HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Blu-ray Disc REVIEW

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY SKYNET EDITION Studio: Tri-Star/Orion (Home Video via Lionsgate) Film Year: 1991 Film Length: 2 hours 17 minutes (Theatrical Edition) 2 hours 32 minutes (Special Edition) Genre: Science Fiction/Action Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 BD Resolution: 1080p BD Video Codec: VC-1 @ over 20 MBPS Color/B&W: Color Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 @ over 4 MBPS English Dolby Digital EX 5.1 English Dolby Headphone Audio Track English TheatreVision Descriptive Narrative Audio for the Blind French Dolby Surround 2.0 Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Commentaries Film Rating: R (Violence, Language, General Terminator Behavior)

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Thanks, Kevin. I'm still on the fence for this release because of the DNR issue. I may still try and find the original UK release.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Kevin: Your description of that DTS HD-MA track is creating a great anticipation in me!

Nice review! Thanks!

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I found the original UK release on Ebay yesterday, I got it for $23.50 shipped. I canceled my Amazon pre-order.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I want the DTS-MA track, but I have a 60" screen so the PQ issue really concerns me. Still not sure what to do about this release.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Just to be safe, I'd say rent it. That way, you'll know what you're getting into.

Personally, I'm buying it because I love the movie, I want the SE, I 'only' have a 47 inch screen, I can all but guarantee that I won't notice the DNR and I figure this is another panic* being exacerbated by the people who seem to spend more time looking for DNR than watching movies.

* I'm not saying it's not there. I'm saying that some people blow things out of proportion.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I'll probably get this. I don't own any of the BD versions of T2, and the Ultimate Edition dvd really doesn't hold up that well anymore. That most of the extras are intact is a really good bonus as well.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

If you're on the fence, then I recommend renting. Worst case scenario, it costs you five bucks or so to find out whether the quality is worth the sale price.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I'll probably pick up the endoskull set for this someday when it is sold at a heavy discount. For now though, I'm in no rush for it. Thanks for the review.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Appreciate the review, thanks.

60" screen here. I think I'll wait for the edition when an HTF reviewer rates the video at least 4.5 LOL. Yeah, I'm getting even pickier which DVDs I upgrade to BD. I mean, with DVD it was "new", and there was lots to be learned, and there were often significant improvements with each release. Not so much excuse now IMO with incremental improvements with different BD releases. Especially when the baseline (the last T2 BD) was already so low. It'll be $10 soon enough anyway, if I break down in the meantime...

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I'm in for this one. I never bought the other T2 Blu-ray and I'm a fan of the longer version and the happier alternate ennding, so this one's a blessing.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

This BD sounds like another bummer. I went ahead and cancelled my Amazon preorder for now since the price isn't exactly special anyhow. Is the UK version really better? And is it region coded for UK, which wouldn't work on US players?

_Man_

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

This is very disappointing. T2 is a relatively modern movie. Why on earth can't they give us a high-quality hi-def transfer, not plagued by DNR? Ditto for Terminator.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Brian,
Any of the BD versions of T2 will be better than the "Ultimate Edition" DVD. That transfer was riddled with EE. The DVD format didn't really get a proper presentation of T2 until the "Extreme Edition" DVD was released (concurrent with the theatrical release of T3). The "Extreme Edition" DVD still looks great today when upscaled via my Tosh XD-E500 player. I kept the "Ultimate Edition", though, for all the great supplements. So I'll probably eventually be purchasing the "Skynet Edition" just to get all the versions of the film and all the supplements together in one release.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

And with more reviews coming in and seeing the screenshots on DVDBeaver, I think I'm better off with the earlier Blu-Ray, in terms of PQ. That is, until the 'official authorized' version.
And now I think we have had enough T2 Blu-Rays out. I want my The Abyss Blu-Ray .

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Now you're really talking! That'll get me running to the store pretty quick.

OT, but in Canada Blockbuster gives you $10 (minimum) credit for any used BD you bring in. Since all the Schwarzenegger BDs are easily found for $10 new around here, it cost nothing to test them out. [Since Blockbuster also sold some new BDs for $10, this doesn't seem like the greatest business model LOL.]

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Agree there, the Extreme edition looked not significantly worse upscaled (to me) than the original T2 BD. But then, the Ultimate edition had better sound than the Extreme edition, plus the "other" movie version. I just want one proper BD release with good PQ and SQ. This release sounds half way there, and I'm done with half way for this title. I don't demand perfection, just "very good".

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I will be going with the following:

Terminator - US MGM release
Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Japanese Geneon Entertainment release
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - UK Sony release

It is a shame this series in so hit or miss on home video.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Well it ain't perfect, but at $20, I think I'm going with the Skynet edition for the first T2 BD purchase for me. Wish they could have treated such a great home video title with more respect.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

They seemingly released so many "editions" of T2 on DVD that i lost track.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

You're right about these flicks being so "hit and miss", as I won't go near the BD of the first movie because it doesn't have the mono audio. Actually, I tried it once and after a quarter of an hour I couldn't take any more. It went onto ebay minutes later.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I completely agree with you on this one, I would be at the store the minute they opened

As for T2; I'm on the fence. I have the previous BD of it as well as the Ultimate Edition. The UE was the first DVD I ever got so I really don't care to part with it. I'll be watching on a 32 inch Bravia LCD so I highly doubt that I'd see the DNR issues that extensively and I'm interested in getting the DTS-MA track on this, just not sure that it is worth a new purchase though.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

As collectors of optical media it's practically a tradition to own every version of T2 that's been released.

Actually, I'm sort of missing the version that had the video description track. I was telling my friends about the feature and T2 would have been a fun one to demo.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

3/5 for the film itself??!??! BLASPHEMY! =)

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

I believe the original UK version is region free.

The UK version actually has a hair more detail than the original Lionsgate version, but has much better compression. It also appears the original Lionsgate version has a hair more detail than the Skynet version - at least here. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...4-post364.html

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Sam, you caught me there. But the more I think about it, the more correct it feels. Now, if there hadn't been a first Terminator movie, that number would go higher. But it's inescapable that this film simply repeats the plot of the first one - albeit with much nicer effects and a real budget. The first film suffers from having a great plot and story saddled with a horrifyingly inadequate budget. And I don't buy the argument for a minute that the first film was a romance by any means. It was first and foremost an action/scare film, with Schwarzenegger embodying a soulless killing machine that "absolutely will not stop EVER until you are dead!" And it worked great as that. This film works well because it expands the story and gives it some real toys to play with. (But don't ask Harlan Ellison about the story...)

Cameron, this Blu-ray has the video description track as an option.

As for versions of this on home video, let's see:

VHS Pan & Scan (available early 90s)
Laserdisc Pan & Scan (early 90s)
Laserdisc Widescreen (early 90s)

VHS Special Edition Widescreen ('94)
Laserdisc Special Edition Widescreen ('94)

DVD - ('97) (Theatrical Cut only - minimal features)
DVD Ultimate Edition (2000) (2-sided disc, branching for all versions, lots of goodies)
DVD Extreme Edition (2003) (2-disc set, Cameron/Wisher commentary, HD WMV copy of Theatrical Cut)

D-VHS (2004?) (Theatrical Cut only?)

Blu-ray (2006) (Theatrical Cut only)
Blu-ray Skynet Edition (All cuts via seamless branching, PIP, etc)

(And that's not counting if there was an HD-DVD version or any other fullscreen versions I don't know about.) (And you know there will be more...)


DaveH, I have to stand by my statements about the picture quality between the two domestic Blu-ray releases. I watched complete sequences back to back on both of them and noted more detail in the Skynet version. I don't know about screenshots, particularly as the trick here is to see these shots in motion - and almost every shot in the movie is in motion. On a 40" XBR2, the Skynet edition looks better and has more detail. If I were watching on a 65" monitor, I realize I'd likely be singing a different tune. But for those of us with 40" or less to work with, this isn't a bad option.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

There was a French (region free) HD-DVD version from Studio Canal+. It has the theatrical cut on disc 1 and the extended cut on disc 2.

The theatrical cut has forced french subtitles. The extended cut has removable subs and DTS-MA audio. I haven't watched it since last summer but might give it a spin when I'm finished with the Star Trek box.

I never thought the original Blu-Ray was bad. It looked miles better than any of the DVD versions to me. Just my opinion.

Also, it needs to be said, the surround mix for the Blu-Ray of the original Terminator is completely new and restores the original sound fx many complained about as missing on the SE DVD. At least the scraping metal sound during the main titles is restored and the Terminator's gun sounds right to me. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong about the gunshot fx but the scraping metal IS there.

I do agree the original sound mix should ALWAYS be included on ALL releases of a movie.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

There's only one film with a video descriptive track that ever needs to be demoed to your friends:

Basic Instinct (DVD, first one I think, if it's had multiple releases).

"She straddles his naked a$$" was one line I clearly remember from that track.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

As the reviewer of the movie, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is I just have to disagree that T2 is just a repeat of the first all dressed up in Sunday-go-to-meetin' clothes. Sarah's character has drastically changed at the outset of the movie and has to change drastically during the movie. We get to meet John Connor as a boy and watch him begin to assume leadership. Then there's the genius idea of turning Arnold's terminator into the good guy. Beautiful. Sure, there's still the premise of Skynet sending a terminator back in time but I still feel that T2 continues the story, not repeats it.

I don't think T2 would have been the monster hit it became nor have the lasting fan interest if it was just warmed over T1.

Re: HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: T2 Judgment Day - Skynet Edition

Johnny, I'm pulling the fork out of my gizzard, but I do hear what you're saying...

T2 essentially puts Sarah Connor in the position of Kyle Reese from the first film, as the "Cassandra" character that nobody believes but who is cursed with fatal knowledge that affects everyone. Her best moment in the film is the bit where she tries to kill Dyson, and becomes a human Terminator for a brief time. The "Terminator and the Kid" idea drove me crazy when I saw it in the theater at the time and still irks me to this day. I remember people at the time being annoyed with Edward Furlong and openly wishing the Terminator would just end him... And turning Arnold to the good guy was both an interesting plot idea and a necessary one to get Schwarzenegger back to the movie, since he'd been playing solid heroes during the 7 years between the films.

Keep in mind that The Terminator was NOT a hit when it got to theaters in 1984. I was at a CREATION convention in summer 1984 where James Cameron was practically laughed out of the room when he showed slides from the movie of Schwarzenegger's makeup. (He kept saying, "Oh, this one doesn't show it as good as it really looks, trust me." And of course, when I did see it on video, it looked about the same, given the low budget Cameron had.) After The Terminator was put out on home video and cable TV, it really took off. I remember kids in school in spring of 1985 all quoting the lines from the movie, and a friend of mine walked me through the videotape, showing how cleanly it starts, with Reese picking up exactly the items he needs, etc. The strength of the reaction to The Terminator was enough for Cameron's outline for ALIEN 2 to be accepted, at which point he and his wife headed to England to make that sequel. In the spring of 1985, I read Cameron's outline, which had a lot of stuff in it that people had speculated about for years, along with the new idea of the Queen. ("What's badder than the ALIEN? Its Momma") Based on the box office peformance of both ALIENS and even The Abyss, Tri-Star and Orion were willing to pony up enough money for the principals of The Terminator to return for a sequel. I think Cameron was delighted to have the proper resources to make the sequel, given the conditions under which he made the first one. He definitely made some changes, as you have noted, and he inverted the ending from the first one, but the guts of the film are essentially the same.

If I was thinking in terms of a sequel where they really just replayed the original without adding anything interesting, I might have said something along the lines of cough, cough, (Escape From LA), cough, but I figure that's a whole different can to be opening...