BLU-RAY - Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Skynet Edition)

The action-packed first sequel, which has had multiple incarnations in all formats, now receives yet another BLU-RAY edition to coincide with the impending release of TERMINATOR:SALVATION. Is there someone on Earth who doesn't already own this thing? THE FILM By now, most people are familiar with this wildly popular continuation of the TERMINATOR franchise. Director James Cameron followed up his risky flop THE ABYSS with this explosive and crowd-pleasing sequel. Seeing it again after a long time, it's clear that the film is not quite the unstoppable machine that it appeared to be in 1991. The script relies too heavily on nonsensical left turns (so Sarah - hiding in the desert - just hops into a car one day and drives to kill Miles Dyson out of nowhere? Oooookayyyy ...). The ending is a little silly as well: A giant tanker crashes into a smelting plant, and everyone working there just leaves, allowing the combatants to fight freely in the plant. However, the film is put together so well that many of the seams are not visible on the first few viewings. Arnold Schwarzenegger has never been better onscreen, his deadpan delivery stealing the movie constantly. Linda Hamilton, buffed and vicious, is captivating as the new model Sarah Connor. And I have no idea how Robert Patrick never went on to greater stardom after this amazing performance as the liquid metal Terminator. The weak link in the cast is Edward Furlong as John Connor. When I first saw the film in theaters, I thought Furlong was okay in the role, and he mostly is fine ... but looking back at it now, Furlong obviously needed more acting lessons. His line delivery in places is simply excruciating. EXTRAS Wow. The film has never looked better. A beautiful 1080p transfer gives the film an edition that properly shows off the amazing color palette of Cameron and cinematographer Adam Greenberg. It's also never sounded better, with multiple audio choices including a stunning Lossless DTS-HD master audio. As you might expect from a technophile like Cameron, this set has the toys. The menu for this edition is annoyingly tricky, but once you master it, you'll find that it uses the Blu-Ray capabilities well. My favorite feature is the picture-in-picture option, which allows pop-up windows to show various behind-the-scenes shots and techniques. Since these largely feature Cameron himself, these bits and pieces are highly technical and informative. Speaking of which, there are several audio commentary tracks on this disc, covering nearly thirty crew members on this film. Amazing. But most informative of all is, of course, Cameron. The guy lives and breathes detail, and he unleashes reams of information in his audio commentary. The guy is awesome. Included are two deleted scenes that I've never seen before. One is an alternate ending that shows Sarah Connor in 2027 playing with John and her granddaughter in a futuristic park and talking about the fact that they changed history. Cameron wisely deleted this horrible scene, which features some of the worst aging makeup ever employed in a Hollywood feature film. However, it would have also effectively ended any possibility of another sequel - something that might not have been that bad. OVERALL The big question is: do you already own one of the million versions of this film already? If you don't own it on Blu-Ray, then this is your big chance to upgrade. This is a terrific version of the film with some nice extra features, despite the annoying menu. It's a crisp, clean, and LOUD version of this film. Psycho fans of the movie might want to go even further, and purchase the Limited Edition Complete Set, which will hit the streets with this edition on May 19, 2009. It comes with every single extras feature ever made for the film, all encased inside a T-800 Endoskull. It retails for $174.99, so count the costs. Here's what it looks like: If you love action films and are somehow lacking this in your collection, now is the time to buy.