New 4k Life To A Classic

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2018)

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.