First 'Aliens', then 'The Abyss', now 'Terminator 2'. It’s obvious James Cameron loves to take advantage of the laserdisc medium to showcase expanded editions of his films. The new expanded cut of 'Terminator 2', called 'T2-Special Edition', is available on disc in three versions. Live Home Video has released the restored movie in both widescreen format and in pan-and-scan format for $49.95 each (CLV, 3 sides). Pioneer Special Editions has also put together a deluxe edition of the film that is a must for all laser fanatics, especially lovers of this movie (6 sides; movie in CLV, supplementaries in CAV).
The image on both widescreen transfers is identical to the previous theatrical-version discs: the Super 35 image has been masked off at the top and bottom to make the picture look anamorphic; there is some additional picture information evident on the sides, but not as much as there would normally be if the film had been shot in Panavision. All three versions present the film with new footage (the running time of the expanded 'Terminator 2' is now 152 minutes, 16 minutes longer than the theatrical version), but what makes the collectors’ edition so exciting is the massive supplementary section accompanying the film. No less than a whopping 89 minutes of behind-the-scenes information is provided, including new interviews with key cast and crew personnel, three theatrical trailers, story boards and preliminary sketches, deleted scenes not restored to the expanded edition, the complete shooting script and screenplay excerpts of sequences never filmed, and in-depth looks at every aspect of the film’s mammoth production, including the ground-breaking computer-generated visual effects. There is also a running audio commentary on a secondary soundtrack featuring remarks by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Eddie Furlong, Michael Biehn and other key members of the production—a total of 26 people contributed to this commentary, making for the most comprehensive, satisfying audio essay on any laser disc.
All three versions of the new 'Terminator 2' were processed under the strict guidelines of the THX system and the picture and sound quality of this title represents the best any laserdisc has to offer. However, the picture and sound is only marginally superior to the previous Live Home Video editions of the theatrical version. This is not a mark against THX but rather a salute to Pioneer and Live Home Video, for their 1991 pressings of the theatrical version were nearly perfect to begin with, so these new THX versions don’t make for an exciting comparison. The flawless picture is consistent with the previous edition, with one noticeable improvement: on the original discs, the safety and suspension wires during one of Arnold’s stunts weren’t completely digitally erased; on these new discs this has now been corrected. During a later stunt, however, the wires are still completely visible! Also, some shots during Sarah’s escape from the mental hospital look a bit more grainy now, while they were pretty solid on the previous edition.
Several sound effects and bits of music are more pronounced on this new THX disc but, again, the digital surround sound of the original release was superb in the first place. The only disappointing aspect of this new deluxe edition is that the film is not presented in CAV format, so it is not possible to perfectly freeze-frame an image from the movie. The logic of this comes from Cameron himself, who doesn’t like for his movies to be interrupted by too many side/disc changes. That’s very considerate, Jim, but I’d much rather have had the capability to freeze frame the spectacular special effects.
One final gripe about this edition concerns the new footage itself. Most of the new scenes are fascinating and further define the characters, but the addition of new material during the film’s mid-section makes all the more obvious a serious narrative flaw that was present in the original theatrical version: following the break-out from the mental hospital, the T-1000 was absent for all of 30 minutes in the original version; now, with added scenes, he’s off-screen even longer. These quips are trivial though, for my objective is to rate this special deluxe edition on the basis of what it offers, not critique the movie itself. So while you may or may not think that the footage restored to 'Terminator 2' makes for a completely different movie experience (like the new footage for 'The Abyss' miraculously did), you won’t find a more definitive version of this film on disc, with such an extensive, exhaustively assembled supplementary section. The deluxe 'T2-Special Edition' is the gold standard to which all deluxe edition discs are now compared.
Vital statistics: Movie only: Live Home Video, Widescreen (2.35:1) or Panned-and-Scanned, CLV, 3 sides, Dolby Stereo Surround, THX, $49.95. Deluxe Edition: Pioneer Special Editions, Widescreen (2.35:1), movie in CLV, extras in CAV, 6 sides, Dolby Stereo Surround, THX, $119.95.
S. Damien Segal.
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
