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The Terminator (Special Edition)

This movie spawned millions of really bad Schwarzenegger impressionists saying, "I'll be back." In fact it has become a staple in American Pop Culture. Even the handful of people who have not seen this picture, know what film that line is from. And unlike the movie that gave us another one of Arnold's famous lines, "It's not a tumor," "Terminator" deserves to be so fondly remembered.

**This is an amazing film on many different levels. On a purely science fiction front this movie rocks. It has your dark and desolate future, time travel and robot that is actually terrifying. The effects by Stan Winston and Fantasy II are incredible and hold up well against today's special effects laden films. Well, all except the laser bolts that do look a bit dated. The film also gives us one of the few female heroes of the 80's. Even though Sarah Connor spends much of the film running and being saved by Reese, by the end of film she realizes her own strength and potential, and uses that to save herself. This is brought to full focus in the equally good "Terminator 2." The performances by all involved are icing on the cake. This movie sent both Cameron's and Arnold's career to the stratosphere. Biehn and Hamilton have a wonderful chemistry together and are perfect for their parts as Reese and Sarah. When you consider the incredibly low budget they had to work with this film is even more incredible. Simply put, this is one of the best films ever made.

For every fan that waited with growing anticipation of the release of "Terminator" after the incredible "Terminator 2" DVD was released, the image and sound alone are worth the wait. After years of grainy, poorly lit copies of VHS and the equally poor previous DVD version, we finally get to see the movie as it was intended. The film was shoot on an extremely tight budget on rather cheap film. As a result the film didn't look its best. Some of the night scenes were simply too dark and film showed a lot of grain and flaws. However it has now been completely restored. Artifacts on the film are rare and not distracting. The night scenes, which are most of the movie, have clear blacks and well-defined shadows. There is no edge-enhancement evident giving us a film that has great definition.

***This is a sound driven film. In almost every scene there is something to listen to. With the 5.1 EX sound, you can hear all of it. When I first put the movie in and listened to the opening future sequence, I knew I was in for a treat. Every speaker gets used. The sound smoothly wraps around from one speaker to the next as the hunter/killer machines pass by. Bass extension is excellent with a rich deep low end as well as clear high ends that are free of distortion. While all of the action sequences come through loud and clear there are also some small sounds we can hear for the first time. You can hear the click of the Terminator's boots on the pavement, and when Reese shoots him with the shotgun in the bar you can hear the shot hitting the metal skeleton of the Terminator. The dialogue has also been cleaned up. It sounds softer and more natural here than in any other transfer. For a comparison the original mono soundtrack is available as well. Even listening to the first scene shows its limitations.

Even with the sound and image alone being worth the wait, we have a great set of extras to make the package irresistible. All of the extras are on side B of the DVD. One of the highlights is "Other Voices" documentary. This contains new cast and crew interviews inter-cut with photos and footage from production. Unfortunately Arnold and Hamilton are only featured from old 1991 interviews from the set of "Terminator 2." This has a running time of an hour and offers a thorough look at every aspect of the film from the first ideas, to casting, to the special effects crew, and the reception of the film by the public.

***In addition to this behind-the-scenes look, there is also a short 16-minute featurette called "The Making of The Terminator: A Retrospective." This consists of a 1986 interview with James Cameron spliced together with 1992 piece that features Arnold and Cameron sitting down and talking about the film. It is a lot like the Chris Farley Show from Saturday Night Live. There is a lot of "do you remember that time when … that was awesome.

***We also have 7 terminated scenes. This is a format I wish more DVD's would adopt. For each scene there is a brief introduction explaining what the shot is and why it was cut. Then you can watch the scene alone, or with commentary by Cameron giving even more information. While you understand why each scene was cut, it is nice to see them.

***Not since the "Jaws" DVD have I seen such a huge Stills Gallery. It is broken down into five categories: James Cameron Artwork, Production Photos, Stan Winston Special Effects, Fantasy II Special Effects, and Publicity Material. This gallery has hundreds and hundreds of pictures and a must see for any fan. ***There is also a special treat for all the readers. Included on the DVD is the original 40-page treatment done by Cameron to pitch the film. The print is quite large and easy on the eyes. It is fascinating to see how much of the first treatment was kept in movie, as well as seeing the little things that changed.

***Finally there is an easter egg on side one. Under the special features there if you click down you will highlight a box on top of the screen. When you select it you see one of four short interviews featuring James Cameron, Michael Biehn, Gale Anne Hurd and Brad Fiedel discussing various aspects of the film.

This is a wonderful DVD package. For those few who have not yet seen the film, this is the version you must see. For any fan they have probably already pre-ordered it. The only thing missing from the DVD is a commentary track. We all know that Cameron loves to talk about himself, and with this being his first film, it would have been great to hear exactly what all went on. It also would have been nice to have some more current information from Arnold and Hamilton. Other then those minor details this is the DVD package that the film deserves.