Customer Reviews

The Terminator (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

5 star:		(339)
4 star:		(142)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

This review refers to the BLU-RAY edition ONLY and NOT to the DVD edition.

Well having The Terminitor series on DVD and loving them and having recently upgraded to a blu-ray player I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my collection to high definition blu-ray format.

Boy, what a mistake that was.

Picture quality is AWFUL - well awful for blu-ray anyway. They've taken the same standard definition source as the DVD and upscaled it for blu-ray - but it's still standard definition. Only the menu is in High Definition, the movie is not. I tested my DVD version upscaled against the blu-ray edition and found them identical - if anything the DVD came out slightly on top.

It also only contains 2 extras - the special effects making of and the retrospective - nothing else. My DVD edition contains over a dozen extras.

My verdict if you're thinking of buying The Terminator in blu-ray and you have an upscaling DVD/BD player - forget it. Stick with the DVD version instead, picture is the same and it has more extras. It's cheaper too.

Maybe one day this wonderful movie will receive the treatment it deserves and be digitally remastered and have it's frames scanned with a high definition camera - but until then sit on your DVD's and wait.

I just received this DVD today and I went to view the special features and I found out the hard way that this DVD was not the Special Edition as Amazon.com said it was! I bought the Special Edition several years ago and it's all scratched up now so I wanted to buy a new replacement one. I am very disappointed with Amazon.com about this issue!!!!!

The version I got from Amazon has:

1) The feature movie
2) Trailer
3) DVD rom features

Now the Actual Special Edition Version has:

1) The Feature Movie
2) Trailers
3) T.V. Spots
4) Documentaries: "THE TERMINATOR: A RETROSPECTIVE" & "OTHER VOICES"
5) TERMINATED Scenes with commentary
6) Still Galleries
7) Original Treatment
8) DVD ROM Features

So I want to let everyone know that this version is NOT the Special Edition version!!!!! It is just a single release version that you get from Wal-Mart or anywhere for $7.50 or less than what Amazon or the manufacturers are charging!!!!! So don't waste your money!! Just go to Wal-Mart! I hope that I have helped at least one person to make an informed decesion by writing this review. 5 stars for it being The Terminator. 1 star for false advertisement!

The original "Terminator" is arguably the greatest sci-fi/action film ever, and the Special Edition DVD finally does this classic film justice. Many people look at the sequel as the better of the two, but remember, Cameron was given a huge budget for T2. He was forced to film "The Terminator" for less than $6 million. If you're like me, you could write enough about this movie to fill an encyclopedia, but I'll try to give just a breif plot description for those who have yet to see it.

In the future, SkyNET, the supercomputer in control of all military power, decides that humans must be destroyed and begins a massive nuclear war that destroys most of the population. The survivors form a resistance agains the computer and its mechanical army, and eventually defeat it, thanks to their leader John Connor. In a final effort to win, the computer sends a Terminator back in time to kill John's mother, Sarah, before he is born. The humans send back a lone soilder, Kyle Reese, to protect Sarah from the seemingly unstoppable cyborg.

When the movie was originally filmed, the soundtrack was recorded in mono, which sounded horrible on the original DVD release of the Terminator. But here you can find a newly recorded soundtrack, with the original soundtrack remixed along with new gun and explosion sound effects. Most of the new sounds are very cool (esp. the HK entrance in the first scene), and the new gun effects are good for the most part. Only in a few instances are the new sounds a little weak. Fortunately the DVD also sports the original mono soundtrack for when you want to watch the original verion.

Next to the film itself, the best part of this DVD is the Special Features, most of which were unavailable before. There are two Terminator documentaries, which have cast and crew interviews and behind the scene footage of the original filming of the Terminator, very cool stuff for die hards. Also featured are deleted scenes from the original film, which offer a deeper look into the Terminator mythology, and shows different sides of some characters which you wouldn't see in the original. Also in the special features are all the original storyboards for the film and hundreds more photos of the sets, actors and sketches from the original production. Simply put, for die hard Terminator fans, your wait is over. Terminator: Special Edition is a godsend.

HERE ARE ALSO TWO SECRETS I HAVE FOUND SO FAR ON THE DVD. On side one, under Languages, more to "Francais" so it is highlighted. Now move to the right. A little box on the right side of the screen should now be highlighted. Click on it. This gives access to one of four short, random interviews. The second secret is also on side one. Under special features, click on "DVD Rom Features," then under there move so that the Main Menu shortcut is highlighted. Move to the right again, and another small box should now be highlighted. Click on that. This also gives access to four more interviews. Enjoy!

Alright, The Terminator is a classic that helped proppel Arnold S and director Cameron to fame, so I won't bother reviewing the movie because I give it 5 stars all the way, even though I prefer T2.

Okay let's be serious. If you're expecting to get a new DVD edition you're wrong. This is still the same DVD as the last release. Nothing new except now it has a nice sleeve. Now if you don't own a copy and you want the sleeve (Like me) this is good, but if you already own the last release don't buy this one. It is no different except for the nice sleeve that covers it.

James Carmeron's Terminator has been given a state-of-the-art 5.1 stereo remix and also a fantastic hi-definition video transfer following the release of Terminator 2 (Ultimate Edition). This DVD contains over 2.5 hours of bonus material, i.e. documentaries, "terminated" scenes complete with commentary, photo galleries, the script and much more. The first thing you will notice when playing the movie is the superb video and sound quality...All of the sounds have been remixed, some deleted even. Gun shots and explosions now have more atmosphere and depth, and no longer sound like those cheap sound effects from the 1980's. Everything, including the music sounds state-of-the-art. You will not be disappointed unless you like movies to stay true to their original mixing. But I just have to say that this was a job well done....and maybe even one of the best quality DVD movies in my whole collection. If you pick this movie up make sure to pick up its sequel Terminator 2 (Ultimate Edition).

The only reason this has two stars is because the movie itself is so good. Otherwise, it's one star at best. First off, this is not a remastering. It looks no better than the DVD. In fact, the DVD may look better. You really see it in the credits type. In every other Blu-ray I have, they're crystal clear and sharp edged. Here, like in the DVD, they're very soft. The only other place I've seen type this soft is in the DVD of WKRP in Cincinnati, which was shot on videotape. In addition, the picture is frequently grainy and thin. Again, the DVD is the same way, but the Blu-Ray's higher definition makes the thin picture more obvious. The second problem is the extra features: Would you believe the Blu-ray doesn't have all the extras on the DVD? One of the documentaries from the DVD is missing.

In short, if you have the DVD, don't bother with the Blu-ray. If you don't have either, get the DVD. It's cheaper, the picture is just as good (or you can say the Blu-ray is just as bad), and it's got more extras.

I am one of the biggest fans of this movie (saw it many times in the theatre when it was released, bought the soundtrack on LP, have almost everything about it), and it IS one of the BEST Sci-Fi movies ever made - especially for its small budget. That said, this is one of the worst DVDs I've seen. The only special feature you get is ONE original trailer. No "Making Of" (which I have the VHS version of), No commentary tracks (come on James Cameron! Get with it! I love your movies and would love to hear your comments!), not even any other language or subtitle tracks - nothing spectacular on this DVD at all. I'm personally glad I have it because I'm a true collector of everything Terminator, but I can't recommend it for people who want more out of it. There really isn't much here in the DVD package - a waste of all that storage space.

I wasn't sure what to expect with a blu ray movie from the early 80s and the reviews on this one I've read have been mixed. Would the picture be any better? Would there be improvement over DVD? I was pleasantly surprised when I watched the blu ray. True some of the sequences are still grainy (partially intentional on the part of the filmakers) but I could absolutely see an improvement over the DVD version. Though most of the movie takes place at night, I was able to see much more detail than I had before (which is saying alot because I'm a huge Terminator fan!) I would have much preferred the film be cleaned up and spruced up more, but my conclusion is that the blu ray is definitely better than the DVDs. My only real disappointment with the disc were the special features. Aren't blu rays supposed to have this massive storage capacity and room for hours upon hours of additional material??? So why are we left with nothing new on The Terminator?? Same deleted scenes, same interview with Arnold and Jim Cameron, and the same special effects featurette as the special edition DVD. Bummer.......

This is a great movie, however blu ray shows a lower then expected resolution and it feels - especially in the opening scene like the studio did not try and remaster the negatives so you see all these old artifacts showing up on the film. Until its remastered for blu ray and cleaned up so its presentable in this format just stick with the DVD version.

The Terminator is one of the great action movies of our time. That's not what this review is about.

This review is about the video quality of this Blu-ray disc. The menus are fantastic 1080p resolution, but the actual movie looks as though it was pulled from the same source used for the DVD, which may as well have been the same source they used for VHS so long ago.

The movie is a fantastic one, but I'd say to save your money and get the standard definition DVD since the picture quality is about the same.