The Terminator (Blu-ray)
A sci-fi action classic finally makes it to Blu-Ray - The Terminator (Blu-ray) Blu-Ray Movie

Newest Review: ... John Connor. SkyNet hatches a plan to send a Terminator , a human form template containing a tough machine structure underneath, back in ti... more

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A sci-fi action classic finally makes it to Blu-Ray
The Terminator (Blu-ray)

giantrobot42

Member Name: giantrobot42

Product:

The Terminator (Blu-ray)

Date: 22/10/12

Rating:

Advantages: Best picture to date

Disadvantages: Lacking in extras

I won't go into details about the film itself as I'm sure most fans of this will have seen it many times already, so I'm going to review the disk itself.

This title has been available on import for a while in Blu-Ray format but wasn't an especially good release. Fortunately, this UK title has been given a proper HD upgrade and looks better than it ever has. It was given a full remaster and it looks like a lot of dust and scratches have been removed. There is still a level of grain which reflects the look of the film when it first came out and the effects look pretty much as they always have. I will say that the final appearance of the endoskeleton is very impressive, the chrome really stands out. For it's time, the stop-motion is very well done but by today's standards, it's showing it's age a little bit. Overall, this is the best looking version of the film you can get for now.

The soundtrack is still the same 5.1 remaster produced for the collectors edition of the DVD. I'd have liked the choice of the original mono but it's not available here. This is a shame as the newer soundtrack is a bit quieter than I would have liked, also the gunshots have been changed for different sounds which is a bit distracting if you've seen the film a few times as they don't really fit. However, the overall score works well with a surround sound setup and again, is the best around at the moment.

As for the extras, there's not a huge amount provided. The deleted scenes are probably of most interest as if these had been included, there probably wouldn't have been much scope for a Terminator 2. There's also a couple of featurettes (both in HD) which look at the special effects and a retrospective look back at the film with some interviews with cast and crew. These only run for around 30 mins altogether. It's not the definitive special edition that fans would like to see, there's no commentary from either Arnold or James Cameron and I'd like to have had the choice of the original soundtrack.

In summary, if you're a fan of the film and have an HD setup, then you should get this. It's not much more than a tenner on most sites which makes it a bargain.

Summary: Not quite the definitve edition but worth owning