The Terminator (Special Edition) (DVD)

Advantages: Thrilling, classic film.
Disadvantages: Cardboard case, looks good buuut I worry about wear and tear

...Horror LENGTH: 103mins YEAR: 1984 The Story In the not to distant future Cyberdyne industries produces a computer controlled military defence system called Skynet for the USA government. Skynet achieves consciousness, and perceives all of mankind as a threat; as a result it launches a nuclear assault at Russia, causing retaliation and near destruction of mankind. The remaining humans are hunted down and forced to work in labour camps making ...
...his mother and then destroys the time machine. Both the Terminator and Reese are sent back naked and unarmed, this is because exposed inorganic matter interfere with the time machine’s field generators, as a result both have to arm themselves, find transportation and track down Sarah Connor. Finding Sarah Connor is hard because most records were destroyed in the nuclear war, and if Reese does find her first he will have to find a way to protect ... Read review

Advantages: The Original Terminator Re-Mastered on DVD!
Disadvantages: the pictures a bit dark

...killing each Sarah Connor in the Los Angeles phone book and that someone is following her. But the man who is following her isn’t the one she should be worried about, the man following her is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) a solider fighting to save humanity sent back from the year 2029 to protect Sarah (Linda Hamilton) from the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) a cybernetic killing machine sent to 1985 to terminate Sarah Connor before she can ...
...humanity. The film explodes (quite literally) into action when Reese and the Terminator have a huge shoot out in the local club killing nearly everyone in there, followed by Connor and Reese on the run from the Terminator which involves a lot of car chases, cool explosions and one of the most famous scenes in movie history, (you know the one) the Terminator walks into the police station and asks to see Sarah, the cop at the reception unknowingly ... Read review

Advantages: Arnie; Michael Biehn; Love sub-plot; Scary; Concept of the Future
Disadvantages: Dated CGI

...cyborg. In this iconic role, the tight-lipped, square-headed Austrian warped into the minds of many 80s youths, such as myself, and made us truly believe there are killer robots aiming to wipe out our existence in the near future. Even today, the haunting science behind the fictitious tale of The Terminator contributes to my cynical outlook of men at war with machines. By now, it is common knowledge that John Connor is at the pinnacle of humanity's ...
...century. The machines, of course, fully aware of this threat, decide to send a T-800 model (Arnie) back in time to kill Connor's mother Sarah; thus, attempting to eliminate the child's existence prior to him being born. Fortunately, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), is also sent back as one of the freedom fighters, and is prepared to protect the target from the seemingly indestructible cyborg right until the very end. The horrifyingly original concept, ... Read review

Advantages: Groundbreaking, Arnie's presence and the special effects
Disadvantages: Nothing

...featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger being released. The first was the sequel to Conan the Barbarian, entitled Conan the Destroyer, and was a popular film. However, it was nowhere near as popular and as critically and commercially successful as his second film of the year: The Terminator, the tale of a breed of cyborg robots being sent back in time from the future to prevent any kind of future from happening. The Plot A mysterious musclebound man, wearing ...
...hunting down every woman with the name Sarah Connor. As he is about to kill the last Sarah Connor, a man named Kyle Reese suddenly stops him, rescuing Sarah, and a chase ensues. Reese and the mysterious man are from the future, and the muscly freak with the sunglasses is no man - he is a Terminator, a cyborg from the future send back to destroy kill Sarah and prevent her from giving birth to the man who will lead the future resistance against the ... Read review

Advantages: Greatest film of all time!
Disadvantages: Nothing! This is perfect!

In the year 2029 robots and machines have risen and are wiping out the human race. In an attempt to stop the Resistance, the machines send an indestructible cybernetic organism (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to the year 1984 to kill the leader's mother (Linda Hamilton) before he has even been conceived. The Resistance learn of this and in a desperate move to stop their leader from being terminated, send Lt. Kyle Reese (Michael Beihn) to protect Sarah ...
...and rubbish being blown across the floor. he arrives naked as only living matter can pass through time. Reese also appears in the same style, except that he is human and so falls to the ground injuring himself, showing the difference between the two enemies. It then becomes a race to find Sarah, the Terminator is slowed down by the fact that he has no idea where she is, only her name. And so has to go through the phonebook until he finds the correct ... Read review

Advantages: still a great film, presentation, extras
Disadvantages: misses the criterion commentary

...on viewing again it's a very high calibre thriller with an excellent and incredibly scary performance from Anthony Hopkins. The wordplay and scenes between Clarice and Lecter also crackle with tension. This special edition comes housed on two dvd's in the same type of packaging MGM adopted for their release of The Terminator dvd. It features some nice artwork and a booklet with some good information on the production. The first reason to buy this edition is a new transfer of the film. Now you can view it in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen which so far has been the major factor in stopping me buying a previous edition. The transfer is excellent with an solid balance of colour, the dark nature of the film's look throws up no real problems. There are a few extremely minor print blemishes but this film is 10 years old now so you can expect a few... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Uncommonly good storyline for an action film, super special effects, imaginative design, excellent value DVD
Disadvantages: Many won't enjoy it for its occasionally-graphic violence

...Last Christmas I was perusing the virtual-shelves of play.com trying to find the ideal present (a DVD) for my Dad. As I was scanning the bargains, I spotted the 2-disc Special Edition DVD of Terminator for only £7.99, and if there is a film out there that makes a more apt present for a father, then I’ve yet to find it! James Cameron’s first outing as a film director may at first glance appear to be your typical action film; its got good guys and bad guys, guns ‘n’ gore, and a large dollop of explosions thrown in for good measure. But Cameron is a very clever man – his ability as an art-director allowed him to design an intricate and detailed account of what he wanted everything to look like, and the film-making process effectively brought his drawings to life. The Terminator is a sci-fi/action thriller... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Stunning array of DVD extras married to a great film
Disadvantages: The R2 version is missing an important feature from the R1 disc

...Prices (from BlackStar): 2-disc DVD: £22.99 2-disc DVD (packaged with The Terminator: Special Edition): £16.99 This is a fantastic film, and is one of the most comprehensive DVDs I’ve seen. Really, no collection can afford to be without it. The Film: Director James Cameron (Aliens, The Abyss, Titanic) revisits the film that made his name in Hollywood, The Terminator, and produces a fantastic sequel. The film itself is the extended “special edition” cut, with a good fifteen minutes of extra footage. The packaging claims, somewhat disingenuously, that it’s never been seen before, although I’ve seen this version on broadcast television. The film’s narrative is pretty much a carbon copy of the first film; a Terminator cyborg is sent back in time from a post-apocalyptic future to assassinate... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful