‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ Gets a Definitive 4K Blu-ray

GameStop, Inc.

Terminator 2 3D

Just the other day, as it seemingly happens every month since the debut of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man in 2002 and especially after The Avengers in 2012, a Hollywood legend took aim at superhero movies. This time it was the great Jodie Foster comparing superhero movies to fracking. In the past, it’s been Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ridley Scott, and countless others. This trend has existed well before classic comic characters made their way onto the silver screen. The decrying of commercial cinema and spectacles has existed just about as long as the movies, and there are still those who point to films like Jaws and Star Wars as this breaking point – I guess excessive musicals like Doctor Doolittle or thrilling disasters like The Towering Inferno didn’t exist before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. As hard as detractors attempt to place any perceived decline within the art of filmmaking on the shoulders of the blockbuster spectacles, classics endure because they are great and not because they represent some insidious cultural rot that has lingered and fostered further decay. Successful movies reshape the business end and spur a number of copycats. Great movies are often imitated and rarely replicated. It’s a continuing cycle that will outlive the superhero craze that we find ourselves in now.

I only bring this up because recently I watched for the second time in a calendar year, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, James Cameron’s 1991 sequel thanks to a wonderful new 4K restoration on Blu-ray with an array of special features. I was left to wonder how Cameron’s sequel evaded the classification that has dogged the blockbuster masterworks of Spielberg and Lucas. T2 was an early adopter of computer effects and serves as the kind of cinematic spectacle that has become routine in multiplexes across the globe. Of course, everyone started to play catch up after T2 took over the movie world. And yet nobody points to T2 as the cause of every moment of dreadful CGI to ever mar the screen. At the time, Cameron’s movie was the most expensive movie ever made (a record he has since broken more than once), and yet he eludes all blame for the all or nothing compulsive gambler mentality that dominates Hollywood.

One reason, I suspect, that Cameron has eluded the criticisms that have befallen his peers in Spielberg and Lucas for their influence over the blockbuster landscape is the fact that Spielberg and Lucas, while innovators with amazing track records, each has had their own moments of hubris, flops driven by their desires to push the boundaries of cinema. Cameron, on the other hand, has that same drive but it has never resulted in the director falling flat on his face – in other words, while The Abyss wasn’t a smash, it wasn’t a debacle like 1941, Howard the Duck, or Willow (which is not a commentary on the quality of those movies, just that they were not critical or commercial hits in their day). A rarity indeed, as Cameron’s ambition and budgets ballooned, so did the profits to come from his movies as well as the Oscar wins and nominations.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day remains the perfect template for a blockbuster. It features eye-popping spectacle with effects that nobody had seen before. The film establishes its characters and expertly sets the stage for a stunning showdown, with Cameron playing some coy misdirection in the film’s opening half hour. More importantly, it’s a contained story. It was a sequel that existed only because Cameron and co-writer William Wisher had an idea. Being intimately invested in the events of the original Terminator aren’t required to enjoy T2. As hard as producers and studios have tried to continue the story of Terminator 2, all have failed to live up to this sequel because it does feature an ending that is entirely resolute. Nobody has been able to crack the code of how to make another effective Terminator film, and though they will try and try time and time again, I suspect that we’ll never see another Terminator film that enchanted audiences like T2.

Since it left theaters, Terminator 2 has been a staple on home video. First it was a best-selling VHS and LaserDisc, then one of the first DVDs, and it’s maintained a steady presence on streaming platforms and Blu-rays as viewing habits continually evolve. This latest 4K edition of Terminator 2 should be the final word until the next groundbreaking home video format is unveiled. The effects of the film are still stunning and the 4K transfer retains some of the filmic aspects of the original 35mm print without any degradation of the image. There are also ample special features, including a lengthy documentary on the making of and legacy of T2 featuring interviews with James Cameron and most of the cast (notably absent is Linda Hamilton, Sarah Connor and Cameron’s ex-wife). This edition of T2 features various cuts of the film, including an extended edition featuring deleted scenes reinserted. However, I cannot recommend the extended version of Cameron’s blockbuster masterpiece as the scenes that were deleted were deleted with good cause. (I know it’s not the popular opinion, but I feel the same exact way about his extended cut of Aliens.)

Terminator 2: Judgement Day was the movie that propelled Arnold Schwarzenegger from an action star to the biggest movie star in the world, providing with a star status and catchphrases he would use in his political career. The film also provided James Cameron with carte blanche to make whatever he wanted, and he took full advantage with the massive scope of Titanic and Avatar. More than 25 years later, T2 is that white whale that studios and filmmakers are chasing – a character driven spectacle that fires on all cylinders, especially at the box office. Finally, there is that definitive version of Terminator 2: Judgement Day for home use that reminds us of all the thrills that captivated us and why it remains a classic that defies genre.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day
  • Overall Score
5

Summary

A timeless action classic, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day lands on 4K Blu-ray with a definitive set that should please fans and wow newcomers to the legendary battle between man and machine.

Anytime Costumes

Leave a Reply

FanboyNation
Animation/Anime Interviews Animation/Anime News Animation/Anime Reviews Film/TV Interviews Film/TV News Film/TV Review
‘Wednesday’ Comes to Blu-ray on Tuesday from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

‘Wednesday‘ Comes to Blu-ray on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, from Warner...

Toy Lei Talks About Playing Auntie Victoria in ‘The Brothers Sun’ – Interview Rewind

Asian-American actress Toy Lei stars as Auntie Victoria in the new...

Marcus Massey Talks ‘Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’ – Interview

Marcus Massey Shares his Wisdom as Owl in ‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and...

Event News Event Reviews
‘MJ the Musical’ Chronicles the Life of the ‘King of Pop’ Running at Segerstrom – Review

‘MJ the Musical‘ is the Ultimate Stage Adaptation, Chronicling the life...

Aiden Sinclair and Michael Rangel Talks ’57 Ghosts’ Aboard the Queen Mary Séance

Aiden Sinclair and Apparitionist, Michael Rangel Discuss their new Theatrical Séance...

Luke and Madison Rhoades Open ‘Slashers Axe Throwing’ – Interview

Luke and Madison Rhoades Open Orange County’s first ever horror themed...

Automotives Football MMA, Kick Boxing & Boxing Professional Wrestling
Olympic Runner Colleen Quigley ‘On The Road to Paris’

Team USA Olympic Runner, Colleen Quigley is On The Road to...

Paralympian Swimmer Ahalya Lettenberger On The Road to Paris

Team USA Paralympian Swimmer, Ahalya Lettenberger is On The Road to...

Ultimate Women of Wrestling Comes to the Globe Theatre – Interview

Ultimate Women of Wrestling Comes to the Globe Theatre on Sunday,...

Adult Continuity Comics on the Can Cultural Junk Drawer Future Comic Rock Stars Is That Racist? Revisiting the Reviled THAT'S NOT ROTTEN! The B-Reel The Cantina Scene This Week in Crowdfunding What the HELL Did I just...?
Fantoy Comics Presents: Harry Potter and the Pahrump Apocalypse: Escalation

When you said "Destroy" Kurt grabbed his mini-gun an AK-47 and...

Fantoy Comics Presents: Harry Potter and the Pahrump Apocalypse, the continuing saga!

If cautious means being careful when I break a foot off...

Fantoy Comics Presents: Harry Potter and the Pahrump Apocalypse pt 253;sectionG

Well I think they're tacky as hell!

Music Interviews Music News Music Reviews
Joe Kwaczala Talks About His new Comedy Album ‘Funny Songs & Sketches’ – Interview

Joe Kwaczala Talks About His new Comedy Album ‘Funny Songs &...

Songwriter and Poet, Tamara Mechael Talks About Her Career in the Arts

First Generation Assyrian-Chaldean, Songwriter and Poet, Tamara Mechael Talks About Her...

Louden Swain Headlining Los Angeles Show at The Echo

Press Release – Louden Swain are headlining Los Angeles show at...

Enabled Gaming Gaming News Gaming Reviews
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Gameplay Trailer

The first Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gameplay trailer was revealed during...

Wonder Woman Game
Wonder Woman Game Announced By DC and WB Games

Wonder Woman game will feature the iconic hero in a 3rd...

MultiVersus
MultiVersus brings Batman, Arya Stark, Bugs Bunny, and More

MultiVersus is bringing Shaggy, Harley Quinn, Jake, Batman, Arya Stark, Bugs Bunny,...

Comic Creator Interviews Comic/Graphic Novel News Comic/Graphic Novel Reviews Manga News Manga Reviews Novel/Novella Author Interviews Novel/Novella News Novel/Novella Reviews
Gary Morgenstein Talks ‘A Dugout to Peace’ the Final Installment of his Trilogy

Gary Morgenstein Talks About ‘A Dugout to Peace‘ the final installment...

Chris Clews Is ‘Raised on the 80s’ and Shares Those Life Lessons

Chris Clews was ‘Raised on the 80s‘ and Shares Those Life...

Roye Okupe Brings Authentic African Representation to HBO Max and Cartoon Network

Nigerian-American, Roye Okupe brings authentic African representation to HBO Max and...

Apparel/Personal Maintenance News Apparel/Personal Maintenance Reviews Entertainment Product News Entertainment Product Reviews Food/Beverage Reviews Hardware News Hardware Reviews Mystery Box News Mystery Box Reviews
Harry Potter: Magic Caster Wand Demo

The new ‘Harry Potter: Magic Caster Wand‘ is ready to ship...

Chef Jen Peters and Matthew Clayton Bring us the ‘Good Flour’

Canadian Super Chef Jen Peters and Matthew Clayton Bring us the...

Pop Insider 2021 Holiday Gift Guide
Pop Insider 2021 Holiday Gift Guide

The Pop Insider 2021 Holiday Gift Guide is now available to help...

Gaming Uncensored Toon-In-Talk
Episode 38: Hamid Rahmanian

Join Whitney Grace as she speaks with artist Hamid Rahmanian, who...

No Preview
Toon-In Talk Episode 37: Niki Smith

Whitney Grace interviews graphic novel writer and artist Niki Smith about...

Toon-In Talk Episode 36: Rob Paulsen

Rob Paulsen takes some time from his busy voice acting schedule...