I’d forgotten just how much fun TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY
was. Perhaps that’s because Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to become Governor of
California. Or maybe because Edward Furlong went on to become a bad actor. Or
maybe because star Linda Hamilton seemed to disappear from any major release
after this film came out. It certainly isn’t for lack of a copy to resurface
time and time again with numerous repackaging items to stir up interest. But
this time around it’s worth the extra effort.
If you’re not aware of the story the first film told of a
killer robot, a terminator, sent back in time after robots have tried to take
over the world. His mission is to prevent the birth of John Connor who will go
on to lead the resistance and take down the robots. The film ended with the
robot crushed and Sarah Connor (Hamilton) pregnant with her son John and on the
road.
The second film opens in the future where John is sending
back a message. This time the terminator (Schwarzenegger) returns the same as
last time, unclothed and in need of transportation. Another person from the
future arrives as well (Robert Patrick). While the two of them go in search of
clothing and transport we get a glimpse of Sarah and John.
John is a punk kid, living in a foster home where he’s hit
those ripe teen years where he’s rebellious and uncooperative. He rides a
motorcycle and hangs out at the mall. Sarah, on the other hand, is in a mental
ward. Her claims of an apocalyptic future are thought to be the ravings of a
lunatic and she’s medicated most of the time.
As we watch and witness both Patrick and Schwarzenegger
track down John, we wonder how on earth he can survive. When Schwarzenegger
shows up, gun in hand, and begins shooting at Patrick we suddenly realize that
he has been sent back to save not kill John. The two escape in one of the most
action packed sequences ever filmed filled with plenty of skilled driving and
high end special effects.
Surviving the pair rescue Sarah and head out. When
Schwarzenegger provides them the information they need as to how the entire
robotic world came to be, they set out to prevent that from happening. The
action sequences that follow combine the worlds of stunt men and effects to
maximum effort as we watch the final battle follow.
Director James Cameron is one of the most technically gifted
directors you will find. In watching the film again I marveled at the ease with
which the effects were planted here and there and noticed that a number of them
would be used again in his future films like THE ABYSS. But it’s not just his
use of effects. He is a grand story teller as well, providing the information
needed to follow along and involve the viewer. He adds touches of humor to the
action going on which rounds out the film nicely.
So why bother investing in this version being released now
when we’ve had so many variations available to us in the past? For one thing
those fortunate enough to have invested in a 4k screen and player will now be
able to watch the movie in the cleanest most high definition image possible.
The movie was amazing before but imagine a picture to high on the quality scale
that you can be amazed by a film made 26 years ago. The quality here is such
that it looks more like it was made recently rather than all those years ago.
Extras here include a number of things including three
different versions of the film, 2 different commentary tracks, deleted scenes
with commentary, a 30 minute making of featurette, trailers and a 55 minute
documentary called T2: REPROGRAMMING THE TERMINATOR. All of these make this the
ultimate version of the film.
One more thing about this new edition. Not only does it come
with the 4k restoration versions of the film but it includes the blu-ray
edition as well as a digital edition. And it’s being released at an affordable
price as well. So if you want to watch this film in the best way possible, make
sure you pick up a copy today.
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