Terminator Blu Ray Steelbook

'Think Furnace with wings'

 

 

Fig 1. The Front is Beautifully Designed, Especially the Red of the Terminator's Eye

 

 

 

Lets get one thing straight, this is not the original release from 2006. This is the 2013 re-release. For those who have never seen this (is there anyone?) then here is a brief description of the plot but not so much that it ruins it for the 4 people in the world or the under 10's who haven't seen it.

 

In the year 2029 the world is being controlled by a super computer which sends back a indestructible cyborg called A Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to 1984 to take out (no not on a date, like take out bang, bang) Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton). The young woman who could give birth to it's greatest threat. But along with The Terminator a young man from the resistance called Kyle Reese(Michael Biehn) has been sent back to protect Sarah from the for mentioned assassin. What happens is Reese and The Terminator treat our world as just another battlefield. The Terminator doesn't care, because it has no feelings and feels no pain and Reese doesn't care, because he knows that everything around him will be gone in a few years if he doesn't save Sarah.

What happens on screen is one of the most explosive starts and endings in 1980's film history. As what you see on screen is ALL pre CGI and that is what makes this film look and feel so god damn real. The film also demonstrates Cameron's early mastery of editing and clever distraction work that made him the master director he is today, and leaves you on the edge of your seats wanting more.

 

 

Fig 2. The Back has Nothing More Than the Man Himself

 

 

 

 

VIDEO*****

Presented at 1.85:1 in brilliant 1080p

As I mentioned at the start of the post this is the newly Re-mastered version and let me tell you they have done an unbelievable job, it jumps from a 2 star picture quality to a 4 straight away and that's before I decide to give it any marks. Detail, contrast and black levels are superior compared to the 2006 release and provide an overall improvement in clarity and a greater sense of depth to the image, resulting in more convincing blacks and better skin tones. Blues and Hues are bright. The movie has a sort of haze type feel or wash to it, but it doesn't distract from the blacks, but you do feel it there, something I have noticed before but I thought it was a fault but apparently not. Lets just call it good cinematography eh Mr Cameron. I pretty sure that as this is now on a BD50 disc the films bitrate has gone up and we get a much better transfer and picture for it.

It's not looked any better than this so 5 from 5 keeps Sarah alive for me. Great stuff.

 

 

 

AUDIO***

DTS HD MASTER AUDIO English 5.1, Spanish, Dolby Digital 5.1
French, Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese, DTS 5.1 Portuguese, Dolby Digital 2.0 and
Thai, Dolby Digital 2.0

Gone is the Mono soundtrack that dogged me when I owned this on laserdisc (remember them?) and in comes a massive booming HD Audio 5.1 bass heavy ear piercing mix. But the thing is a lot of movie fans now want that same mono track back on the discs, strange how things come and go eh!. Anyway lets concentrate on the lossless soundtrack. This is the same lossless track that was on the 2006 release, punchy, great surround movement and a nice amount of LFE along with a clear crisp dialogue, I'm pretty sure they have tweaked the midrange as it doesn't seem to hollow out at any point now. Brad Fiedel's score is tight and uplifting at times and I never thought I would be saying that about a Terminator movie. so 3 out of 5 is what it gets not brilliant but not that poor.. like at school good but could have done better.

 

 

EXTRAS*

CREATING THE TERMINATOR.

Visual effects and Music

TERMINATOR.

A Retrospective

TERMINATED SCENES.

 

Boo and hiss.. it's lucky it got a 1 star.. Cameron had plenty of time and I'm sure enough footage to really make the most out of this. But to me he's let a very good Re-master down by not giving the fans the extras the film deserves.

 

 

 

 

Not in your own collection then your deserve to be Terminated.

Grab it today from as little as £5.00 on Ebay or on Amazon 'New' from £15.99, so there's no excuse is there.

 

**NOTE**

I own this on  normal Amaray as well that is how I was able to review this as I didn't want to open my precious steelbook... sorry for the poor pics

 

 

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