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Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Ultimate Edition DVD
review by Zach B.
Rated R/Unrated
Studio: Artisan
Running Time: Theatrical: 134 Minutes, Special
Edition: 156 Minutes
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward
Furlong, Robert Patrick
Written by James Cameron and William Wisher
Directed by James Cameron
Retail Price: $34.99
Features: Theatrical Release, Special Edition Release,
Special Edition With Alternate Ending, Audio Commentary with
26 Cast and Crew members, THX Test Signal Package, Cast and
Crew Bios and Filmographies, The Making Of T2, T2:More Than
Meets The Eye, The Making Of T2: 3-D: Breaking The Screen
Barrier, MCA/Universal Studios Promo Spot featuring T2: 3-D,
Theatrical Trailers, International Trailers, T2 Screenplay,
Storyboards, T2:3-D Cinefex Article, Ultimate T2 DVD
Supplement, 32 Page Booklet, DVD-ROM: Screenplay,
Storyboards, Weblink
Specs: 2.35:1 Widescreen Anamorphic, Dolby Digital 5.1
EX English, DTS 5.1 ES English, Dolby Surround 2.0 English,
English Subtitles, Chapter Search, One DVD-18 or Two
DVD-9s
I remember the summer of 1991 perfectly... and
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" was the big, hyped movie of
that summer. It went on to gross a ton of money at the box
office, as well as creating a huge merchandising blitz of
video games, toys, shirts, a fan club and loads more. It
would also go on to truly establish James Cameron as a big
time director.
The sequel to the 1984 favorite "The Terminator" is
really quite simple. Arnold is the Terminator, a time
traveling robot who teams up with Sarah Conner (Linda
Hamilton), a woman paranoid about the future to protect her
son, John Conner (Edward Furlong), the leader of the future
rebellion from the liquid metal T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
In my opinion, "T2" is one of those sequels which can
actually live up to the original. Yes, like most Cameron
films the dialogue is incredibly hollow and ridiculous
(though it is not as bad as "Titanic"), but I found the
story really intriguing as well as entertaining. The movie
is just plain fun. Character development is pretty good, and
of course, the stunts and special effects will make jaws
drop. You can tell Cameron directed this film with a true
vision and passion, and he did an amazing job.
This DVD release has been incredibly anticipated, most
likely due to the large number of supplements included on
the DVD, three different versions of the movie, a DTS and
Dolby Digital track and some great anamorphic video.
Perfect. Presented in anamorphic widescreen of 2.35:1, T2
has some amazing picture. I did encounter some softness now
and then, but I am letting it slide because it wasn't that
often and this movie is pretty much refrence quality. Black
levels are dead on, as well as the color hues. I didn't
notice any artifacting or grain. The picture is mostly sharp
and detail is incredible. In all, the result is sure to
impress anyone who watches it.
Despite the supplements, there is no doubt the audio is
something which has a major impact on this disc and makes it
really worthwile. For all three cuts of the movie, you have
your choice of a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix, a DTS 5.1 ES mix
and a Dolby Surround 2.0 mix.
First off, the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX packs quite a punch.
Dialogue is crystal clear, as well as all of the roaring
sounds. Motorcycles blazing off, guns firing off,
explosions... it's all really nice. Surrounds are pretty
frequent, and the music sounds great using the channels to
the fullest. Truly a reference quality track, which should
set a standard for all DVD mixes.
The DTS 5.1 ES is even better (or at least I think so).
The sound is a bit more loud and a lot more intense. My
eardrums were a little blown and overwhelmed by it, but I
was really overpowered in the DTS and felt like I was in the
theater watching the movie. Directional fields bouncing back
and forth make it all full force, with the .1 LFE just
booming. The sound has a lot more power in it and is better
than the already perfect Dolby Digital track.
A Dolby Surround 2.0 track is also included, which sounds
really nice despite the limitations.
This isn't the "Ultimate Edition DVD" for nothing! While
most of the stuff is ported from the special edition
laserdisc a few years back, the stuff from that laserdisc is
excellent (and now you can get it all for a much more
reasonable price) and there is some really cool new
supplements as well.
First things first, this DVD contains not one, not two,
but three different versions of the film. The first
is the original theatrical cut, the second is the special
edition extended cut released on video a few years back, and
the third is the special edition with an alternate ending. I
find the option of having three different versions of the
film excellent, and it's sure to please everyone. The
special edition has some nice, extended scenes to develop
the characters and plot a little bit more. Like most of the
things on the disc, it makes a lot of it more worthwhile.
However, the third version is hidden, and you have to enter
a certain code (hint: it's a day in the movie) or jump right
to title 3. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great there are
three versions, but I don't think for the third you should
have to find it, because it is a pretty important feature on
the disc.
T2 also features an Audio Commentary with 26 Cast and
Crew Members. The participants range from the actors,
design wizards to Cameron himself. A lot of insight is given
into this track, and after listening to it, you'll know
everything about Terminator 2. There's even a subtitle track
where it lists who is talking. The commentary track is also
edited for each version you watch.
There's some nice featurettes/documentaries on T2. First
up is The Making Of T2, which is a featurette showing
the creation of the movie, complete with some pretty
interesting interviews. Next up is T2: More Than Meets
The Eye which shows the scenes that were cut from the
theatrical edition and put back into the special edition, as
well as showing why they were cut out from the theatrical
version.
New to the DVD is some stuff on the Terminator 2 ride at
Universal Studios. The Making Of T2: 3-D: Breaking The
Screen Barrier gives a comprehensive look at the ride,
which uses film footage and live performances. A TV Spot
for Universal Studios promoting the ride is included, as
well as a Cinefex Article by Estelle Shay on the
ride, which is a good, insightful read.
As far as promo materials go, there are some
Theatrical Trailers which bring back some nostalgic
memories, plus International Trailers for the film,
which are basically from Japan.
You can read the entire T2 Screenplay, page by
page on your player (no DVD-ROM required) plus 700+
Storyboards (don't need DVD-ROM for that either). Yet
they are on DVD-ROM itself, where you can watch the movie
while looking at the boards and screenplay. There is also a
Weblink.
Probably the best feature on the disc, hands down is the
Ultimate T2 DVD Supplement. This will take you a
really, really long time to go through and covers every
little detail of the film. It's really exhausting. It just
shows you how much effort goes into something like T2, and
how every little thing counts. There are features on design,
location scouting, development, the special effects and
design studios, the video transfer, the T2:3D ride,
marketing, make-up, post production, just everything. My
personal favorite is the merchandise catalog, where every
piece of merchandise made for the film can be viewed.
Finally, rounding out the disc is a neat THX Test
Signal Package to adjust your home theater system and
TV, as well as Cast and Crew Bios and Filmographies
plus a really good 32 Page Booklet outling the making
of the film and the DVD contents.
You probably heard the DVD-18 resources ran low with the
disc, and to meet demand Artisan also put the disc on two
DVD-9s. So depending on your preference, check out the
packaging and make sure you get the kind you want! Also, the
packaging is pretty neat, complete with this nice metallic
slip case.
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" is, in a sense, a cinematic
achievement. It introduced Hollywood to a large array of
special effects ("morphing") as well as incredible stunts
and makeup, and showed what a good movie is about: pure
entertainment.
This DVD release will not disappoint anyone at all. The
video and sound will blow you away, and the array of
supplements will take you awhile to get through. Considering
Disney has released featureless DVDs for a $39.99
pricepoint, this package is truly one of the best DVD
releases ever. Go out and get it!
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (5/5)
(5/5)
(5/5)
(5/5,
NOT an average)
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