Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Widescreen) (2 Discs)

 

 

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We are all too familiar with the story of this movie, so I will spare you the details. "The Terminator" was a sleeper sci-fi hit that was a rarity in its genre. Movie-goers were beginning to see sci-fi films that rose above others in the genre and even other genres. "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Star Wars", and, the film that started the revolution, "2001: A Space Odyessy". What made "Terminator" so different was not just another bleak view of the future, but a tense, edgy thriller with some damn fine writing. But while it took an effort to make films like those, it took a greater one to make a sequel. "Aliens", "The Empire Strikes Back", and very few others accomplished this task successfully. As for "T2", unless you've been living under a rock, we all know how well it did. This is definitely the best of the series (in my opinion at least) and definitely one of the best action movies to grace the face of our planet. This is the movie that also started the trend of making action movies with ridiculously huge budgets and paying action stars ridiculously huge salaries. But T2 delivers, with a great story, stunning visuals, and Schwarzenegger in his prime. Plus who can forget Brad Fiedel's synthetic score which has been parodied numerous times?
Why another DVD though? This film has been put on DVD almost as many times as "Independence Day". Special features are somewhat reserved here, so what justifies another release? DVD producer Van Ling answers the question in a quaint little insert about how new technology has developed since the last T2 transfer. They can now present T2 the way it should be, digitally mastered from a 1080p, 24sf digital telecline transfer for "superior video and audio quality". This release of T2 is aimed toward the home theater crowd. All that confusing talk means that the picture is presented with more clarity.
And the sound is just awesome. The DTS track has been dropped from the "Ultimate Edition" in exchange for a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX track and a Dolby headphone track. If you have the technology, try to watch a DVD with a DTS track whenever possible. In the case of this DVD, there's only the Dolby 5.1 EX track. But the track on this "Extreme DVD" defies both the Dolby and DTS tracks from the "Ultimate Edition". It takes full advantage of a dimensional sound field.
The goodies here are minimal; a SFX documentary, a behind the scenes montage, and a few DVD-ROM goodies that I didn't bother to try. But there is the original version of the film available to Windows Media Player 9 users on the second disc. You can watch it on the first disc as well, it's disguised as an easter egg. On the main menu of Disc 1, hit the right button five times while highlighting "Play Extended Version". There's also an enhanced mode with behind the scnes and there's a spankin new commentary by James Cameron himself.
But the question remains; is this DVD worth buying? It really boils down to what your reasons are for buying this new DVD. If you don't own the film, yes. If you're troubled by the mediocre video quality of either of the first two releases, then yes. If you want Cameron's commentary and other new supplements, yes. And if you want to playback T2 in HD on your PC (and even if you find that your computer equipment is currently insufficient for HD playback), yes. But if you want extensive behind the scenes, you might want to stick with your "Ultimate Edition". This "Extreme Edition" delivers though, despite falling short in the behind the scenes section.

as good as the first terminator movie is,this one is better.it's got
harrowing action sequences,quite a bit of humour,and more character
development.it's not as dark as the first one.instead it has more of
hopeful tone.it has strong message too,that is becoming more and more
relevant each passing day Arnie is back,but this time his terminator is
has more dimensions to his personality.Joe Morton,a terrific(though
underrated) actor also plays a prominent role,and is also
terrific.Linda Hamilton returns and her character is much more defined
and has more to do.she is certainly up to the task.but
really,the(human)star of the movie has to be Robert Patrick in what i
think was a career making performance.the guy is just amazing.the
biggest star of all in this movie would have to be the special
effects.they were beyond cutting edge then,and they still stand the
test of time today.for me this movie is definitely in my top 10 movies
of all time.my vote for Terminator 2:Judgment Day is a perfect 5/5

Ahhhh, Terminator 2. After countless DVD releases and a substandard Blu-Ray disc featuring only the theatrical cut, it's nice to see the film get it's proper double-dip. The SkyNET Edition of T2 is essentially the theatrical and special editions of the film on one Blu-Ray, packaged within some nice bonus materials. It isn't perfect though.

The mainmost reason to buy this particular edition of T2 is because of Blu-Ray's capabilities. Here, they're put to awesome use. The picture has never been cleaner or sharper than in 1080p, and the new audio tracks are flat out rockin'. It's nice to hear a 6.1 DTS-HD lossless audio track rumbling the walls. So, from a purely moviegoing standpoint, SkyNET wins big.

That being said, the movie flops on bonus features. Well, actually, if compared to the majority of Blu-Ray releases out there, the film might fare well, but I pitted the SkyNET Edition against the standard-def ULTIMATE EDITION DVD, and it didn't win. The tin-case Ultimate Edition is now and out-of-print collector's item, and it still remains the quintessential king of T2 releases, bar none. Where the SkyNET Edition does pack in some interesting features (including an audio commentary with 26 crew and cast members), most of them must be accessed during the actual movie playback. Only a few of the features can be accessed from an index, and the important ones (like behind-the-scenes footage) are crunched down to a small window at the top right-hand corner of the screen. ARGH!!!

Why they just didn't decide to incorporate ULTIMATE'S plethora of bonus features (which clock in at almost 11 hours, last I checked) is beyond me. In short, the SkyNET Edition was supposed to usurp the throne, but it ended up falling a bit flat.

Nevertheless, this is the best way to actually watch Terminator 2. It's so squeaky clean that I actually noticed a few things I hadn't noticed before, even after having seen this movie for the 100th time. Not bad! The audio is a surround sound lover's dream come true, and the extras....well, they get the job done. Barely.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Get only if you don't want the extras
Probably one of the biggest sci-fi movies come on Blu-ray.

The SkyNet edition features both the theater and extended version of the movie plus the unused ending and... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Gis A. Bun

3.0 out of 5 stars If you don't want the extras this is fine....
Probably one of the biggest sci-fi movies come on Blu-ray.

The SkyNet edition features both the theater and extended version of the movie plus the unused ending and... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Gis A. Bun

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product
This is a great blu ray for those who love special features like myself. The exoskeleton skull was a lot bigger then I expected.

Published 10 months ago by biomajor09

5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleased :)
I purchased this item for my husband for Christmas and he was completely ecstatic! Great for any Terminator 2 fan. Shipping was very fast as well. I am a very satisfied customer!

Published 13 months ago by Katrina0509

5.0 out of 5 stars The reference for The Terminators movies.
Well , the Terminator franchise to produce the serie of movies on Terminators start right here , the Terminator 1 was for me like a movie pilot to test the market but this one get... Read more

Published on Jan 31 2010 by Daniel Goyette

4.0 out of 5 stars To Rashed Pulak Mahboob...
I think you need a firmware update for your player. Take a look on the company's official website; there should be instructions. Read more

Published on Jan 19 2010 by Joe

5.0 out of 5 stars very nice edition
It was the first time that I even heard about the skynet cut, and that was a very nice surprise. The picture was excellent, better actually than some recent movies I got on... Read more

Published on Dec 6 2009 by Adrien Rochereau

3.0 out of 5 stars Good edition, but not recommended for other blu ray users
First off, let me just say that I have become a fan of the Terminator series after watching the first movie on blu ray. It was absolutely breath-taking. Read more

Published on Jun 25 2009 by Rashed Pulak Mahboob

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Part Two
Usually sequels are never better than the original, but T2 is the exception. The story and graphics as well as the concept take this series to another level.

Published on Mar 26 2008 by Thrissur

1.0 out of 5 stars REQUIRES A DRM LICENSE TO PLAY!!!
I bought this DVD set because it includes an HD version of the movie to play on my computer (which is hooked up to my HDTV). Read more

Published on Oct 12 2006 by Jacques Bouchard

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