Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A ruthless killing machine (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time by Skynet in order to kill Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton), the woman who will soon give birth to the leader of the resistance movement in the future. But her future son isn't going to let his mother be exterminated and sends Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back in time in order to save her from certain destruction and give the human race a chance to survive.

This is about the umpteenth time this classic sci-fi/horror/action film has been released on home video, but I'm sure the fans will pick it up again in order to have the digibook packaging. Regardless, this is one of the best movies of the late 20th Century and launched the careers of both Schwarzenegger and writer/director James Cameron.

Video Highlights

• MPEG-2/1080p encode on a BD-25 disc
• Looks like the low-budget 1984 film that it is
• Occasional print damage
• Steady blacks
• Flat image quality

Audio Highlights

• PCM 5.1 soundtrack
• Solid low-end
• Enveloping surround track
• Gunshots sound realistic

As many times as this has been released on home video, one would expect the studio would put some money behind a full restoration, but that isn't the case here. This looks to be the same audio and video transfer that was found on the previous Blu-ray release from a couple of years ago.

Bonus Materials

• Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects and Music featurette
• Terminator: A Retrospective featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Digibook packaging

James Cameron showed he would have quite a career ahead of him when he released this gem in 1984. He would go on to create two of the biggest box-office sensations in history (Titanic and Avatar), but it was The Terminator that proved he could achieve success without a $200+ million budget. Recommended for fans.

Release Date: May 10, 2011
Studio: Fox

Movie: 10/10
Picture: 6/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS40 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Integra DTC-80.2 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PVA-PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics