetened the surround channels to within an inch of their life. There are those who might prefer the 5.1 or new Atmos option, of course, for its bombastic sound field that leaps out from the comparatively narrow dialogue and remaining original effects. I'm not one of them. I will, however, award the audio a full five stars since we get both options here. What more could you ask for?

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all extras listed below.

The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in standard keepcase with imposing cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The good news continues with the bonus features: we're still missing a few odds and ends from the old Special Edition DVD (chief among them Van Ling's full one-hour documentary Other Voices, from which at least one of the below extras is sourced), but we do get a few legacy extras that were left off the remastered Blu-ray.

• Deleted Scenes (7 clips, 9:59 total) - Presented as one group with chapter stops.

• RESURRECTED! Optional Commentary with James Cameron - This short but sweet collection of vintage deleted scene commentaries by the director offers insight on why they were left out.

• Creating The Terminator: Visual Effects & Music (12:58)

• RESURRECTED! The Terminator: Closer to the Real Thing (11:56) - This charmingly dated DVD-era featurette, produced by MGM, includes short interview clips with James Cameron, MIT postdoctoral associate Russ Tedrake, and Terminator 3 director Jonathan Mostow, who all offer their comments about the then-current state of robotics and its relationship to the Terminator franchise and science fiction in general.

• RESURRECTED! Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of The Terminator (9:38) - Another MGM-produced featurette from the good old DVD days, this lightweight piece features various creative types speaking about the Terminator franchise including Jonathan Mostow, filmmaker John Landis, writers Michael Ferris and John Brancato (T3), filmmaker Stuart Gordon, director James Cameron, and actor Edward Furlong.

Somewhat bafflingly, the familiar 21-minute featurette Terminator: A Retrospective (found on almost every past home video release including the 2013 Blu-ray) is not included here. Otherwise, it's a decent little set of extras.

The Terminator 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Cameron's The Terminator needs no introduction, as it's held up pretty gracefully during the past four decades. Previous home video editions like MGM's Special Edition DVD and remastered Blu-ray have earned good to great marks for their video, audio, and extras, with none completely excelling in all departments. That trend continues with Warner Bros.' brand-new UHD edition, which offers a good-not-great transfer, outstanding audio (including the welcome return of original mono!), and a small but enjoyable pile of extras that advances upon earlier Blu-ray editions. It's a package that die-hard fans will likely be unable to resist, even if there's still room for improvement. Recommended.