T2: Judgement Day Skynet Edition

Rating R Formats Blu-Ray Genre sci-fi Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Greg Rozen Directed by James Cameron Publisher Lionsgate External Links

Often, its hard to really notice the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray. Still in its infancy, the technology boasts incredible video and audio quality, but without a fifty-inch plasma screen a DVD will usually look almost as good. But as more and more people get Blu-Ray devices and the tech gets better, more and more developers are starting to take advantage of all the other opportunities the better, larger, and faster disks can provide. Released in anticipation of the summer blockbuster Terminator Salvation, the new “Skynet Edition” of T2: Judgement Day is an excellent example of the depth of experience a Blu-Ray can provide.

First of all, let’s get it out of the way, the movie is awesome. T2 is often cited as the greatest action movie of all time, and this high-def version provides all the thrills and excitement of a ride at Universal Studios. When it was released almost two decades ago, this film proved that a great action movie doesn’t have to skip all the story, character development, and nuance in order to deliver excitement, and even now it still holds up as one of the most entertainment, thought provoking action movies ever made.

The film was re-mastered in 2006 for its first release on Blu-Ray, and those improvements are still present in this version. The picture is crisp and the sound is booming. But what makes this disk special are the extras. Few releases thus far have taken such great advantage of the interactivity a Blu-ray can provide. Besides both the theatrical and extended cut of the film, there are also over eight hours of interactive special features, most of which can be run as the movie plays. As an example, one option prompts the viewer with trivia in a “pop-up video” fashion as the movie plays. There’s also a making of feature which runs as a picture in picture, detailing the construction and execution of scenes as the occur. There’s also games, two full tracks of commentary, story-board viewers, script viewers, and a whole bunch more. Plus, its all presented in a cool, slick series of CGI menus. And that doesn’t even include all the online material, provided your player connects to the internet, which provides even more games, another version of the film, and extras. There’s more to do on this disk than in Grand Theft Auto.

Terminator 2 is a great movie that deserves a great Blu-Ray, and the Skynet Edition definitely qualifies. If you love the Terminator series like I do, it’s a definite pick up, but even if you don’t, there are few Blu-Rays out there that truly show you what the disk is capable of like this one, so if you’re into the tech, it’ll keep you busy thinking about what’s to come for the next generation of movies.