Review of Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Introduction

If push came to shove, I`d have to admit that I prefer the original Terminator to its sequel. The only reason is that the first film was an edge of the seat nail biting thrill ride. The sequel is far more epic in scope and comes with a message to boot. In every respect it is better than the original, yet I persist in my preference. It`s still like comparing rubies to emeralds. Terminator 2: Judgment Day Ultimate DVD is one of the rarest of animals, a sequel that is as good as if not better than the original, a film with a credible child actor, and a director`s cut with added material that actually enhances and expands the story. Unbelievably all of this is in just one movie. It is hard to believe that this film is 10 years old, and watching the film is still a fresh experience.

Region 2 purchasers get just one version of the film on their shiny disc, the director`s cut that was released here on VHS a few years ago and has been screened by the BBC. There are about 15 minutes of extra footage fleshing out the characters and adding more to the story. T2 was the sequel to the surprise hit of 1984, but by now, after Aliens and Abyss, James Cameron had free reign to make the film of his visions. This resulted in a stunning tour de force of special effects, built around a solid story and an exceptional script.

Set 10 years after the events of Terminator, the sequel continued the story, focusing on Sarah Connor`s son John. A prototype super-terminator, a T1000 is sent from the future by Skynet to eliminate John Connor before he matures into the leader of the human resistance. To prevent this the future John Connor sends a reprogrammed T800 terminator back to protect him. After their initial meeting and escape, John and the T800 free his mother from a mental hospital and go on the run. Determined to change her fate and that of the world, Sarah decides to kill Skynet`s creator before he can create it.

Video

Visually we have an immaculate 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, the colours are pristine and the image is well defined, there source material has been well preserved and remastered and there is no evidence of age. I could see things that I missed the first time and could never see on VHS. The film design is excellent; there is a metallic blue feel to the feature that suits the story well. The effects were stunning ten years ago and have aged well. The computer-generated terminator is still impressive. I do have a problem with rear projection during driving scenes, especially at night. This detracts from the verisimilitude of the rest of the film, but this was a problem with the film when I saw it at the cinema and nothing to do with the DVD. Otherwise the look of the film is still superb.

Audio

Sonically we have the DD 5.1, the DTS and DD 2.0 soundtracks with the THX thingy (technical term). I had my room rattling. Brad Fiedel provided the music and progresses the score from the original film. A wonderful touch is the terminator theme playing when Sarah Connor tries to kill Dyson. I can`t fault the sound.

Features

Extras are amply catered for. With the main feature you get the usual cast bios and also a commentary. The commentary is advertised as contributed to by 26 members of cast and crew. While this is technically true, you find that the commentary as presented by Creative Supervisor Van Ling (also creator of the DVD), is also dominated by his contribution. Further to this, it sounds as if contributions by the others were recorded at different times and in different places, Eddie Furlong hasn`t apparently aged. The lie to this commentary becomes apparent when you see and hear the same comments repeated in the documentaries. This isn`t to say that the commentary isn`t informative or interesting, it`s just that it is contrived and hastily put together. I would have liked to hear what the filmmakers thought 10 years down the line.

Disc 2 gives us the afore-mentioned documentaries. Covering the making of the film, the special edition and the theme park extravaganza, they are fairly comprehensive and enjoyable, but as I mentioned, the movie documentaries are repeated in the commentary. Also available on this disc are 4 trailers. You can also access the screenplay, storyboards and video snippets showing 90 second interviews. Instead direct your attention to what amounts to a film school. This is about 60 chapters of material that takes you through the life cycle of the movie, from conception to marketing and incorporates the aforementioned items and places them in context. You get text and stills intermingled with little video presentations and the screenplay mentioned before which altogether amount to what feels like a college education in cinema. Thoroughly engrossing, you should expect to lose several hours of your life, nose deep in this material. However, I am not overly fond of the menus on the extras disc. Some bright spark thought it would be a good idea to give everything a technical name, like DATA HUB or DATA CORE or MISSION PROFILES. How annoying? I want to look at the stills or screenplay or trailers, not have to hunt for them because they`ve been labelled as CONTEXTUAL DOWNLOAD VISUALISATIONS or some such. Meanwhile, in the real world, you get a 32-page booklet covering the making of the film and a nice tin box, with the edges rolled over so you don`t cut your fingers. It makes a great pencil case.

Conclusion

Arnold Schwarzenegger does what he does best which is play robotic. It was a shame that his role was publicised prior to the films release in the UK, because the shock of him being John Connor`s protector would have been a brilliant idea. As it is, if you didn`t know before, as soon as you hear "Bad to the Bone" when he mounts the Harley, you know he`s the good guy. Linda Hamilton returns as Sarah Connor, and reinvents the role. Sarah Connor has been compared to Ripley in the Alien series and rightly so. Edward Furlong as the young John Connor is a breath of fresh air. Here we have a child actor who is unassuming and natural in the role. He is pivotal in the story and he carries of the role well and comes close to stealing the movie. We had to wait until Haley Joel Osment for a similar talent. Robert Patrick plays the evil terminator and is a brilliant contrast to Arnie, possessing a wiry strength, he appears more of a predator.

The added scenes greatly enhance the story, filling in the plot. The character of Miles Dyson is fleshed out with scenes of his home life. Background to Sarah`s motivations is added to with a dream sequence where Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese appears to warn her of the future. Substance is added to the relationship between John and the good terminator, explaining the terminator`s growth towards humanity and the sentimental ending. This is one of the few cases where a director`s cut is not just a case of adding extra material for the sake of an ego.

Terminator 2 is still an outstanding movie, made all the better by it`s debut on the pretty silvery disc. There are those that lament the fact that unlike the Region 1 release, we only get the one version. But in my mind, the special edition is the definitive version of the movie. If you had the theatrical version as well, it would be a curiosity. I can guarantee that you would never actually watch it. As for the extra footage that you can see on the extras disc. I am glad that they left the scenes out. You can also hear why if you listen to the commentary with those scenes. I must admit I agree wholeheartedly with their reasons. Strangely the extras hint that you can still watch the film with the scenes. Shoddy transfer from region 1 or is there an Easter Egg in there? I`m only disappointed by the cobbled together commentary and the cumbersome menu design.