Terminator 1 & 2 (1 Viewer)

[Lord Dalek]

If we want to go all the way...
The Terminator 25th Anniversary Edition (released in time for Dawn of Fate) 3-disc set
Disc 1: Original theatrical cut
*Dolby 2.0 mono
*Dolby 2.0 stereo (the Chace laserdisc mix)
*Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (same as old dvd)
Audio commentary by James Cameron and others... (Arnie maybe?)
Original theatrical trailers and tv spots
Disc 2: 2009 Special Edition
restored version of the film with all (or at least most of) deleted scenes reincorporated
*Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
*DTS 6.1 ES
^I'm splitting these up for SD purposes, they could easily go on the same BR.
Disc 3: Bonus Materials
*original story treatment
*original screenplay
*Cameron Art and designs
Vintage featurettes:
The Terminator -- A Retrospective (1992)
Other Voices: The Making of the Terminator (2002)
New documentaries:
25th Anniversary reflection thing
A tribute to Stan Winston
Filmmakers tribute

 

[Southpaw]

Great work Joel. I'd pay mucho dollars for an ultimate 3 disc set.

 

[Oliver_A]

What I would really like to see for a new edition of The Terminator:
1. Audio Commentary with at least James Cameron is a definitive must!
2. If any better masters are available (I hope the current version does not reflect the state of the o-neg!), use them.
3. No colour re-corrections or degraining if possible.
4. Original mono mix.
5. A tribute to Stan Winston.
6. Since it's James Cameron's first "own" movie, a tribute to James Cameron and his legacy would be perfect for this disc, though I can imagine this could be tricky legally.
Btw, in the factory scene at the end, just when the Terminator is coming to Kyle and Sarah, there is a very brief scene where we see the Terminator's POV looking at Kyle & Sarah, but without the red tinting and graphics overlay, yet the sound effects suggest we see it from this POV. Is this a mistake in the movie?
Thanks for listening to our wishes!

 

[Merrick Gearing]

The original Terminator is also one of those films that I would like to see some of the FX shots redone, especially the scene at the factory remove the stop motion and make the T800 full CGI.

Other than those things, I like the idea of the deleted scenes being restored into the film. I watched them again and I was frankly surprised they got cut.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Great comments in here, especially Geoff's. I agree with getting what came before. If possible, I'd love to get some of the T2:3D material. It's great stuff, and a shame it's only available in Orlando.

I agree commentary tracks by Jim are always top-notch, so getting one for the first film should be high on the list. I think the tribute to Stan Winston would be appropriate.

Regarding T2, I think the response to the VFX would be interesting, considering that film is really the fulcrum of the CG industry.

I want the theatrical version of T2 available with the directors cut, if possible. And obviously, PQ and AQ are the most important things. I put my trust in you, good sir.

 

[brap]

Not to mention having Linda Hamilton superimposed by Lena Headey.
Seriously though, I'm happy just as long as they darken some of Arnie's intro. I definitely saw dangling schinkenwurst.

 

[Jonesy]

Mr. Ling,
Any chance of a 35mm re-release for the 25th anniversary of The Terminator next year?
I caught a revival screening in San Franciso in April, and had a blast. The movie held up well and the (large) audience took it seriously: cheering, gasping and laughing at all the right moments.
Thanks for all the great work you've done,
Jonesy
MOVIE THEATRE REVIEWS
PS: Please no "Fathom Events" screenings.

 

[Oliver_A]

The original Terminator is also one of those films that I would like to see some of the FX shots redone, especially the scene at the factory remove the stop motion and make the T800 full CGI.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
And this is coming from someone who is nearly thrown out of the movie by the puppet used in the "eye removement" scene. Movies are always a product of their time, it's like painting a mustache over the Mona Lisa.

 

[Gekkou]

Great comments in here, especially Geoff's. I agree with getting what came before. If possible, I'd love to get some of the T2:3D material. It's great stuff, and a shame it's only available in Orlando.

Hollywood, too (that's where I saw it).
I think most of what I would want has already been said. Original audio on both films available in lossless, if a fancy 7.1 track is offered too (not instead) then that's cool as well. New masters that still keep all the grain and high-frequency detail intact (and get the lingering edge ringing out of T2 while we're at it) would be great. Both cuts of T2, provided via seamless branching. The extended cut's nice, but the theatrical cut moves at a steadier pace, so we might as well just get the best of both worlds.
Getting an audio commentary with James Cameron for the first film would be a great companion to the existing 'Other Voices' documentary, especially at this point in time.
The interactive mode from the T2 Extreme Edition was really neat, and I think it would be even better if the interviews and deleted scene storyboards and whatnot from that were redone in Picture-in-Picture form on Blu-ray. Retaining the ability to view them full-screen (maybe by pushing a button while it plays in the PiP window) would be appreciated too, though, if possible for those who want to go back for a closer look. It's my understanding that Profile 1.1 allows for switching on the fly like that. The end result would be much more streamlined and flexible than the DVD format allowed.
The HD DVD from Imagion/Kinowelt had a running script-to-storyboard-to-screen comparison and I wouldn't mind seeing something like that appear again (especially since you could only select it with the German audio track on that disc if I recall correctly).
The only BD-Live feature I can think of would be to use it for up-to-date filmographies and the like.
Nice Special Edition packaging would be awesome, maybe SteelBook or a sturdy digipak with a good collectable booklet (I miss those). I'm thinking along the lines of what was done for Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Blu-ray.
I know there are all sorts of requests for what to include on these discs, but with so many previous iterations of these films it would be great to finally be able to replace them all.

 

[Todd Erwin]

Nice Special Edition packaging would be awesome, maybe SteelBook or a sturdy digipak with a good collectable booklet (I miss those). I'm thinking along the lines of what was done for Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Blu-ray.

Please, no Digipak. It is almost as bad as Warner's snapper cases. I'll end up trying to scan the Digipak case and create my own keepcase, like I had to do with "CE3K."
I do like the SteelBook cases, though. Saw some very cool ones at EMA in Vegas for "I Am Legend" and "Sweeney Todd."

 

[Jari K]

I have to agree.

 

[Gekkou]

Please, no Digipak. It is almost as bad as Warner's snapper cases. I'll end up trying to scan the Digipak case and create my own keepcase, like I had to do with "CE3K."
I do like the SteelBook cases, though. Saw some very cool ones at EMA in Vegas for "I Am Legend" and "Sweeney Todd."

If you insist
SteelBooks rule. One of the reasons I love my copy of Sweeney Todd so much. The only thing that bugs me about digipaks is that the edges feather way too easily, but I've seen plastic ones that don't have that problem.

 

[Ray H]

Pretty much everything has been already mentioned that I'd ever want from BD releases of these films., but I'll make a few suggestions anyway.

The basics:
- Start with great & uncompromising presentations of the films with the original audio tracks in addition to whatever remixes are available
- Please include all of the supplements previously released on DVD
New supplements & suggestions:
- A commentary by Cameron and co. on "The Terminator" would be lovely as well as everything else from the SD SE
- If Cameron isn't opposed to it, a seamlessly branched extended edition of "The Terminator" that incorporates the deleted material could be fun.

- Please include every version of T2 and maybe also have them a little easier to choose from (as opposed to the easter eggs presentations from the previous releases)
- For T2, perhaps BD technology can allow for a more manageable presentation of the Ultimate Supplement from disc 2 of the UE. Don't get me wrong, it's very informative, but it's tough and exhaustive to get through!
- A new retrospective piece on T2 would be appreciated with new interviews from the film's cast & crew reminiscing and telling stories about their time on the set and how they feel about the movie. I believe the "Terminator" SE already has a piece like this which is still relatively recent so I guess the job on that is already done.
- Please try and get the rights for the Guns & Roses music video!
- And lastly, please try to release a version of the T2-3D attraction. If nothing else exists that can do the job, maybe create an animated intro or just a text screen to help put the "movie" in context.
Thanks for hearing us out! Good luck and I'm sure you'll do a great job on these titles!

 

[Lord Dalek]

But why should we be seriously concerned about the "original audio" for T2? It was in 5.1 to begin with in 1991. Isn't that just a little esoteric?

 

[Merrick Gearing]

And this is coming from someone who is nearly thrown out of the movie by the puppet used in the "eye removement" scene. Movies are always a product of their time, it's like painting a mustache over the Mona Lisa.

Thats your opinion and I dont agree with it. So there.
Include both versions. Original and one with new FX.

 

[TravisR]

Personally, I don't care if Cameron fixes effects shots in The Terminator (though I'd definitely want the original version included if he did) but I don't think he would do that anyway. Based on comments that I've read from him, it seems like once he's done with a movie, he's done*.

*Yes, he made longer cuts of Aliens, The Abyss and T2 but they were all created within a few years of their original release and they added scenes rather than 'fixed' effects problems.

 

[Van Ling]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of going back and redoing VFX for the sake of doing so... to me it's kinda like going back as an adult and rewriting your old high school essays. The films are classics as they were, and have held up on their own merits, and their character are as much in the iffy stuff as in the great stuff. Which is not to say that experimenting on some shots might not be an interesting exercise, but can you imagine going back and replacing the Frank Oz Yoda puppet in Empire with a CG version? As I understand it, they're considering doing that with the Yoda puppet in Episode I. I can see that as George's choice for his films, but not Jim Cameron's.
And the argument of "we need to update the VFX to make it work for today's VFX-savvy audiences" often results in stuff that can sully the memory of the original, like the abominations that are the "remastered" classic Star Trek episodes... it's like we suddenly cut to a videogame fan version of the shots. Just my own opinion, of course. ;-)
V

 

[Merrick Gearing]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of going back and redoing VFX for the sake of doing so... to me it's kinda like going back as an adult and rewriting your old high school essays. The films are classics as they were, and have held up on their own merits, and their character are as much in the iffy stuff as in the great stuff. Which is not to say that experimenting on some shots might not be an interesting exercise, but can you imagine going back and replacing the Frank Oz Yoda puppet in Empire with a CG version? As I understand it, they're considering doing that with the Yoda puppet in Episode I. I can see that as George's choice for his films, but not Jim Cameron's.
And the argument of "we need to update the VFX to make it work for today's VFX-savvy audiences" often results in stuff that can sully the memory of the original, like the abominations that are the "remastered" classic Star Trek episodes... it's like we suddenly cut to a videogame fan version of the shots. Just my own opinion, of course. ;-)
V

Your opinion is always valued! Anyway, it was just a suggestion of something that I thought would be cool to see. If Jim has no desire to do it, then Id rather him not be forced to do it. I just thought it was one way that the the film could be improved. Otherwise, he did a helluva job with the budget he had. A helluva job.
By the way I would also like to say its rather cool that you are able to post here on a regular basis. I feel like Im getting to participate in making my ultimate bluray set.

 

[Fabien Renelli]

But why should we be seriously concerned about the "original audio" for T2? It was in 5.1 to begin with in 1991. Isn't that just a little esoteric?

I thought Batman returns was the first 5.1 movie? Or am I wrong?

 

[Lord Dalek]

was the first 5.1 movie? Or am I wrong?

Quite wrong actually. Batman Returns was the first major release in Dolby Digital (although technically Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country preceded it), however 5.1 sound had existed on 70mm prints since 1978 with Superman being the earliest to feature such a mix. T2 was released in multiple sound formats: 35mm Dolby SR (2.0 LT/RT), 70mm Dolby (5.1), and 70mm CDS, notable for being the first digital sound format for movies (also 5.1).