Featured Blu-ray Review: The Terminator

February 17, 2013

The Terminator - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon

This is not the first time I've reviewed The Terminator. It's not even the first time I've reviewed the Blu-ray. This is in fact the third time time the film has been released on Blu-ray, but the other two were greeted with mixed reviews. The movie still lives up to its reputation, but the picture quality was weak for high definition. This Blu-ray is being labeled Remastered, but is it worth the triple-dip?

The Movie

I've already reviewed the film, so there's no need to go over the movie again. It is widely considered a classic and one of the best sci-fi action movies of all time.

The Extras

Sadly, the extras on the remastered Blu-ray are the same as the previous Blu-rays, which is not a lot. It is certainly not as much as this film deserves. Fortunately, the Blu-ray excels in technical presentation. Granted, this was a relatively inexpensive movie made nearly 30 years ago, so don't expect reference level quality. That said, there's nothing wrong with the video. The excessive grain is gone, the picture is sharper, there are more fine details, the colors are stronger, the blacks are deeper, etc. The print damage has been cleaned up. There are some who have complained that the colors have been changed rather than improved, but I'm not sure I buy that. The audio has also been improved, albeit by a much smaller margin. It doesn't include the original mono track, but I'm not sure why that's a huge problem. The Blu-ray costs just $14, which isn't bad for a release like this; however, the Franchise Box Set comes out in March, and it will likely be the better deal, if you like all four films.

The Verdict

The Terminator: Remastered Edition is a much better deal than the previous two Blu-rays. The improved video alone is enough to make it worth the upgrade. However, if you are a huge fan of the entire franchise, then wait for the Box Set. If you were disappointed in the last two films, then buy this one.


- Submitted by:

Filed under: Video Review, The Terminator, Terminator