Review of Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (HD DVD)

Introduction

Arguably one of, if not, the best action films of all time, Terminator 2: Judgement Day came on the back of a tidal wave of acclaim over the groundbreaking special effects created by Industrial Light and Magic. Even now, Robert Patrick`s T2 doesn`t look a whole lot different to Weta`s recent Silver Surfer. Luckily, the film lived up to it`s hype and can probably be regarded as one of the best sequels of all time, raking in huge amounts of cash for all involved.

Lighter in tone than the first, and the most expensive movie ever made at the time, the film is a milestone in visual effects. You can really see the money on the screen, and none more so than on this HD DVD release of the film. It`s worth noting that the disc is the Directors Cut of the film, as it`s not noted on the case at all. It`s not until the menu displays (after skipping past an annoying trailer montage) that you know which version of the film you`ve purchased. Whether this is an oversight or not, it`s possible that it could be a decider on whether to buy or not to buy, for many film fans. Further to that, the French HD DVD release (not reviewed) features both the Theatrical and Director`s cut in a 2-disc set, so if you`re a completist it`s worth seeking out the version across the pond.

For me, this HD DVD release features the best cut of the film, running in at 147 minutes.

Video

It goes without saying that you are buying a much sharper, and visually striking version of the film. However, it won`t convince many HD DVD cynics to upgrade, and neither should it do. The print is a little noisy at times, and very minor scratches are visible, particularly during the opening scenes. It wouldn`t surprise me if we eventually see a remastered version of this film, if the HD DVD format manages to avoid being terminated.

For all its (minor) negatives though, this is the best I`ve ever seen the film looking and should still impress.

Audio

As is standard with just about any action film, when the film is loud, it`s VERY loud. The DTS-HD (lossless) track was unplayable on my machine, leaving me with a standard DVD equivalent audio track, which it has to be said, still sounds great.

Features

A trailer, and a simple audio and video calibrater. The menu itself is pretty bland, with three simple boxes, which are hardly the best example of how to use the clever interactive HD DVD menu system.

Conclusion

For those that don`t already own the DVD, it`s still a hard disc to recommend, just because of the lack of extras. The image is better, as you would expect it to be, so if you`re after a copy of the film, and special features are unimportant to you, then it`s definitely worth considering. As I noted earlier in the review, the picture is still very good, even if it`s not outstanding. It just feels a little like a rush job, and reminds me of the very early vanilla DVD releases. As such, I have a sneaky suspicion that there`ll be further releases of this film, which is hugely frustrating as much of the special feature content is readily available on previous DVD releases. This practically guarantees that owners of the DVD version won`t be double dipping on this disc, and makes it hard for me to persuade them otherwise.

Surprisingly, most of the CGI effects stand up very well still, even in sharp HD detail. The anamatronic and prosthetic effects don`t fare quite so well, but considering the film`s age, it still has the ability to wow (just check out the reflections on the body of the T-1000). What this film did so well, in its use of effects, is use them to aid the storyline rather than drive it. It`s still one of ILM`s finest hours, and makes you hope Cameron can still find that fine line in the forthcoming Avatar.

The film itself is hugely enjoyable, with outstanding action sequences that its sequel - Rise of the Machines - found hard to better. Patrick takes over the role Arnie played in the original, unrelenting in his pursuit of Furlong`s John Connor. In his breakout role, Furlong does tend to whine his way through the film, with his semi-broken voice, but is perfectly watchable and less irritating as the film goes on. He plays off well against Schwarzenegger, in a role that has shadowed him in most of career (remember him in much else apart from American History X?)

Aside from the effects, the most memorable transformation is that of Sarah Connor (Hamilton), from innocent and fragile in the first film, to a muscle bound fighting machine in the second. The relationship between the main players really carries the film, with Arnie less restrained in his new role as the protector. It`s almost the perfect example of a contemporary action film, and should be on most DVD collector`s shelves, and if it isn`t and you own an HD DVD player, then now is as good a time as any to pick it up.