Blu-ray Review The Terminator Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

The one that looked like the top version for decades until the bottom version appeared?

Yeah the top picture is the old and the bottom is the new transfer. However, when actually watching the movie, the difference didn't seem as pronounced as it does in those screencaps to me.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by TravisR
Yeah the top picture is the old and the bottom is the new transfer. However, when actually watching the movie, the difference didn't seem as pronounced as it does in those screencaps to me.

It looked pretty pronounced to me!

 

[Carlo_M]

Well in side by side, yes it does. But I get what Travis is saying. Very few of us have the capability of watching (or the desire to) both blu rays side by side simultaneously. If it wasn't for this thread, I probably would have popped in the new BD and thought nothing of it.

 

[TravisR]

It looked pretty pronounced to me!

They do look pretty different but I don't think that shot is indicative of the disc as a whole. Or in other words, that screencap shows what has got to be the one of the most extreme examples. As an aside, while Schtan's post doesn't have the same exact shots, they're probably close enough in terms of colors that you can compare the two. If you look at other screencaps that were in Blu-ray.com's review ( http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Terminator-Blu-ray/61372/#Review ), you can see that not every shot looks as different as the shot of Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen.

 

[Dave H]

The one that looked like the top version for decades until the bottom version appeared?

For decades based on VHS, LD, and DVD from less ideal masters. Tolsten Kaiser made some good posts and images on this issue on another forum. The BD is far closer to how the film originally looked...and I trust his opinion.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Dave H
For decades based on VHS, LD, and DVD from less ideal masters. Tolsten Kaiser made some good posts and images on this issue on another forum. The BD is far closer to how the film originally looked...and I trust his opinion.

Color me skeptical. The movie has a certain color timing for decades but suddenly gets a notable shift - a shift that brings it in line with the popular "look of the day" - and we're supposed to believe it was always supposed to look that way?
Sorry, I just find it hard to believe "Terminator" was teal before teal was cool...

 

[Vincent_P]

Color me skeptical.  The movie has a certain color timing for decades but suddenly gets a notable shift - a shift that brings it in line with the popular "look of the day" - and we're supposed to believe it was always supposed to look that way? Sorry, I just find it hard to believe "Terminator" was teal before teal was cool...

Except that Cameron's films have always had a noticeable bluish/teal push to them, "even before it was cool". It's kind of been his signature look through the years. Vincent

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Case in point: Aliens. There is a very strong blue and metallic element to the photography present. While not teal, again I do not trust screencaps, and there is enough variety to the lighting in Terminator that it cannot be written off as a teal/orange "revision."

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Vincent_P
Except that Cameron's films have always had a noticeable bluish/teal push to them, "even before it was cool". It's kind of been his signature look through the years.
Vincent

I never thought of "Aliens" as a particularly "teal" movie. "Abyss" had a blue feel but that was logical since it took place underwater. I only saw "Piranha 2" once and don't recall any particular palette choices.
Maybe "Terminator" was always supposed to be teal and the color timing was wrong for almost 30 years. I just remain suspicious - if teal wasn't the "tint of dominance" in Hollywood, I might not feel that way, but I still think it's strange that "Terminator" suddenly goes teal when it's the hot 'n' happening color choice...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Vincent_P
Except that Cameron's films have always had a noticeable bluish/teal push to them, "even before it was cool". It's kind of been his signature look through the years.
Vincent

Very true!

 

[Lromero1396]

Honestly, I'm not bothered too much by the color alteration. Plus, all of the previous DVD & BD releases were not supervised by Cameron. I wouldn't trust a 2006 BD, because those early releases on the format were crap. I'm more concerned about the audio. Despite numerous fan requests the original mono has not been included. I know Cameron does not like the original mono, but the effects in that track have far more punch than the remix. Fox's failure to include the original mono is inexcusable, considering how little effort it would have taken.

 

[Dave H]

Color me skeptical.  The movie has a certain color timing for decades but suddenly gets a notable shift - a shift that brings it in line with the popular "look of the day" - and we're supposed to believe it was always supposed to look that way? Sorry, I just find it hard to believe "Terminator" was teal before teal was cool...

And did you say the same thing about the Godfather movies which had different color timings compared to the BD? "Oh my, it doesn't look like my previous VHS, LD, or DVD releases!" Once again, you are basing this on very questionable practices performed and limitations of other formats in comparison to what was done for this Blu-ray. This Blu-ray as Tolsten pointed out is closer to the original than any of the others.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Dave H
And did you say the same thing about the Godfather movies which had different color timings compared to the BD? "Oh my, it doesn't look like my previous VHS, LD, or DVD releases!"
Once again, you are basing this on very questionable practices performed and limitations of other formats in comparison to what was done for this Blu-ray.
This Blu-ray as Tolsten pointed out is closer to the original than any of the others.

Hey, I said that I might well be wrong and the movie was always meant to be teal.
That said, I think there's a difference between the last "Godfather" set and "Terminator". The "Godfather" releases came with the stamp of approval from the filmmakers, whereas as far as I know, no one involved with "Terminator" has said "this is the way it's supposed to be".
Also, "Godfather" didn't suddenly go for the most prevalent modern palette choice - it wasn't teal and/or orange.
So I might be wrong. Maybe "Terminator" was always supposed to be teal and the prior releases got it wrong and I'm just a stubborn prick. I remain a suspicious stubborn prick!

 

[Carlo_M]

I just received my copy (thanks again HTF!) and put it through the paces last night. I'll just say that, without A/B'ing or doing anything like that, and even being aware of this thread and the screencaps, in regular viewing mode there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the color palette as I watched it last night. Not sure if the old master is correct of if this one is correct, but in normal motion, I couldn't detect anything out of whack. The color palette of that scene with the detectives seemed to match the rest of the color palette of the movie (and Cameron purposefully, despite pleas from the studio, filmed the whole movie at night, in the dark, so one would assume the color palette should be consistent throughout). I will say how surprised I am at how "bare bones" this disc is. I don't even think there is a Main Menu. The movie kicks right in (which is not a bad thing) and when you hit Menu, the bar appears at the bottom while the movie is playing, but I could not figure out how to get to any Main Menu screen. That might be the first professionally authored, major studio-released Blu-Ray that I've observed that happening.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I will say how surprised I am at how "bare bones" this disc is. I don't even think there is a Main Menu. The movie kicks right in (which is not a bad thing) and when you hit Menu, the bar appears at the bottom while the movie is playing, but I could not figure out how to get to any Main Menu screen. That might be the first professionally authored, major studio-released Blu-Ray that I've observed that happening.

That was my experience too. There's only the pop-up menu on this disc. And it will finish the movie and start all over again in a continuous loop if you let it go. When I first saw Terminator, I wanted to watch it again right away, and couldn't. Now that I can, I don't want to.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ok good, that wasn't just me (Oppo 93 just in case people want to compare experiences). I was like WTF, the movie's starting again? I just want to get to the menu to see the extras!

 

[Matt Hough]

Many of MGM's vault titles of the past couple of years have been done exactly like this.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Ok good, that wasn't just me (Oppo 93 just in case people want to compare experiences). I was like WTF, the movie's starting again? I just want to get to the menu to see the extras!

Oppo 93 for me too.

 

[Brett_B]

Oh man, I actually won something? I guess I can't accuse HTF of the "fix of being in" anymore Seriously, I was at Magic Castle last year (second time) and I always thought the "audience called up" were all plants. I was even joking with the group I went there with about that (there were about ten of us). Imagine my surprise when my girlfriend and I were called up for an act! My friends were yelling stuff at us, calling us "plants" it was hilarious. So let this be a lesson to everyone, anyone can be a winner at HTF! And no, I still haven't figured out how that magician stuck a knife through my coat without damaging it...

Sorry I am late to the game, but I didn't realize that I had "won" until yesterday when I found it in the mail. I was actually shocked to find it because the packaging contained an invoice from FOX Studios which threw me. I agree with Carlo in that I was never expecting to "win". It wasn't until I came to the forum to see if anyone else received a copy of the movie from FOX when it hit me that I had participated in this "giveaway". Thanks, HTF!!!

 

[TonyD]

It's under $9 now At amazon so I might as well add another version to the collection.

I still have that first dvd that was in a slide out drawer case. I chucked the case though.