Terminator Special Edition DVD Review
Published May 15, 2004
As mentioned before, the featureless disc of the past is now just that: the past. All of the features are contained on side two of the disc. The main draw of the DVD is a hour-long documentary entitled "Other Voices" which has the nearly all of the crew talking about the making of the movie, from conception to the premier. Arnold and Hamilton only appear in interview segments from 1991. If you needed to know anything about the film, it's most likely been included here. Sadly, there are no chapter stops so if you only want to watch a single segment, you'll have to use the fast forward button.
Next up is "The Terminator: A Retrospective," a 10-minute sit down interview with James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Clips from this interview also appear in the above documentary. There are some clips from a 1986 interview with Cameron as well. Both share some fun stories from the set and how some shots are accomplished. James Cameron also leads viewers through 7 deleted scenes with an optional commentary on all of them. Each is introduced with a text screen that explains where the scene would have appeared in the film.
There are some nice storyboards and stills from the set as well. The entire written script has been tossed on as well. Finally, you'll get the usual array of trailers, from teasers to TV spots. The case states there are some hidden features, but I found nothing. I don't see any reason to hide things on a disc. Just put it on the menu in plain view people! It's a great disc otherwise, but if a full audio commentary is what you were looking for, you'll probably be disappointed as one has not been included. (****)
There are 2 versions of this same disc. The initial release had a sort of "holo-foil" on the cover that shimmered in the light. The later releases lack this. The discs are exactly the same, save for the packaging. Regardless of which you choose, your getting a great disc that contains not only a cinematic classic, but some outstanding features as well. This is a disc that needs a place on your shelf and certainly can boot the initial DVD release right off.
Matt Paprocki is the former reviews editor for Digital Press, a video game website with an appreciation for the retro side of the industry. The deep game collection which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games line his walls for research purposes. Matt strives to bring credibility to video game journalism, and take it in a new direction to aid the industry in becoming respected with all forms entertainment media. He currently freelances for GameArgus.com and MultiPlayerGames.com.
- Terminator Special Edition DVD Review
- Published: May 15, 2004
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Thriller, Video: SF, Video: Action
- Writer: Matt Paprocki
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But would it not be better marketing to have a longer list of features on the back of the case to attract the much larger audience? I doubt the easter egg crowd is as big as the mainstream.
In regards to the sound how anybody can come to the conclusion you did here about the mono track versus the 5.1 is beyond me, I can only assume that you are obssessed with whether the sound dances around from speaker to speaker on your 5.1 setup and don't value anything else because the actual sound of the 5.1 remix is extremely inferior to the mono track, it is in fact the 5.1 that sounds dull, this mix drowns the live out of the soundtrack and some of the sounds are just plain silly. So my opinion is the complete opposite to yours, I just don't know how anybody could think what you do, maybe you need to listen again and this time listen to the sound rather than what direction it is coming from, you should be surprised.
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Hidden features attract the whole easter egg crowd. It's good marketing.