Reviews (339)

"Come with me if you want to live..."
Before Titanic...
Before True Lies....
Before Aliens....there was The Terminator.

James Cameron's first bona fide hit, this 1984 science fiction/action thriller revived the action movie genre and provided Arnold Schwarzenegger with not only an iconic movie role but a chance to prove that he had an actor's mind as well as a bodybuilder's physique. It not only showed that Ahhnold could handle a more challenging role than Conan the Barbarian, but that he was quite capable of taking career risks.

Now that he is running for the governorship of California (and starred in many other films, including two sequels to The Terminator), it seems odd to think that Schwarzenegger was gambling his credibility (and his box office appeal) to take the role of the villain. After all, who better than this physically imposing fellow to portray the relentless cyborg sent from the future to rid the world of the woman who is destined to be the mother of humanity's future deliverer?

1984's The Terminator paints a dark vision of a machine-dominated world where hunter-killer robots and Terminators are waging a war of extinction against humanity. By 2029 A.D., however, the machines are on the verge of defeat at the hands of John Connor and his valiant troops. In a last ditch attempt to win, the Skynet computers send a single Cyberdine T-101 unit (Schwarzenegger) back to 1984 Los Angeles to dispose of John Connor's mother Sarah (Linda Hamilton).

Before the time portal breaks down forever (or at least until T2), Connor manages to send Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back to 1984 to protect his mother-to-be. Although he is weakened by the time jump and definitely more vulnerable than his cyborg nemesis, he has an advantage that the Terminator and its masters don't; he knows what Sarah Connor looks like. This proves to be fatal for at least two other Sarah Connors in the L.A. phone book, as well as for Sarah's roommate and her boyfriend. The Terminator, only knowing the name Sarah Connors, dispatches these unlucky victims while Reese manages to reach the true target in the nick of time.

The Terminator is well-written and, although its plot is not as mind bending as Schwarzenegger's later hit Total Recall, never insults the audience's intelligence. The pace of the movie is, like the villain, full of purpose and relentless. Critics and Ahhnold bashers might scoff at Schwarzenegger's android-like mannerisms, but his very expressionless glare and the way his head swivels to follow his eyes bring the cold efficiency of a shark to mind. (And if you were wondering, this was the first movie where Ahhnold utters his now famous phrase "I'll be back.")

Brad Fiedel's effective musical score, Stan Winston's amazing make-up effects, and Cameron's directing helped make The Terminator a classic of the action/science fiction genre.

The MGM Special Edition DVD presents the movie in a digitally mastered, hi-definition transfer widescreen version with both its original mono sound track and a new 5.1 Stereo Remix. It also includes audio tracks in French and Spanish, subtitles in English, French and Spanish, and for viewers with DVD-ROM drives on their home computers, script-to-screen features. The extra features (such as deleted scenes, making-of documentaries, and trailers and TV spots) are on the other side of this double-sided disc.

A spectacular DVD and a spectacuar classic
This movie put both James Cameron and Schwarzenegger on the map back in 1984.When the movie starts,it's the year 2029 where the city of LA is basically rubble and machines/super-computers run the show in the future.Expect the fact that some humans survivers and they weren't giving up without a fight and they're led by a man named John Connor.The computers are hell-bent on exterminating the humanrace for good and the only way the computers can destory man's future is by changing the past.So they send an indestructible cyborg called the terminator(Schwarzenegger)back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor(Linda Hamilton)whose unborn son will become mankind's only hope.But the Human Ressitance sent a soldier named Kyle Reese(Michael Biehn)to protect Sarah and her unborn child.The Terminator is one wild and great ride to take.The acting is great,the score is really cool,the images of the future are creepy to see and great screenplay and directing by Cameron makes The Terminator a classic adventure film to watch over and over again.The DVD is loaded with special features like a brand-new "Other Voices"Documentary with new James Cameron interviews,"The Terminator:A Retrospective"Documentary,terminated/deleted scenes,trailer,TV spots and more.The Terminator is a must have in your DVD collection.

A Humble Question
I can't say anything more than other viewers have, about what a superlative movie this was. However, let's think for a moment about Sarah Conner's roommate Ginger and her boyfriend, both of whom were murdered by The Terminator.

Ginger was constantly listening to music on her earphones (which prevented her from hearing The Terminator kill her boyfriend). Ginger had her headphones on, listening to wild rock music, even while she and her dude were in bed making love. I have to ask, how many WOMEN would tolerate such a circumstance, if a boyfriend came over and made love while listening to music on his headphones? If, like Ginger, some dude were rocking to the beat of some band on his headphones while engaging in intimate congress, how many women would feel genuine consideration from her lover at that point? How could this guy maintain any respect at all for Ginger, if she considers the headphone music equally important to his advances? (Yeah yeah yeah yeah, It's A Mistake etc etc.)

The Terminator was a great movie. And, Ginger's boyfriend was a total CHUMP... Ginger listening to her radio and so forth, while he's doing the deed with her. Just try it sometime, listening to music on your headphones while being intimate with someone else. That doesn't really fly, in the real world.

ill be back
this movie goes down in history as one of only 4 standard setting sci fi films.the 1st in 68 with 2001 a space odyssey,then in the 70s with the star wars group.then there was the ter,minater team.the only real flaw with this set is that the sequels are so far apart.its awful.i argued for years that a sequel was feesible.it was almost 10 years before the 80 million dollar sequel showed.these are wsay too good too let sit like that.i heard that arnold only has like 16 lines in the whole movie.story is this,there is this chick who mothers a boy who grows up to be the guy who saves the human race from extinction in the future.the machines send back arnold swarzanega[man,whatever]who is a cyborg to kill her before she concieves.however,the humans had stolen some of the time displacement equipment and sent back a soldier to protect her.as you can guess,a lot of people get wasted.id wait until the kids were about 12 for this one.it started out as a indy film and then hit big.there are three parts.this one,the second one with the gelatonaus terminater and the 3rd one with terrible acting but ovet the top action and effects.this is the least greatest of the three but is still awesome.it is a bit much for the squaemish.there is the mom,sara conner,in this story as a 80s style single from the punky brewster era.she gets busy with the soldier boy.you know making plastic explosives and the like.arnold gives one of his best performances even though he doesnt say much.the important message is:do not trust machines!this movie is intense!this is arnolds third best movie.after,of course the other two terminater films.the future?well,maybe by 2015 well have a 4th one and by 2040 #5 will finaly show.anyhow,id love to see one where all this stuff they keep talking about goes down with the machines trying to exterminATE the humans and the war and all.

The Terminator
This is the best Terminator movie in Arnold Schwarzenegger's retrospect. In the first film Arnold Schwarzenegger is the super cool-factor. He is handsome, masculine, super-strong, seemingly indistuctable, rebellion young appearance Terminator, but most of all, he is bad with a serious 'no body gets in my way' attitude problem.

In the second film he has the same rebellion look, he is still masculine, he looks less youthful and more middle aged, he is no longer seemingly super-strong, he is no longer seemingly indistructable, but worst of all he is no longer bad and his attitude has improved, he now has obstacles that stand in his way.

His cool-factor is completely over powered by the T-1000.
His super-strength is over powered by the T-1000.
His youth is replaced and over powered by the T-1000.
His rebellion look, doesn't seem to matter anymore, thanks to the T-1000.

The third film looks even worse for Arnold, as he is over powered by an arguably less impressive Terminator or "Terminatrix" than the T-1000. Arnold's age really does show an older man that has had his age doubled since his characters first appearance. He once again admit's he is "out-dated" and that she or "it" is a more powerful and far more effective killing machine than himself. Once again HE must struggle to survive as he is decapitated and almost dismemebered, as also with the T-1000. This truly waves his original 'nothing stands in my way' factor in to extinction, or what should I say, Termination.

You can see how they turned it around on poor Arnold, and you can see how the first original and as some would say, "the best" Terminator film puts Arnold in the ever so cool spotlight, that is taken away a couple of years later and then again over a decade later. Even with the so-called "upgraded" T-X, the T-1000 arguably proves to be the best Terminator of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (163)

Almost Great, But . . .
Most of "True Lies" is a wonderful combination of action, adventure, thriller, and comedy. Most of this movie could stand up against most James Bond movies.

However, I have one major concern. In the first third of the movie, when Arnold Schwarzenegger's character thinks his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is having an affair with a car salesman who pretends to be an international spy to attract women, his response is pretty sadistic. He uses his resources, as the international spy that Arnold's character actually is, to have his wife's phone tapped, have her followed, have her captured, have her interrogated, and have her coerced into becoming a spy. He's already gone too far, but he goes even further by having her first assignment be to pose as a prostitute in order to plant a miniature microphone in the hotel room of a sleazy stranger (played by Schwarzenegger, hiding in the dark, and using someone's tape-recorded voice). I find that entire sequence very distasteful and uncomfortable to watch.

My recommendation: watch the movie, but fast-forward through that entire sequence described above. It's cheap, sleazy, and distasteful.

True Lies - An extremely entertaining action/drama film!
"True Lies" is quite simply, one of the most entertaining, fast paced and hilarious films that Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever starred in. From the very first time I saw this movie in the theater to several viewings both in VHS and DVD format, I've found that the superior script and exceptional acting in this film entertains every time. I've read of and heard many lament over some aspects of this film and the best I could say to those is that quite often the movies that Hollywood produces are a sensationalism of real life events and ultimately a movie such as this one is for entertainment not making statements about any one group or individual and as a medium for entertainment, this film succeeds completely!

Performance wise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere and Art Malik all deserve great honors and the accolades they received for their respective parts in this film. "True Lies" was probably Arnold Schwarzenegger's best overall performance both in the action and the dramatic sense. Jamie Lee Curtis couldn't have been any better in this role and I can honestly say that I was impressed with Tom Arnold's performance in this movie whereas any other film or show I've seen him in I was not impressed. I believe the only other movie I've seen that Art Malik was in was "The Living Daylights" and in both that movie and this one his work has been exceptional.

Say what you may like about director James Cameron but you would definitely have to admit that prior to the current but most likely "temporary" culmination of his career as a director with the movie "Titanic" and heading off to run the "Dark Angel" television series, few directors could come close to matching his accomplishments. "True Lies" was James Cameron's fifth highly successful hit in a row and with this movie and "Titanic" one could definitely say that during this run of box office hits, he had the pulse of the fans as he wrote screenplays and directed these extraordinary films.

The Premise:

Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a high speed "spook" working for a highly secretive government agency that is a watch dog/operator spook agency that identifies and handles terrorist threats to the United States. Along with his handler Albert Gibson (Tom Arnold), they uncover a major terrorist operation which is bent on using nuclear warheads against the US to accomplish its goals. As Harry, Albert and their organization are working to uncover the terrorists plot; his family becomes heavily involved in the story which is where Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) comes in to play and some extremely hilarious scenes involving Simon (Bill Paxton). What follows from there is one of the most hilarious and exciting action/drama films to have come out of the nineties.

I highly recommend this film to any and all who are interested in seeing a great, fast paced, highly intriguing and hilarious action/drama movie and aren't interested in reading too much into the plot or the characters in the plot that are used as plot devices. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Original Theatrical Trailer

A lot of fun - over the top action with humor & drama
True Lies is an action romp with several story lines that flow into each other for the big climax. Harry (Arnold) and Helen (Jamie Lee) are in a stereotypical middle-class marriage where the husband is totally career focused and because he is "successful" he thinks all is well at home. Helen is bored and miserable because she feels invisible to her husband. Their daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku - Faith from Buffy) is alienated from them both and headed down a very bad path.

Harry has a secret life as a spy for a super secret government organization. His partner is Albert (Tom Arnold in his best role / performance anywhere) and they are closer to each other than to anyone else in their lives as they travel the world saving us all from the bad guys.

The terrorism they are battling could have been ripped from today's headlines. However, I doubt such a film could be made today because of political sensitivities. I was surprised how much of it held up.

But this film is about fun more than drama. The action is exciting, but preposterous and the scale of the action crescendos toward the final ridiculous aspect of Harry flying a Harrier jet while saving his daughter, fighting the big bad guy and fending off an attacking helicopter all at the same time. Another problem, a small one for this kind of action film, is the endless weapons fire focused at the heroes to no effect, while Helen can simply drop a machine pistol down the stairs and wipe out a platoon. It is a delightful seen, however. If you can suspend disbelief for this, the movie can be a lot of fun.

Many have called the film misogynistic, and I suppose you can see some of that in the film. But Bill Paxton's wonderful performance as the sleazebag Simon is easily the most despised person in the film and he is a male.

There are other find performances in the film. Faisal, played wonderfully by Grant Heslov (we should see more of him), is a terrific character who holds a lot of the story line together even though his role isn't that large. And Tia Carrere as the mercenary art dealer Juno is simply one of the best things in the movie. Art Malik is great as the villain Salim Abu Aziz. Mr. Malik provides the right kind of energy for such an over the top film. He provides the kind of passionate megalomania that makes all the fighting seem appropriate.

With all the sub-plots weaving in and out, the humor, and the fine performances, I think this is one of Arnold Schwartzenegger's best films. And I thought his pairing with Tom Arnold was great. Too bad we never saw them together again.

One of Arnold's best
Even Tom Arnold is good in this movie, and that's saying alot. Jamie Lee Curtis steals the show, but Arnold is great as the butt kicking spy. Amazingly they even have Middle Eastern terrorists as the bad guys...who would have ever thought of that? Most movies these days stay so far away from that subject they can get downright comical in their efforts to find a bad guy.

This is just a plain fun movie. Bad guys, stuff blowing up, hero dad saves the day. Great for a Saturday evening to get a few laughs and relax.

The best One of All
For sheer appeal and entertainment, "TRUE LIES" surpasses any of the Terminator Series, Twins or really any other Schwarzenegger film. It is about as perfect a movie as one could hope for - with all the action, humor, drama and sex appeal there is to offer. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely incredible as the plain Jane wife who becomes entrapped in a world of espionage and shadows. (The strip tease was one of the best scenes in filmdom ever.)

Tom Arnold was also perfect for his role as the patient buddy spy who is the perfect cover. Tia Carrere was also perfect as the evil villaness with a flair for the upscale. Whoever did the casting deserves a medal. Dialogue, action, plot - I loved it all! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I Expected More
Being a history buff and interested in sunken ships, I had missed the television showing of this film on the Discovery Channel due to other commitments. So I ordered the DVD and anxiously awaited its release to that format. Rewatching it recently, I have to say it is mildly disappointing. The underwater footage is excellent, but there isn't enough of it. The history of the ship and sinking is decent, but not extensive. The recreations are well made, but at times out of place. The interviews with survivors pretty moving and helpful, but don't add as much as pure narration could have. Some of the questions about the sinking and final fate of the ship are brought up ambiguously and, apparently resolved, yet not convincingly and in an anti-climatic fashion. Overall, I didn't get the amount of pure footage of the sunken ship that I expected. The bonus materials on the second disc are essentially worthless. The main complaint? More underwater footage was needed to make this worthwhile.

Informative, good but not great
I originally saw this documentary on The Discovery Channel and thought it was pretty interesting. The first disc consists of the program itself and starts/ends with a meeting of survivors of the battle from both sides.
Some of the German survivors actually went on Cameron's expedition to the wreck site, they gave advice on best robot camera entry points & so on. I thought the reenactment scenes looked very good (see disc 2 for a behind the scenes segment on that)as did some of the computer animated segments. Perhaps the most interesting point made was the contention that evidence indicated that the Bismarck's crew scuttled the ship, as they claimed, and most of the British Naval gunfire was ineffectual at best.
Disc 2 was actually more interesting to me with it's many segments of computer animation illustrating various parts of the battle & the sinking of the Bismarck. There's a section of multiangle video views of the ship, that's a joke because while there are some interestinng wreck pictures I could not get the claimed multi angle function to work

Extraordinary achievement and marvelous special effects.
I was able to watch this documentary when it was playing at Discovery Channel and I was impressed, at first time, i thought about the motives of James Cameron to do all that Titanic efforts again,going to the North Atlantic and gathering, financing all the submersible technology, experts and survivors, just o see how this legendary ship rests at two and a half miles deep. Then it was clear to me, that probably little Jimmy its cooking something that has the necessary power and history, to fill theaters all over again and beat once more the box office records. Mind my words when I say to you, that Cameron obsession for sink vessels is not over yet.
Bismarck is just a super documentary, two ours at the most pure James Cameron style. Probably this is the best war documentary I have ever seen, not just for the power of the history but for the extraordinary revelations behind this sinking. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Meticulously crafted but also ponderous and predictable, James Cameron's 1989 deep-sea close-encounter epic reaffirms one of the oldest first principles of cinema: everything moves a lot more slowly underwater. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as formerly married petroleum engineers who still have some "issues" to work out, are drafted to assist a gung-ho Navy SEAL (Michael Biehn) with a top- secret recovery operation: a nuclear sub has been ambushed and sunk, under mysterious circumstances, in some of the deepest waters on earth, and the petro-techies have the only submersible craft capable of diving down that far. Every image and every performance is painstakingly sharp and detailed (and the computerized water creatures are lovely) but the movie's lumbering pace is ultimately lethal. It's the audience that ends up feeling waterlogged. For a guy who likes guns as much as Cameron (his next film after all, was the body-count masterpiece Terminator 2: Judgment Day), it'sinteresting that the moral balance here is weighted heavily in favor of the can-do engineers; the military types are end-justifies-the-means amoralists, just like the weasely government bureaucrats in Aliens. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (279)

THIS is why you should own a DVD player!
Few other "Special Edition" discs get you as intimately familiar with a film and the film-making process as this new DVD does, though the laser disc collector's edition of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY comes awful close. Now you fortunate DVD-player owners can get for about $30-$40 dollars what we laser disc owners shelled out $100 for years ago, plus more. A heart-pounding movie, beautifully and intricately shot under nearly impossible circumstances (it wasn't nicknamed "The toughest shoot in film history" for nothing). Part military action thriller, part love story, and all impressive, THE ABYSS SPECIAL EDITION on DVD gives you both the theatrical version and expanded version of the movie (even the laser disc only had a one-version option), documentaries (the longer one is not to be missed), and enough bonus features to monopolize your entire day. It can really take the whole afternoon and evening to see it ALL. Granted, at 171 minutes the expanded version is a bit cumbersome at times, but by then you are so engrossed you don't mind. We've all seen good-looking special effects movies undermined by a so-so script or lame acting. But THE ABYSS delivers where it counts -- solid performances and an often tense script. This is the version to own. All other versions and formats of this film pale in comparison - even the expensive laser disc version. For what you'll pay for this disc you get much more than your money's worth. This collection sets a new standard for discs with bonus features. And if you enjoyed THE MATRIX for how it took full advantage of your surround-sound system, this disc will also please. Make sure your subwoofer is turned on.

"The Abyss"
The Abyss (PG-13) 5/5
Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff.
Directed by James Cameron.
Synopsis: A deep sea oil rig crew is recruited to investigate a submarine crash, but something unknown resides in the abyss.
Special Features: Original Theatrical and Extended Versions of the Film, Feature Length Commentary for Both Versions, Filmographies.
Review: One of my all time favorite films. An oil rig crew is joined by a military team to investigate a mysteriously downed sub. As they descend into the abyss they begin to realize they may be the only humans down there, but they are not alone. Sci-fi has never been better this deep social commentary was originally cut by hack producers thus again proving they know jack about films. Know it is restored in its originally intended glory. Ed Harris is as always fantastic, Mastrantonio is great, and Biehn has fun with his bad guy role. The rest of the crew excels too. Cameron is in his staple genre and he directs to perfection. As for the DVD? Should've bought the 5-star collection. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! This is a solid disc, but really this is one film worth the extra cash.

What is this digipak version?
This digipak edition DVD does NOT have a 5.1 soundtrack. The picture remains letterboxed, not anamorphic, and it still carries the THX certification, though it is not marked so on the box. If you can, obtain the original Special Edition release in plastic case with black cover, it has the 5.1 soundtrack. If, like me, you are still waiting for the proper anamorphic release of The Abyss, this is NOT IT, it is simply an inferior repackaging.

Beautifully made, a little dramatic
I always had The Abyss on my to-see list and now I finally have. I was not dissapointed for it feels a little like an underwater 'Close Encounters'. The effects are great, the water space aliens are wonderful and the first time view of the underwater city is breathtaking.

The morale of the movie is bad. Americans and Russians are screwing up the world so the aliens try to prevent it. 'Can't we all just get along!?' is what they want for us, then things will turn to better.

Industrial Light and magic did a great job again in this 1989 movie, it's worth seeing for SF fans.

False Advertising
The Abyss single disc edition is a cool movie, but the actual movie is not in Dolby 5.0 as Amazon.com or Dolby 5.1 as the DVD jacket would have us believe, but only in Dolby 2.0 (2 channel) English or French. I tried both the theatrical and the special edition cut, same result.

Buyer beware. ... Read more

Description

Digital VHS (D-VHS) is the first high-definition home video format. These tapes deliver more than double the lines of resolution and 10 times the capacity of DVDs. When played in a D-VHS player attached to an HDTV set, these movies will sound and look better than ever. D-VHS tapes can be played only on D-VHS players. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not a universal hit, but pleasing adventure
This is not one of Arnold's megahits, but the story of espionage and duplicity is good, the villains smarmy, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays the duped wife, is marvelous going from frump to sexpot. The two scenes I loved, Arnold's tango, and the arrival of Curtis as a hooker to call on (unbeknownst to her) her own husband are priceless. As always, good entertainment from Schwarzenegger. ... Read more

Description

Digital VHS (D-VHS) is the first high-definition home video format. These tapes deliver more than double the lines of resolution and 10 times the capacity of DVDs. When played in a D-VHS player attached to an HDTV set, these movies will sound and look better than ever. D-VHS tapes can be played only on D-VHS players. ... Read more

Reviews (595)

T2 eXtreme:Nice case,nice extras,AMAZING image/sound quality
This is a truly wonderful dvd. If you own a home theatre system or seek the highest quality in dvd image and sound, this is the dvd for you. The high defenition version of the film is only playable with a high-end PC, but the special edition and theatrical versions on the tv are a big improvement on the 'ultimate edition dvd'. This is due to the brand new high quality transfer. The extras aren't amazing, but their pretty good. There is a documentary on T2's effect on the film industry and an 8 minute featurette on 'Life on the Set'. There is some great new DVD-ROM content though. There's a great little morphing program which takes a while to master seeing as there are few instructions. There is also a fun T-800 'FX Studio' in which you shoot at your imported digital photos to reveal your friend's or granny's endoskull. There is also a 'Skynet Combat Chassis Designer'. I haven't a clue what this is as I haven't used it yet, but I think it's some kind of online game. I have read several reviews with complaints about the metal outer case, but I had no problem whatsoever. The only advise I can give is to push in the front and back of the sleeve when taking the inner case out. It comes out no-problemo. If I had to choose betweem the 'Ultimate Edition' and the 'Extreme edition', I'd stick with Extreme. If however, I didn't have a dolby sound system and/or a widescreen tv, I'd take the 'Ultimate' (Way more Extras) - Oh, and by the way, the movie itself is probably one of the best films ever made.

The Ultimate And The Extreme
I was upset when Artisan announced yet another version of T2 (I think this makes 3 reissues but I lost count). Why? For those of us out there, who consider ourselves DVD-Philles, most of us already own the "Ultimate Edition"of T2, which is pretty dang cool in its right. I made up my mind. I wasn't going to fall into that trap. I was burned by The Mummy and American Pie and learned the hard way-not again

Having said that...Once I heard that writer/director James Cameron and co writer William Wisher had recorded a new audio commentary for the film. I have to hand it to Artisan..this was a shrewd move. One of the minor quibbles I had with the previous release of T2, was its audio commentary. As good as it was to have a lot of contributors, the last time out, I could tell that the track was just "pieced together" from different parts of the disc. Most of the info on the track was just "lifted" This was the only downer on the "ultimate edition" The "new" is very good and worth a listen. As for the film, the 2 disc "extreme edition", has both the special extended cut, and as an "Easter Egg", the theatrical cut as well. I have to admit, the look of the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) and his morphing looks pristine, as does the original Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). But I would also caution that the High Definition Digital transfer will only look like a real improvment if you have the equipment to handle the technology. Luckily, for me, I have a friend with an updated system, but it's still not the top of the line

As for the other extras in the set, they are just ok. There are 2 new retrospective documentaries. One one the film's ground breaking effects; The other, is a "life on the set" montage, while the film was still in production. You can also build your own Terminator and track its progress online, and rounding out the set's extras is a graphic fact track about all things Terminator.

With this edition, be warned, you lose many of the extras found on the previous edition. But the Cameron/Wisher audio commentary is still quite a draw. Mega fans of T2 should have both, while others should think carefully, Ultimate wins for its extra content, while Extreme gets points for a great commentary--I have both for now...I still don't like multple special edition DVD's of the same film

one of the if not the best sequel ever!
in this sequel to the awesome original,arnold is a good guy sent back to protect john conner.another newer model of terminater comes after them.this t-1000 is made from quasi-liquid metal.it can be solid or liquid as needed.johns mom sarah decides to go and waste the dude who found the original terminaters hand and was largely responsible for the eventual takeover by the machines.this is a bit much for smaller kids.the action is incredible in this one.the first part was a indt film.this one cost 80 million dollars and made 78 million in its first weekend.it is the best of the 3 id say.if you are squeamish,you might want to go see bambi instead.belive it or not,its even emotional in a spot or 2.sara isnt a tenny bopper in this one but a dykey rambo bitch.her shrink isnt around long,but while he is,he is very obnoxious.of course he lived.it seems the guy in any movie who really needs killed,never gets it.sara deserved an award for this one.she did an awesome job playing a psycho with a lot on her mind.the message is no fate but what we make.in part 3 youll see that just isnt true,but i alredy knew that.intensity galore!sara plays a very intense character.all the action,the nukes,it freakin rocks!this is arnolds best!the special effects kick ass too.they made a 3rd.im hoping for a 4th also.but since it takes 10 years for another sequel,id better not hold my breath.and,by the way,who cares if arnolds to old.cant they find another musclehead to play some sort of new terminater?its do-able.we know it.hollywood knows it.so get off your lazy asses and make it already.i belive its about time for the big showdown between machine and man.

The Epitome of Action Films
We are all too familiar with the story of this movie, so I will spare you the details. "The Terminator" was a sleeper sci-fi hit that was a rarity in its genre. Movie-goers were beginning to see sci-fi films that rose above others in the genre and even other genres. "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Star Wars", and, the film that started the revolution, "2001: A Space Odyessy". What made "Terminator" so different was not just another bleak view of the future, but a tense, edgy thriller with some damn fine writing. But while it took an effort to make films like those, it took a greater one to make a sequel. "Aliens", "The Empire Strikes Back", and very few others accomplished this task successfully. As for "T2", unless you've been living under a rock, we all know how well it did. This is definitely the best of the series (in my opinion at least) and definitely one of the best action movies to grace the face of our planet. This is the movie that also started the trend of making action movies with ridiculously huge budgets and paying action stars ridiculously huge salaries. But T2 delivers, with a great story, stunning visuals, and Schwarzenegger in his prime. Plus who can forget Brad Fiedel's synthetic score which has been parodied numerous times?
Why another DVD though? This film has been put on DVD almost as many times as "Independence Day". Special features are somewhat reserved here, so what justifies another release? DVD producer Van Ling answers the question in a quaint little insert about how new technology has developed since the last T2 transfer. They can now present T2 the way it should be, digitally mastered from a 1080p, 24sf digital telecline transfer for "superior video and audio quality". This release of T2 is aimed toward the home theater crowd. All that confusing talk means that the picture is presented with more clarity.
And the sound is just awesome. The DTS track has been dropped from the "Ultimate Edition" in exchange for a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX track and a Dolby headphone track. If you have the technology, try to watch a DVD with a DTS track whenever possible. In the case of this DVD, there's only the Dolby 5.1 EX track. But the track on this "Extreme DVD" defies both the Dolby and DTS tracks from the "Ultimate Edition". It takes full advantage of a dimensional sound field.
The goodies here are minimal; a SFX documentary, a behind the scenes montage, and a few DVD-ROM goodies that I didn't bother to try. But there is the original version of the film available to Windows Media Player 9 users on the second disc. You can watch it on the first disc as well, it's disguised as an easter egg. On the main menu of Disc 1, hit the right button five times while highlighting "Play Extended Version". There's also an enhanced mode with behind the scnes and there's a spankin new commentary by James Cameron himself.
But the question remains; is this DVD worth buying? It really boils down to what your reasons are for buying this new DVD. If you don't own the film, yes. If you're troubled by the mediocre video quality of either of the first two releases, then yes. If you want Cameron's commentary and other new supplements, yes. And if you want to playback T2 in HD on your PC (and even if you find that your computer equipment is currently insufficient for HD playback), yes. But if you want extensive behind the scenes, you might want to stick with your "Ultimate Edition". This "Extreme Edition" delivers though, despite falling short in the behind the scenes section.

awesome
okay. I just saw this movie and its the best movie ever made and james cameron is the best director ever.Now lately I keep reading all this comotion between the extreme version and the ultimate version. Well i'd pick the extreme. The reason I didnt pick the ultimate is because even though it has great quality its probley nothing close to the picture and sound on the extreme version. I also didnt pick it because its to hard to find. I picked extreme for many reasons. Lets start with the picture and sound its awesome nothing else to say. It also has an also metal case that I heard ruins the dvd inside it but still its awesome. Now as a previous reviewer said extreme dosent have the special extended edition well I dont really care {no offence to the previous reviewer who wrote that} because it only has 2 minutes of more footage {litterly} I think the scene of the t-1000 searching johns room is cool and I wouldent mind that in the movie but the special extended edition ruins the ending with a new "happy ending". Be warned its ruins the ending to the best movie ever. Even though the origian ending on the special edition is good enough. People say that the new happy ending stops a sequel. But see I dont really want to see t3 because it should have ended with t2. and finally yes i'll admit ultimate has more bonus footage extreme has a very godd amount of features as well and extreme is for the great price (...). I have nothing else to say. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

James Cameron's first movie...Like who cares?
If I can be just a bit skeptical here for a moment, I have never thought much of Jim Cameron as both a writer and director. I find all his movies to be weakly written, somewhat mis directed, and often relying on some pretty second rate production values to tell a story. This movie was his first effort, and it's not much to talk about. It's a Roger Corman movie, so the budget was low. The effects are rather plainly put into the movie and they look fake. When the people get chopped by the pirana, it takes forever for them to either die or someone pulls them out of the water at the last moment. I think all his movies have been like that. He took it from the business as he learned from Corman films and just appiled them to movies that had bigger budgets, but the script writing was not better and the charecters were just words on paper. You see this in the Terminator movies, the Titanic, and True Lies, and The Abysess. Aliens only worked because it was a world that had been established by film makers working at Pinewood Studios in England. People who know how to make movies, a craft that Cameron has never had.

Flying killer fish? Hey, why not?
"The greatest film about flying Piranha ever made". Well, Jim Cameron definetly called it right on this one. About as "guilty" as guilty pleasures get, this stubborn but very watchable "mother nature run amok" B-movie will probably best be known as the directorial debut of James Cameron who would later go on to make a couple of small unknown indie films called Terminator 2 and Titanic.

This name-only sequel to the Roger Corman cult classic has a rather silly premise involving a strand of mutated killer piranha with the ability to fly who are terrorizing an island resort. Of course, the resort's driving instructor (Tricia O'Neil) wants to close down the water activities but her boss isn't having it. Her estranged husband, the island's law enforcement (a young Lance Henriksen) is skeptical at first but when dead bodies keep piling up, he starts thinking otherwise.

"Piranha II" is no Jaws in any way but it gets the job done as far as "late night creature features" are concerned. The special effects leave a lot to be desired as we get to see actors battle with fish on a string but it's all in good fun. The DVD has no added special features and is only available in its full-frame format.

Appalling
Really bad. Piranhas cross with flying fish so now they fly onto the beach to eat people? Who thought this thing up? I never thought much of James Cameron as a director (The Abyss? Titanic??) and this just sealed my opinion. This movie would be prime fodder for MST 3K.

They're Back...
At the end of Roger Corman's film Piranha, there is the implication that some of the deadly fish could get to and survive in the ocean.

Well, this is sort of the follow-up to that idea, but in this one the fish can fly! I kid you not. They are also much bigger than their predecessors (probably to make it easier for the cast to interact with the wind-up props).

Lacking from this film is the original's complex plot. No secret military lab. No secret investments. No summer camp with the hero's daughter. None of it. It does have star power however. Lance Henricksen stars (and does a reasonable job) and James Cameron directs.

I have to say that the original is better and has more tension. The addition of flying just went too far and pulled the plug on this one. People are scared of sharks. They are scared of piranha. They are real. Giant flying piranha are not and therefore can not build the same scare factor.

Still, B-Film and creature film fans will want to watch this one.

thank god this is finally on dvd!
the legendary JAWS was speilberg's 2nd effort, & in his footsteps is cameron's masterpiece softmore work. starring lance henriksen(aka bishop of aliens) in his best role. brilliant screenplay, grossly under-rated acting & full of unpredictable twists & turns--this film is better than terminator, aliens, jaws, & the godfather pt2 combined. buy this dvd! ... Read more