Terminator 2: Judgment Day [Blu-ray]
Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 01/08/2008 Run time: 21 minutes Rating: R
After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon
After he pushed the envelope of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned this hotly anticipated sequel to Terminator into a well-written, action-packed showcase for advanced special effects and for one of the most invincible villains ever imagined. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a legitimate sequel: there's more story to tell about a hulking, leather-clad android (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader (Edward Furlong) from being killed by the tenacious T-1000 robot (Robert Patrick), whose liquid-metal construction makes him seemingly unstoppable. The fate of the future lies in the balance, with Linda Hamilton (who would later marry her director) reprising her role as the rugged woman whose son will change the course of history. --Jeff Shannon
Terminator 2: Judgment Day [Blu-ray] Accessories
 The Terminator [Blu-ray]
Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines [Blu-ray]
Total Recall [Blu-ray]
The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]
Stargate (Extended Cut) [Blu-ray]
Predator [Blu-ray]
Independence Day [Blu-ray]
Black Hawk Down [Blu-ray]
Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines [Blu-ray]
Hellboy (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day [Blu-ray] Reviews
Every time you think he's dead he comes back to life. It was directed by James Cameron (director of the Titanic) who's known to be a perfectionist and it shows. The dialogue and action sequences are sharp, and the movie benefits from the Blu-ray upgrade. I think this is the best of all of Arnold's movies. That is forgivable, however, because it is a common thread to scary/action type movies. The only downfall of the movie is that it suffers from the unkillable bad guy.
While it was a noisy movie, and it was peppered with lots of gunfire and explosions, there wasn't much to SAVOR visually; not like, say, Blade Runner [Blu-ray] or Gattaca [Blu-ray], sumptuous visual feasts you'll indulge again and again. And I was, like, how did THAT happen. Then I bought "Terminator 2" in Blu-ray, because it was so cheap. But even then, I wasn't comfortable with the extreme callousness presented at times as so cool. But I'm thinking it now. Back then, like everyone else, I was caught up in the event of the movie itself.
But I found myself plum bored stiff by its antics. In that last viewing, I realized that I had always felt this way about it, but the movie was just so aggressive, I dared not permit myself to fully think it. As it turned out, the Blu-ray edition didn't really add much to an already lackluster experience. But considering my current ennui with this whole genre, it didn't matter to me.
To reiterate what others have said, it is indeed a stripped down affair. Every scene would be written so Arnold can strike that cooler-than-thou pose, a shtick really, with his throwaway lines and disregard for destruction. Then I discovered she had never seen the Terminator movies, and thus didn't really understand how it all fit together. It was silly and ultimately boring. When the "Sarah Conners Chronicles" began, my girlfriend became an ardent fan. So my Blu-ray library doesn't become as cluttered as my SD DVD library has become, I gave my copy away to my son. Remove the cuteness and the action, and what's left really. For some, that might appear cute, but really it demonstrates the shallowness of the story in that it relied on the good guy treating flesh-and-blood human beings like cartoon characters.
It's an ACTION movie. It was fresh then, and it's still the one that started this whole big-budget sci-fi-action genre, and it made Schwarznegger a star. It's not really GOOD science fiction. By the time that movie was made, anything Arnold was in was instantly an ARNOLD vehicle, and that was it's primary feature. So we watched the SD copy of "The Terminator" I had in my library, and we liked it. For example, it is NOT cool to blow an innocent person's knee out, and make it humorous with a guttural reminder of its strict compliance with John's earlier instructions that he not kill people. .
YES, TERMINATOR 2 is unspeakably awesome; YES, TERMINATOR 2 on Blu-ray is a good thing.BUT NOT THIS VERSION. The original film is a bit grainy to begin with, but in previous VHS and DVD transfers it was never enough to be distracting. I get the feeling they went through the HD transfer process as fast as possible to cash in on the HD market. Here, in 1080 resolution, the grain is so bothersome that it strikes me more as digital noiseeven STATIC at worstthan actual celluloid texture.
So don't buy this Blu-ray release of it yet, because if history is any teacher, TERMINATOR 2 is going to receive the same double and triple-dipping treatment it did on DVD, and the next release is likely to have a better transfer and bonus features.the same thing already happened with THE FIFTH ELEMENT. I purchased this Blu-ray recently and found it to be a waste of money.
It looks little better than what the old DVD version would on upconvert. Both ROAD WARRIOR and TERMINATOR 2 have roughly the same amount of grain in their image (and the VHS and DVD transfers were comparable), but the Blu-ray transfer of THE ROAD WARRIOR is GLORIOUS, and the grain actually accentuates the image (worth every penny); logically, the TERMINATOR 2 image should be on par at LEAST, but instead it underperforms.
For one, it's THEATRICAL CUT ONLY. For a movie with so much technical precision and BTS material found on previous releases, this is a GRIEVOUS oversight.
Third (and final), the transfer is TERRIBLE. Second, this version is EXTREMELY BARE BONES: it's just the movie and 2 commentary tracks (one from 1993, the other from 2003) and THAT'S IT.
Interestingly, I recently bought THE ROAD WARRIOR on Blu-ray and noticed the difference.
If your a fan of this movie series you might want to get this, however its only marginally better definition then the dvd (especially if you have an upconvert dvd player). So basicly you give up some nice special features for a marginal increase in definiton. If its about 10 dollars or so, or if they rerelease it with special features and improved definition then it would be worth it otherwise just stick with the special editon dvd. This blu-ray does not have the special features available on some of the special edition dvds.
This is probably the best dvd I own as far picture and sound quality, the features are great which I have heard have been cut on the Blu-Ray. That's a travesty, considering how awesome this movie is. I don't mind waiting until a comparable version comes out on Blu-ray. When I got my Blu-ray I wanted to test it with this movie, unfortuanately from what I understand I'd be better off sticking with this version.
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