Terminator 2: Judgment Day (UK)

Brief review Paul Lammas New Zealand Australasia
sammalluap[at]moc.liamtoh

While contemplating my early teens I thought to myself what movie really struck me , it quickly came to me that Terminator 2 with its heart pounding action scenes and ominouse music score was the movie that captivated me and scared me. So when i eagerly anticipated the reales of the special addition DvD i watched the movie again and though hmmm what could they do to improve a first grade movie like this. Well to my joy the DvD relese will bring much happiness for the many Terminator fans out there the image is so close to perfect that youll be shocked, audio is also vastly improved, theres also so much documentation icluded on the disk youll get so much out of this Dvd is a must have I ADVISE YOU to run to a shop and grab a copy

Never before has the word `Ultimate` meant so much.
This is easily the most impressive region 2 DVD yet!

The Movie - An excellent and satisfying sequel to the 1984 hit `The Terminator`. Great acting and astounding special effects make this one meaty movie!

Video - The movie has been beautifully remastered. The blacks in the picture are black and I still haven`t spotted any trace of a bad picture transfer. Excellent.

Audio - This movie needs to be played LOUD! It contains a DD5.1 EX track AND a DTS track. The rear speakers on your system (if you have them) are put to good use with footsteps, gunfire and explosions, and the voices in the movie are so clear, that there was no need in Momentum putting subtitles on the disc! This IS the most impressive audio I`ve heard since Saving Private Ryan.

Features - Right, where do I start? The word packed comes to mind because that is literally what Momentum have done with this disc! 3 good documentrys (not the crap ones, where all they do is promote their movie) accompanied by about 3 and a half hours of supplement material, split into a kind of journal or diary (although the navigation is a bit hard to use), the whole movie script and 2 extra scenes. Wow.

Overall - I am very impressed with this package because it nearly stays faithful to the US version. The only problem is that there`s no seamless branching! (In the US version, you can choose to watch 3 versions of the film: The cinematic release, the special edition or the ultimate edition. With this version it`s the special edition or nothing. It`s not a big loss though because the ultimate edition scenes can be accessed seperately.) Anyway, this IS the No.1 Region 2 DVD package. :)

well what can i say,terminator 2 is the best sci-fi movie ever
made,and it`s my favourite film of all time by now every one
should know the plot this disc has the most special features
i have ever seen,there is just one let down,there is only the
directers cut not 3 versions of the film like the region 1 dvd.

After a long delay due to difficulties mastering the discs, Terminator 2: Judgement has finally arrived on UK DVD.
I don`t think I need to tell the story as everyone knows it. What I will say though is that this a great film that continues the Terminator saga and is one of the best sci-fi action films ever made. The picture is flawless. Everything is clear and detailed and there are no picture problems whatsoever. Even better is the sound which is incredible. The DTS kicks serious ass and deserves to be played LOUD!! Just find out when your neighbours are out before watching. Hell, watch it loud even if they are in.

The extras are everything you could want and more! On the 1st disc, there is an audio commentary from lots of cast and crew and bios. The second disc is split into three sections: Information Programs, Visual Campaigns and Data Hub. Information Programs contains three documentaries: The Making Of Terminator 2, T2: More Than Meets The Eye ( which is about the Special Edition )and The Making Of Terminator 2 3D. All the documentaries are very interesting and informative. Visual Campaigns contains a teaser trailer, 2 theatrical trailers and a Special Edition trailer. The teaser is the most interesting trailer as it shows a Terminator factory.

The final section Data Hub contains storyboards, the script, stills and video clips. This section will take you ages to get through but it contains all the information about the film you could want. If you access the Data Core, you can choose information you want to look at so you don`t have to sit through the whole lot. The two extra scenes from the extended special edition are also included as an easter egg. On the main men on disc 1, click on the numerical pad and go from top to bottom. You should then see the words The Future Is Not Set which takes you other menu with the two scenes in it. The menus themselves are great and are some of the best I have seen.

Momentum should be congratulated for releasing not only their best release but also one of the finest DVDs ever released. Although it lacks three versions of the film ( it only contains the Special Edition ), everything else from the R1 is here. This really is a Ulitmate Edition. It is also an essential film for every collection. Get it! Get it now!

Best action movie of all time :)

A Virtual Remake of the first with a huge budget.This disc is good but the region 1 was so much better.

Content

One of the best films that has ever been made in my humble oppinion and certainly Arnolds best film (apart from maybe the first terminator)

Video

Very nicely cleaned up for what is quite an old film now

Audio

DD5.1 and DTS which both work well for this big budget action film

Features

Something for every one, very interesting documentaries, deleted scenes, video clips etc. All of which make a nice collection.

Overall

Superb film with good picture and sound, which comes with a great set of extras.

Terminator 2, 3 words great, ausome and amazing

Picture:
great, i havent spoted one bad transfer yet

Sound:
amazing, everthing as clear as daylight

Features:
WOW, theres 3 documentaries, which are very interesting, 4 trailers, and the data chore which contains 60 video clips, 3000 stills of data archive, 700 stills of storyboards and 574 pages of script

only dissapointment was that there was only 1 version of the film(i didnt care much)overall best dvd iv seen

This is a really good film and the best from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Extras are top notch and DTS Sound is rocking and really good even though DTS Didn`t exist when this film came out.

I was a little dissapointed with this DVD, after all the postive reviews i had read i decided to get it. The film is great, sound and picture is first class. The extras a good as well. The one thing that annoyed me was the menus! There a pain to navigate through. Everything has strange titles. I can`t believe these menus are designed by the same person whobrought us the excellent star wars menus.

Overall a great disc, just the menus that annoy me!

MOVIE
Probably one of the best action movies of all time, and certainly one of the most groundbreaking, it`s another EPIC ACTION MOVIE FROM JAMES `KING OF THE WORLD` CAMERON. It is a certain truth that no-one but he can make a film like this, he is the only one crazy enough. The action scenes are wonderful, the effects still amaze, the plot is good and moves along at a fair pace, and whats more, it`s the role Arnie plays best, although Cameron decided on the dodgy option to try to get the robot/Arnie to show emotion. His bad there I`m affraid. Still, when a movie is thsi exciting, it doesn`t matter, because you know the T-1000 is just around the corner. When they are on the run, this is when the film is at it`s best. Still, in a few years time I reckon it might begin to date a little, but who knows.

VIDEO
A very good remastering.of the movie, this is nice and clear with very little grain, and also good colour, which is quite muted at times to show a certain grimness of the look of the world I guess. I`m probably talking rubbish there.If you have any complaints please write to....

AUDIO
Oh, it is just so damn loud. And in a movie like this, this is a good thing. The only thing that would shake your house more than this is Al Pacino with a megaphone. DTS on this to all you rich folks.

EXTRAS
So we lose two editons of the movie because we`re R2, but it`s not a great loss, because the one we do get is the best version of the movie. The two extra scenes are available on disc two as well. There is a commentary, but it is just a well edited collection of interviews. At first this is a strange way to go about it, but you soon realise it is very clever, as although it doesn`t feel that personal, you get a wide view from people, and something that is always relevant from many different people. Onto disc two, and there are a few featurettes, although how intersted anyone can get about the making of a theme park ride is debatable. The others are good though. Then there are all the trailers, and then just a hell of a load of pages of text. This is OK if you have the time or inclination to read them, but if you don`t, then they come across as quite boring. To be honest I prefer it all in documentary form myself, but hey, it`s an opinion folks. So shoot me if you don`t agree.

Feature:

Though it took a long time to get to us James Cameron`s best movie has finally been released. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
is the most enjoyable and fun sci-fi/action film ever made. In
a surprise twist the sequel is much better than the original and it didn`t bomb at the box office. You can always rely on Cameron to make an action film with lot`s of plot and story.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the terminator and gives us a performance worthy of a few laughs. Let`s hope when terminator 3 is finally made it`s as good as this.

Sound:

Outstanding, whether it`s Dolby Digital Ex or the awsome DTS track, play this film loud as it was meant to be.

Picture:

Faultless. A perfect transfer.

Extras:

The ultimate edition isn`t as good in the extras department. There`s three good documentaries, ut the most interesting is the video archive which as the booklet says is a film school on a disc.

Movie- The sequel to the unforgettable 1984 film, this film is set 10 years after the original Terminator was destroyed. This time, Skynet has sent in a second terminator to eliminate the leader of the human resistance, John Connor when he was still a boy. One that is superior than the original terminator. A second protector was sent back in the time in by the human resistance to protect a young John at all cost.

There are many sequels that never live up to the original. This is an exception, not because of the SFX but because the entire plot is expanded from the original. For example, we get to know who`s behind Cyberdyne systems (there are many examples but I can`t remember off the top of my head right now).

Video- Presented in it`s original 2.35:1 anamporphic widescreen, I can actually see things that I missed from my taped copy of T2. Colours are vibrant and free from that washed out look, need to say more.

EDIT: Looking closer at the video quality using WinDVD, I was very disappointed by the results. In addition to the few black specks that appear throughtout the film, this is one of transfers faults. The major fault is the use of excessive edge enhancement. This is not noticable on casual viewing however, the zoom in feature supplied on WinDVD shows obvious signs of haloing. The most obvious scene with edge enhancement is on `Officer` T-1000`s Police car. There is a white trail on the numbers printed on the side of the car. There`s even a white trail above the T-1000`s head! The image also gets all blurry if you use a projector. Very, very bad! The marks for video is decreased from 9 to 7. The audio department isn`t affect.

Audio- The audio department is better than the video. I got three words to say this: PLAY IT LOUD! Presented in DD 5.1 and DTS, they are very aggresive mixes. The speakers are used widely whenever there is an action scene(lots of action). There is a 2.0 surround option if you only have two speakers. All 3 mixes are free of hisses and pops. A mind blowing mix.

Extras- Before you get the exceptional LOTR: Extended Edition DVDs, this has the most extra content of that time. The first disc has a commentary that is compiled from several interviews with intro from Van Ling. This is not worth listening to as I consider this to be a fake commentary. There is an easter egg as well. Clue: Date of Judgement Day

The 2nd disc contains the goodies, there are three featurettes: Making of T2, T2: More than meet the eye and The making of T2:3D. All fairly straightfoward and speak for themselves.

Next, you get over 700 storyboards, the entire shooting script and video segments. All fairly interesting but the juiciest meat goes to the DVD supplement. This is basically a "Film school on a disc" as quoted by the booklet supplied with the DVD. This covers every aspect of film: script,casting,filming,sound etc. Most feature interview segments and some have multi angles and multiple sound channels. I won`t spoil the rest. Did I mention booklet? it also comes with a 30 page booklet.

Overall- IMO, this is Jim Cameron`s best work, with Aliens at a close 2nd. This is how a good sequel(along with Aliens) should be made and one that surpasses the original. Since this is a DVD benchmark, this is how ALL DVDs should be like. The only dissapointments are: there is only one version of film and the commentary should be recorded recently. The reason for the one version of T2 falls into the hands of the European authoring house, as they are unable to branch the scenes. Overall, one of the best DVD releases in my collection.