Plot: What’s it about?
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) will have a pivotal role in the future of the world, but of course, she doesn’t know that right now. She seems to be a normal woman, trying to live her life and make ends meet, not much else. But she is destined to be the mother of John Connor, who will be the leader of a band of rebels, who will fend off an invasion that threatens mankind’s survival. You see, the work in robotics will advance by leaps and bounds soon, to the extent that self operating machines will be possible, some that even look like humans. In the right hands, these kind of machines can be invaluable, but as always, something ends up going haywire. Skynet is a powerful system that controls these robots and in the future, it chooses to rebel against the humans, sending out powerful robots to demolish mankind. But Sarah’s son proves to be a true savior and leads mankind it the battle against the cyborgs. But Skynet has a new plan, in which a cyborg with immense powers of all kinds is sent back to find Sarah, then terminate her. As this Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) closes on in her, can she discover the truth in time to save herself and the future of all mankind, or has Skynet finally found a way to leave the human race behind?
As far as the movie itself, it more than deserves this kind of treatment, given the worldwide success and massive fanbase it has enjoyed. It is hard to believe The Terminator was a low budget movie, but it was, although the visuals and most of the effects still look good. No, it doesn’t measure up to the sequel or more modern blockbusters in terms of effects, but as far as entertainment, it holds its own and then some. In truth, I prefer this film to the sequel, not just because it came first either, but it seems tighter and more realistic, perhaps due to the budget limitations involved. A true classic in several genres, The Terminator is a must own movie in most circles and with such a rich presentation, there’s no reason not to pick up this release.
The man who makes The Terminator work is Arnold Schwarzenegger, who of course, has made a career of the science fiction & action genres. Yes, Cameron and Gale Ann Hurd’s writing provides the skeleton for Arnold’s role, but without his persona, this movie would have never been the smash success it went on to become. No, his acting is not the best, but he is excellent in this flick, never going too far with his lines, or mannerisms for that matter. Just the look he gives, even with his sunglasses on, is enough to make you run away and in this case, that is just what was needed, to be sure. You can also see Arnold in such films as The 6th Day, Commando, End of Days, True Lies, Predator, and Conan the Barbarian. The cast also includes Linda Hamilton (Dante’s Peak, Black Moon Rising), Michael Biehn (Tombstone, The Rock), Lance Henriksen (Hard Target, Pumpkinhead), and Paul Winfield (Original Gangstas, Mars Attacks!).
Video: How does it look?
There seems to be a lot of hype (or fuss depending on how you look at it) concerning the video quality of this disc. Well, let me put those rumors to bed. This is the exact same disc that Sony put out back in 2006. Same MPEG-2 transfer and is not a new or improved visual look in any way, shape or form. Now if you’re clamoring to have this on Blu-ray, here it is, but don’t expect to be blown away by the way this looks. Does it look bad? Not really. Could it look better? Yes. There’s supposedly a new special edition in the works, but production was halted on it due to budget constraints. Aside from the new cover art, this is simply a re-packaged version of what has been around for five years now.
Audio: How does it sound?
Since this is the exact same disc released five years ago, we get the same PCM 5.1 soundtrack that was found on the previous (current) disc. That said, it’s not terrible, but I’m sure a full DTS HD Master Audio remaster will breathe new life into the mix. The LFE are a little overused and while surrounds are used to great extent, I found the overall mix a bit shrill for my taste. The gunshots sound ok and the ending act does sound fairly good as well, but there’s nothing new to report here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Again, we get the same supplements as before. Ironically there are versions of this movie out there that have more to offer in regards to supplements. Go figure. We get a look at “Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects and Music” as well as a retrospective on the film that lasts about twenty minutes. And we get some dele—er, “terminated” scenes that didn’t make the final cut, though some do appear in the extended version of the movie (not included, of course). If you don’t own this movie and feel the need to have it on Blu-ray, this is your chance. I feel that this blatant double-dipping isn’t really fair to the consumer, but so long as people keep buying these re-issues, they’ll keep making them. Here’s hoping the long-awaited special edition will resume production in the near future.
