I think it?s a safe assumption to make that everyone on the face of the earth has seen Terminator 2: Judgment Day, more affectionately known as T2. You?ve probably also uttered the words, ?Hasta la vista, baby? or ?I?ll be back.? If you?ve been living under a rock, or simply aren?t dazzled by Arnold?s screaming pecs or his mysteriously hypnotizing accent, you truly amaze me. For those of us who did happen to live on planet Earth in the early 90?s, we simply know Governor Schwarzenegger by one name: The …erminator. To understand T2 you really should see the original, The Terminator, but to enjoy it you don?t. If you haven?t seen The Terminator, I should warn you that the following description will contain some spoilers specific to the first film.
Taking place 10 years after Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton, The Terminator) destroyed the T-800 Model 101 (Arnold from the original movie), T2 begins with the arrival of two Terminators, the same T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger, True Lies) model from the first movie, and the T-1000 (Robert Patrick, X-Files).
John Connor (Edward Furlong, American History X) has been raised being told he will someday lead humankind to ultimate victory over the machines. Sarah Connor is now a strong-willed, tough woman, who has apparently spoken out too much about the rise of the machines, and has been committed to a mental hospital. Even John, her own son, thinks she is insane.
John lives in a foster home, and is as rebellious as we soon learn his mother is, and just as confused. One day while out with his friend at the mall, he?s approached by the T-1000 disguised as an LAPD officer. Assuming the cop is after him for a petty crime, John runs away where he is met by the T-800. Before long the T-1000 and the T-800 go at each other, and we learn that while the T-800 is a robot, the T-1000 is made of liquid metal and has the ability to emulate the physical form of any object it touches, excluding things of a more complex, mechanical nature. Essentially he has the ability to turn into any human being he comes into contact with, and to form metallic weapons or tools with his arms. The remainder of the movie follows the reuniting of John and Sarah under Arnold?s protection, the pursuit of the T-1000 and the destruction of Skynet, the company that will ultimately be responsible for the rise of the machines.
That?s a pretty simplistic description of the movie. You?ll have to watch T2 and most probably The Terminator to piece together the whole puzzle. Back in 1991, this movie was state of the art, with amazing visual effects. I was just young then, but I remember my elders boasting about how great it looked. These days, effects like this in motion pictures are as common as a cold, but I still appreciate it for what it was. To me the concept of this movie is just really unique, really interesting, and flat-out cool. The action is intense, the firefights are brilliant, the dialogue is extremely memorable, and the effects were and still are stunning.
Arnold has always been able to make a movie awesome. He always brings a certain charm and physical presence to the table, and T2 certainly isn?t void of that. If you like intelligence with your gun fights and explosions, this movie is for you. If you haven?t seen it yet, you really should.
Video
Presented in 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio, T2 made its debut on Blu-ray last June. After watching Total Recall, I was somewhat worried about the transfer for T2, but thankfully my worries quickly vanquished. For starters, this transfer is much cleaner, and gone are the heavy grain and artifacts. T2?s special effects do hold up really well 16 years later. The odd scene can look a bit soft, though, particularly during night shots. In comparison, day scenes seem much sharper and detailed. The final scene in the molten steel plant is worth noting as it looked terrific. The vibrant, bright orange molten steel makes the final showdown even more intense. When compared to the DVD, this transfer looks leagues better. It may not be the best looking Blu-ray release, but fans of this film should not hesitate to pick up this title.
Audio
T2 is packed with 5.1 DTS-ES and 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks. Both do justice to the film?s explosive audio. The dialogue sounded clear and surprisingly was always in balance with the film?s music track. More importantly, the action sounds great. The T-1000 semi chase used every channel effectively. Bass from Arnold?s motorcycle roared loud, but never became distracting. This frequent use of the channels continues for most of the film?s duration. I can only image how great a PCM track would sound when Arnold uses his mini-gun, but until Lionsgate re-releases T2, this will more than suffice.
Special Features
Unfortunately, all we get for this release are two audio commentaries. If you own the Extreme Edition DVD, don?t get rid of it just yet.
The first commentary track is with director James Cameron (Aliens) and co-writer William Wisher (Judge Dredd). The second track features commentary by 26 various cast and crew members, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Final Thoughts
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is truly a must-see action movie. I?ve rarely met a person of any age or sex who didn?t think this movie was good. The fact that it has been released in high definition only adds to its appeal. While this release could have looked better, I did in fact anticipate it to look much worse. The ultimate disappointment here, though, is the lack of extra features, especially since we know that on SD there have been so many re-releases with wheelbarrows full of features. So in the end we have a monumental classic with great audio and video, and horrible features. If you?re a fan of the film in any way I suggest you check it out on Blu-ray, but hold on to that Extreme or Ultimate Edition DVD for the bonus material.
Special Features List
- Two audio commentaries
