Movie Reviews

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as "The Terminator" in this explosive action-adventure spectacle. Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. Linda Hamilton reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother; a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy - the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created.

Cameron’s epic follow up and probably the first film to really drive home the “Summer Blockbuster” moniker makes its second showing on Blu-ray. This release is similar to the Ultimate Edition DVD and features three separate cuts of the film that can be viewed via seamless branching. I’m glad to see Lionsgate decide to release the extended cuts but I’m a bit disappointed that the overall package seems a bit ho-hum compared to some of the more elaborate editions on the Blu-ray market today. But I guess this was the perfect timing for the release given the fourth installments imminent debut into theaters next weekend.

The image quality of this film has always been a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve owned countless editions, including no less than 4 now in HD, and the results are always slightly different. The original release on Blu-ray was good, but this film just doesn’t have the razor sharp look we’ve become accustomed to with so many other HD releases. Compared to the previous release, this one looks a tad less detailed making me think some image quality was sacrificed to get the other cuts on the disc. The film still looks largely like I remember it though and the sense of dimension and depth of image is still pretty strong. Contrast levels are good and the color palette is only slightly muted for its time. Not a perfect presentation, but still a decent effort from Lionsgate.

The soundtrack is presented in 6.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and seems to be sourced from the same mix as the previous DVD’s 6.1 DTS track. This has always been a fun mix and the bottom end is intentionally amped a bit to add a bit more dynamic punch. The sound design is still quite strong but not as aggressive as some newer films out there. Imaging is excellent all the way around and there is plenty of surround presence throughout the track. While not quite the reference caliber it used to be, this one still packs a wallop.

Cameron favorite Van Ling produced this one and the menus are very similar to the previous Ultimate Edition DVD. While this makes for a pretty cool interface, I was annoyed by the long load times and messages about my BD-Live abilities. This is one of the longer loading discs out there. Still you get some interesting supplements including a picture-in-picture commentary and storyboard to scene comparison using Bonus View. There are also some games and a cast and crew commentary. Essentially this is the same as the previous DVD release, it has just been polished a bit for the Blu-ray interactive experience.

The second in what will sure to be many more Blu-ray release finds its way to Blu. The A/V presentation is quite good here, but I still think there is room for improvement.