'The Terminator', arguably Jim Cameron's best film and one of the few science fiction films that can legitimately be called a classic of that genre, has been released in yet another incarnation on laser disc. This newest video transfer carries THX certification and appears superior, in varying degrees, to the previous letterboxed transfer in virtually all respects.
The widescreen framing is more accurate, at about 1.85:1, compared to the previous disc's 1.66:1. Colors appear very accurate with no bleeding or chroma noise. Contrast and brightness are also improved. I found the previous transfer a bit too light in a number of scenes but the new disc maintains a very nice balance of contrast and brightness throughout. The older transfer was quite sharp and the new disc is as well, with a noticable improvement in image detail (possibly due to improved contrast).
The biggest knock most people had against the previous disc transfer was with the audio, specifically the notable lack of low bass. The new disc does have more bass in the soundtrack, but not a lot more. Considering the obvious budget constraints and the fact that the soundtrack is (and has always been) mono, my personal feeling is that there was never a lot of bass to begin with and barring a complete remix of the original sound stems, this is about as good as it will get. Also, the audio on this new disc often sounds overly bright to me and there are a few dialog passages that don't sound completely natural.
The disc contains the same number of chapters in the film as the previous disc with one additional for the theatrical trailer (full screen). The side break has also been changed and works a lot better. Other than the 'widescreen edition' banner on the top front, the jacket and liner notes are virtually identical to the previous disc. List price is $39.95.
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