The Terminator is one of my favorite 80's action movies. It's one of those infrequent action films that combines a good script, acting, killer action and where style doesn't overshadow the substance. And all on a shoe string budget. But as readers of this forum are all too aware the blu-rays of The Terminator are pretty sub par especially in video quality.

Well, that ended when I read Blu-ray.com's review of the re-mastered The Terminator disc. (Like most fans we hear remastered and we know its just the same old crappy encode with a new cover.) But this time MGM/Fox (current owners of the The Terminator) paid for a proper remastering and clean up. So as a Xmas gift to myself I bought it through Amazon UK and crossed my fingers.

Wow!

The film looks amazing and its the best I've seen to date. The color scheme is right (this transfer skews more towards the blue/green spectrum whereas the previous discs were towards the red/brown.), no DNR or edge enhancement. The image is sharp and clear (so clear some of the rear projection and model special effects are much more obvious.) And it sounds fantastic.

That's the best news. The better news: its Region Free so you can play it on your blu-ray player or as in my case PS3. And the good news: it comes with a good amount of extras. Could have been better but I'm not complaining.

And the same version that is available now in the UK becomes available in the US this February. So until Cameron gets the rights to The Terminator returned to him in 2019 or Criterion acquires it this is probably the best looking blu-ray fans are liable to get.

Now, maybe we can hope for a proper remastering of T2.

It looks like a 4k version has been made which has been used as a source for the new Blu-ray disc. I haven't seen it on sale - in fact I haven't seen any T1 BDs. Apparently, it's an Mgm/Fox deal as you say, and (surprisingly) not Mgm/Sony.

From what I recall from the DVD version, the video was a good step up from VHS/TV, but the audio was f'k'd around with (I made a separate posting about this). But the video revealed the limitations of the original film - it's as if it wasn't filmed in 35mm at all - it was too grainy, like 16mm.

Also worth a look at is this article Was The Terminator shown in two different formats? - HDvision (US) (http://www.hdvision-mag.com/2012/03/was-the-terminator-shown-in-two-different-formats.html) . It looks like the correct aspect ratio is different to what we're used to seeing. So, I'm guessing, but the new master may well have been a fresh scan with the latest technology and image processing.

This also reminds me of different T2 releases, where if you watched the wide screen version or the p&s version, you were never seeing the original full picture, because the aspect ratio was somewhere in between the two - something was always going to get cropped.

Not only that, the LD version was different yet again. It's 2.35, but it's a different edit - it's like what I saw at the picture house. The VHS p&s had bits cut out from it - like the guard outside the Pescadero nut house getting shot in both knees. Then the DVD SE came out with a raft of new things, like Arnie trying to smile ffs. I was actually thinking of editing the DVD version and making it a DVD version of the LD - with all the SE stuff removed.

Regarding your comments on T2 BD picture quality. Wow. I got the Blu-ray some time ago but haven't had the time to watch it yet. Thanks to your info, I'm braced for impact - or lack there of. Wow.

The Terminator is one of my favorite 80's action movies. It's one of those infrequent action films that combines a good script, acting, killer action and where style doesn't overshadow the substance. And all on a shoe string budget. But as readers of this forum are all too aware the blu-rays of The Terminator are pretty sub par especially in video quality.

Well, that ended when I read Blu-ray.com's review of the re-mastered The Terminator disc. (Like most fans we hear remastered and we know its just the same old crappy encode with a new cover.) But this time MGM/Fox (current owners of the The Terminator) paid for a proper remastering and clean up. So as a Xmas gift to myself I bought it through Amazon UK and crossed my fingers.

Wow!

The film looks amazing and its the best I've seen to date. The color scheme is right (this transfer skews more towards the blue/green spectrum whereas the previous discs were towards the red/brown.), no DNR or edge enhancement. The image is sharp and clear (so clear some of the rear projection and model special effects are much more obvious.) And it sounds fantastic.

That's the best news. The better news: its Region Free so you can play it on your blu-ray player or as in my case PS3. And the good news: it comes with a good amount of extras. Could have been better but I'm not complaining.

And the same version that is available now in the UK becomes available in the US this February. So until Cameron gets the rights to The Terminator returned to him in 2019 or Criterion acquires it this is probably the best looking blu-ray fans are liable to get.

Now, maybe we can hope for a proper remastering of T2.

What are the special features of the new Terminator blu ray? Asking cause I've been thinking about getting it so I hope it's not troubling for you to inform me of them. I expect the usual commentaries. But what else is there besides that?

Your last sentence regarding T2, that gives me impression that it's not worth buying since it's the remastered right according to you.

Hello: here's a list of the blu-ray extras:

Creating The Terminator: Visual Effects & Music - Special Effects Supervisor Gene Warren, Jr, VFX Pyrotechnician Joe Viskocil, director James Cameron, and composer Brad Fiedel discuss the unique special effects and the film's legendary soundtrack. In English, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 480/60i).

Terminator: A Retrospective - director James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger recall how The Terminator came to exist, some of the doubts and fears they had before the shooting of the film, its success, etc. In English, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 480/60i).

Terminated Scenes - a gallery of deleted scenes. In English, with optional English subtitles.

1. Wholesome Sarah (1 min).
2. Wrong Sarah (1 min).
3. Lt. Traxler's Arc (2 min).
4. Sarah Fights Back (5 min).
5. Making Bombs (2 min).
6. Tickling Reese (1 min).
7. The Factory (1 min).

No commentaries but for the film's Cameron has commented on they are worth the time.

As for T2 its not a bad port but its not everything that it could be. I did a very unscientific comparison between the latest T2 and my old laser disc version and they looked about the same. Other more technically proficient reviews came to the same conclusion: could have been better.

Hope this helps you in making your decision.

Hello: here's a list of the blu-ray extras:

Creating The Terminator: Visual Effects & Music - Special Effects Supervisor Gene Warren, Jr, VFX Pyrotechnician Joe Viskocil, director James Cameron, and composer Brad Fiedel discuss the unique special effects and the film's legendary soundtrack. In English, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 480/60i).

Terminator: A Retrospective - director James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger recall how The Terminator came to exist, some of the doubts and fears they had before the shooting of the film, its success, etc. In English, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 480/60i).

Terminated Scenes - a gallery of deleted scenes. In English, with optional English subtitles.

1. Wholesome Sarah (1 min).
2. Wrong Sarah (1 min).
3. Lt. Traxler's Arc (2 min).
4. Sarah Fights Back (5 min).
5. Making Bombs (2 min).
6. Tickling Reese (1 min).
7. The Factory (1 min).

No commentaries but for the film's Cameron has commented on they are worth the time.

As for T2 its not a bad port but its not everything that it could be. I did a very unscientific comparison between the latest T2 and my old laser disc version and they looked about the same. Other more technically proficient reviews came to the same conclusion: could have been better.

Hope this helps you in making your decision.

Cool extras. Thanks. They have helped me make my decision to purchase once I have money. I had hoped to but this and T2 at the same time. I may wait till a better T2 is released if it ever is so that this T1 will be cheaper by then. What is the official name of this Terninator? Is it The Terminator The Definitive Set or something?

It's just called "The Terminator." It's gets released later this month and the US version is supposed to be the same as the already released UK version.

It's just called "The Terminator." It's gets released later this month and the US version is supposed to be the same as the already released UK version.

Alright well if you ever get a hold of the real U.S. cover of the blu ray, please link me to it so I get the right one. Can't afford to buy the wrong one. That's why I hate multiple releases. Sometimes, I end up buying the wrong one by accident. Sure, I get some money back by selling it. But not all of it since it was already watched and therefore considered used. Not trying to sound cheap or stupid here cause I'm neither stupid or cheap. But I'm just saying. Studios purposely release multiple editions of things as a cheap, yet obviously effective way of scamming money out of people. Star Wars is a great example as there's been way too many releases of that. The blu rays....was gonna buy them, but ridiculous editing to them prevented me from purchasing them. So I stuck with the dvd's. They're in HD, but at least they don't contain those stupid edits.

Alright well if you ever get a hold of the real U.S. cover of the blu ray, please link me to it so I get the right one. Can't afford to buy the wrong one. That's why I hate multiple releases. Sometimes, I end up buying the wrong one by accident. Sure, I get some money back by selling it. But not all of it since it was already watched and therefore considered used. Not trying to sound cheap or stupid here cause I'm neither stupid or cheap. But I'm just saying. Studios purposely release multiple editions of things as a cheap, yet obviously effective way of scamming money out of people. Star Wars is a great example as there's been way too many releases of that. The blu rays....was gonna buy them, but ridiculous editing to them prevented me from purchasing them. So I stuck with the dvd's. They're in HD, but at least they don't contain those stupid edits.

So true.

I would wait until a site like blu-ray.com reviews the disc. I'm sure its the same encode as the UK version but its better to be safe. As for the blu ray itself head over to Amazon and do a search for "The Terminator." It's pre-order price is around $13.00.

Let me add, and I'm sure folks who visit this forum know this, "The Terminator" was shot on film stock and that means the movie has grain. (It's not going to look like it was shot on a digital camera.) I've talked with friends who thought there was "something wrong with the disc" upon watching an older movie on blu-ray and seeing the film stock grain. That's just how older films look.