Media

Home Theater Movie Renter's Guide - June, 2011

 "The Terminator (Digibook)" (Blu-ray) - Reviewed by Chris Heinonen

Synopsis

With the numerous sequels and TV show that it spawned, in addition to the career of James Cameron, everyone is probably somewhat familiar with the plot of Terminator.  A Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has been sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton).  Sarah will have a son, John, who will lead the rise of humanity against machines in the future.  Also sent back from the future is a soldier named Kyle (Michael Biehn) who is to protect her, and destroy the Terminator.

Commentary

The film that helped launch many careers, and an incredibly successful series, got its start with a fairly low budget, slightly cheesy Sci-Fi film.  While not a perfect film, and not as good as the sequel that would come nearly a decade later, Terminator is a very enjoyable, fun action film that can stand up even decades later.

Technical

Unfortunately, the transfer isn’t as strong as the film itself.  Shot on a budget compared to the later ones, the print itself shows signs of damage and age.  Additionally there is a lack of fine detail in the image, and it appears to show a lot of noise reduction, probably from an older master.  The soundtrack is better, though not as dynamic as modern action films.  Is has clear dialog and decent use of the surrounds, along with reasonable LFE use for the action sequences.

Extras

There are three featurettes, all presented in standard definition, and a selection of trailers for other Blu-ray releases, and the 24-page Digibook case.