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The Terminator |
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Price (US): $9.49 |
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| Rating: |
4.5 / 5 |
| Released: |
Tuesday, October 02, 2001 |
| Rated: |
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In the year 2029, the ruling super-computer, Skynet, sends an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can fulfill her destiny and save mankind.
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Format
Anamorphic,
Closed-captioned,
Color,
Dolby,
DTS Surround Sound,
DVD-Video,
Subtitled,
Widescreen,
NTSC
Number of Discs: 1
Running Time: 108 minutes
Languages
English (Original Language),
French (Original Language),
Spanish (Original Language),
English (Subtitled),
Spanish (Subtitled),
French (Subtitled)
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The Terminator BLU-RAY edition
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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.
.:. Rating:
3
/ 5
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Is this really a `classic'?
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I think it's safe to say that you aren't watching an Arnold movie for the acting, right? You want to see things blow up and people get shot, right? Well, if that is what you are looking for than this is probably the best way to get that fix. `The Terminator' is one of those cult films that every `guy' in America, and quite possibly all over the world, has seen and has loved. I personally saw it for the first time about a month ago.
What...a whirlwind.
I was totally in the dark going in, so the fact that Arnold actually plays a bad guy was like a big "whoa" moment for me, but whatever, I'm in the minority and I accept that.
The film takes place in the present (well, the 80's) but the real story is what happen in the future, the year 2029 to be exact. The world is overrun by the machines. These machines devise a plan to change the future by altering the past. In other words; they send a robot to the present to kill off the mother of humanity's savior before she has a chance to birth him. That woman is Sarah Connor. In order to save humanity a man named Kyle Reese travels back in time to save Sarah from the Terminator.
The film is riddled with bad dialog and bad acting, all except Linda Hamilton, who actually turns out a very respectable performance as the conflicted and confused Sarah. Arnold is, well, Arnold and Michael Biehn is horrible as Kyle, but like I mentioned earlier, the acting is far from the point of the film.
Some of the effects and CGI are a little weak, especially as the film draws to a close and the Terminator is reduced to his metallic shell, but the film is an 80's gem and so its technical flaws are forgiven. Personally though, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to the vastly superior `Matrix' film, which carries a similar storyline yet executes it much better. I know that a lot of devoted fans may hate me for saying that, but I'm just trying to be realistic here.
This brings me to my point mentioned in my title. Is this really a classic? I mean, looking at the film for what it is, a sci-fi action film, and then looking at where we have come in terms of special effects, acting and direction, I can't see why one would want to watch this when so many other options are much better. `The Matrix' for example is much smarter, much sleeker and constructed much better. Sure, Reeves is not the greatest actor in the world, but `The Matrix' may be the one film where his breed of apathetic deliver is desired. `The Terminator' just doesn't stack up to modern spins on the genre and so it baffles me that so many stick by its side. Sure, sometimes we have a special fondness for the films we grow up with, but honestly, this is generic and decent at best, but there is much better to be found elsewhere.
.:. Rating:
3
/ 5
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Easter Eggs
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I thought this was a really good dvd. My only concern really, was the fact that the picture quality as people have said is a bit grainy, but on the positive side, I find this movie with the grainy picture adds some character. Most of the old movies looked this way, and adds a bit of creepiness to the movie.
But onto easter eggs. They're kind of cheesy, but are entertaining. If you're on I think the special features page, and I think the sound page? if you keep clicking the curser around in all directions it will jump up to a little square that is up above the words that says things like Trailers or whatever. If you keep clicking this same little box it plays a few different short interviews. Even after you watched the short interview, click the same link again, and it'll play a different interview. Not sure how many there are in total.
It's kinda cheesy though because it's just a still picture of whoever they're interviewing, and the sound is rolling. So it's mainly an audio interview, but with still pictures thrown in. They interview James Cameron I think, as well as Michael Biehn, and a few of the effects guys.
It's really cool. I mean it's not much as far as extras, but at least it's something, so I can't really complain. So anyone who has this dvd, and hasn't found the Easter Eggs, definitely fidget around with it, and you will find em.
.:. Rating:
4
/ 5
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