Review of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Special Edition)

Introduction

I was one of the lucky few to see Terminator 2: Judgment Day at a special preview screening before it went on general release. The film was one of the most eagerly awaited for years, audience anticipation had been built up with several trailers which hinted at the groundbreaking effects and of course the original film was very popular.

I`ve owned two versions of the film on VHS, both the original release and the T1000 Edition and also seen the extended edition on laserdisc - which also contains vast amounts of additional material.

I ordered my copy of the DVD on 13 June and have been awaiting its arrival ever since - again my anticipation increased by snippets of information and early reviews - then the supply problems due to enormous demand held things up for an extra week or so...It was well worth the wait.

From the moment that the first DVD disappears into the player you know you`re in for something special.

There are three versions of the film included thanks to "seamless branching" (more about that later). The original theatrical release and the special edition are easily selectable - the third - the "extended" special edition is hidden. I`ll tell you how to access it at the end of the review. Also included are a vast amount of extra material, a 32 page book, all wrapped in an aluminium slipcase embossed with the T2 logo.

There are two versions of the DVD available - a dual-sided, dual layer DVD18 disc and the two disc single-sided dual-layer DVD9 package which is reviewed here. Both have the same features but the DVD9 version has the advantage of having nice printed DVDs.

For this review, I watched the Extended Special Edition of the film.

Video

When the first disc is inserted and the Artisan logo fades away, you are swept through the doors of Cyberdyne Systems into the T2 fabrication plant. The menus are simply stunning, superbly animated and seamless. It`s a taste of what else is in store.

Once the version of the film and sound are selected we are presented with an appropriate audio demo trailer - for Dolby Digital it`s the "Aurora" trailer, for DTS it`s the "Flying CD". Then we are treated to a new a THX trailer, done espeically for this DVD - this is a great addition to the collection of demo scenes to imrpess friends with! Image quality is stunning during the intros.

Then we move into the main feature - presented in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen. The first future battle scene, a sequence that stunned me 9 years ago at the cinema, has staggering image quality and left me suitably impressed again. The metallic surfaces have fantastic clarity and overall the picture is excellent - crisp, sharp, stable, no artefacting and no compression problems.

This quality is continued throughout the film and really is an example of how to do a great film justice and it`s also a fabulous advert for DVD.

Audio

I watched the film with a DTS soundtrack for this review - there are also Dolby Digital 5.1 and surround soundtracks on the DVD.

After the opening DTS trailer, there`s a new THX trailer before the film starts proper. This trailer really gets your speaker system warmed up before the main feature - the quality as you would expect is fantastic with all channels coming to life with plenty of front/rear action.

The film itself sounds fantastic. The opeing battle sequence was a Pro-Logic demo scene on VHS years ago - one I used to play to my friends. The DTS version of this sequence is simply incredible. All channels are used to great effect, there`s bullets, explosions, machinery etc coming from all over the place. Through all this, the dialogue is very clear.

As the film progresses, the sound continues to impress. The 5.1 mix immerses you in the action at all times and most of the film is demo quality.

Features

Most of the extras are located on the second disc of the DVD9 set or side two of the DVD18 version - except the cast/crew information and a DVD-ROM feature that allows you to watch the film while reading the script and looking at the storyboards.

The menus themselves are outstanding - the best I`ve seen and are a tribute to the designers. On the first disc, check out the animation for the chapter selection! The second disc`s are even better with the introductory flyby being of particular note.

There`s almost too much extra material to deal with here - there are three documentaries - a making of running for 30 minutes, a 22 minute feature on the extra scenes in the Special Edition, and a 23 minute look at the making of the T2-3D theme park attraction.

Then we have the the audio commentary (with extras during the special editions) teaser trailer, two theatrical trailers, special edition trailer, two Japenese teaser trailers and three Japanese theatrical trailers.

Also there are scripts, storyboards, the screenplay, lots of video segments about various aspects of the film and a THX test signal package.

Conclusion

Well, you`ve read the review and you know know that this DVD is rather special.

Video and sound are reference quality, menu design and animation is superb, the extras and outstanding and of course T2 is a great film.

The only niggle for me is a slight one - there`s a slight seamless branching problem while watching the extended special edition in DTS on most Pioneer Players, resulting in a short audio dropout. This only happens at the end of the steelworks scene when switching to the alternative ending. This is not present on the Dolby Digital soundtrack, and is clearly a hardware problem, not one with the DVD. Unfortunately, I have a Pioneer player!

To activate the extended Special Edition, select the "Special Edition" from the first menu, then with your remote control`s number keys, type in 82997 (29 August 1997 - Judgment Day in American date format) and the symbols at the right hand side should change to "The Future Is Not Set". You can then select the hidden version - simply set your sound preference and enjoy!