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The Terminator | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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n the post-apocalyptic ruins of 2029, the machines rule. As part of their plan to wipe out humanity, they send a killer cyborg called a Terminator (Schwarzenegger) back in time to kill seemingly harmless Sarah Connor (Hamilton). The idea is to prevent the birth of her yet-unborn son John, the hero who has helped mankind struggle back from the brink of extinction. Hot on the Terminator's trail is Kyle Reese (Biehn), a soldier sent back by John Connor to protect his mother.
The battle for Sarah's life, and the future of mankind, tears through the streets of 1984 Los Angeles like an out-of-control semi. When even the LAPD proves no match for the Terminator, it's up to Sarah and Reese to stay one step ahead of it, to remain alive long enough to find some way to destroy the seemingly unstoppable Terminator.
The story should be familiar to viewers everywhere. The Terminator set off the explosive career of James Cameron, solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger's place in the action firmament and became one of the seminal films of the 1980s. With the possible exception of 1982's Blade Runner, no other science-fiction film now seems so representative of that period, or had such an enormous impact on the genre. The liner notes for this special edition DVD claim that The Terminator has been directly referenced in more than 50 subsequent movies. Soldier of Fortune magazine actually took it upon itself to review the film on the basis of Schwarzenegger's weapons handling, finding it "entirely plausible." High praise indeed.
The film's importance was only dimly recognized at the time. But MGM Home Entertainment's new Special Edition disc is an effort to give The Terminator the respect it deserves. The release comes on a single disc, with the film on one side and extra features on the other. The film itself features a new digital master, plus a Dolby 5.1 remix of the soundtrack, as well as the original mono English track. There are also Spanish and French dubs, and subtitles in all three languages.
The extras side offers a comprehensive selection of trailers and television spots, Cameron's original treatment, literally hundreds of still photos and a selection of deleted scenes with commentary from Cameron. For computer users, a DVD-ROM section offers different versions of the script.
A lean, clean presentation that fits the film
Oddly enough, it took years for The Terminator to become a legend. By 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a guaranteed blockbuster, almost as hotly anticipated as a new Star Wars movie. If this disc isn't as ambitious as the "Ultimate Edition" treatment the sequel received, that's because, at the time, nobody was really thinking of The Terminator as something people would still be watching and discussing more than 15 years later.
The disc's two documentaries make it clear how hard it was to put together a detailed retrospective. "Other Voices," the longer and better of the two, was shot especially for this release. The other was done in 1992 as part of the media swirl around Terminator 2 and features Cameron and Schwarzenegger reminiscing about making the first one. Both include very little documentary footage from the production itself, because very little was shot.
Fortunately though, Cameron—also a talented illustrator—created large numbers of amazingly lush storyboards and concept drawings. The disc relies heavily on these, to good result, as well as Stan Winston's detailed photographic record of his special effects work.
Cameron's early art and treatment make it clear that the idea leapt into his head in nearly the exact form it would take onscreen. The biggest change from the original vision involved casting Schwarzenegger. Cameron originally wanted Lance Henrikson to play the Terminator, and actually created concept art of Henrikson with damage revealing the endo-skeleton beneath. Cameron imagined the Terminator as a blandly unremarkable character who remained unnoticed until suddenly emerging from the crowd to kill.
Casting Schwarzenegger obviously spiked that idea. His Terminator simply bulldozed his way through the crowd because only the target was important. Schwarzenegger turned the Terminator into a relentless, nightmare figure and deserves more credit than previously realized for making The Terminator so much more than the grade-B action movie the studios were expecting.
Another attention-getter is the deleted scenes. Some of these are just minor cuts to improve pacing. However, a couple of key scenes reveal that the film originally included the foundation of the idea that would later be fleshed out into the sequel.
Despite having less to work with than a lot of other special editions, the disc is a home run. What's here is above-average-quality material, undiluted by filler.
The Terminator is why I'll forgive Arnold any number of overwrought action operas, past or future. After this role, he had nothing left to prove. And I don't know about you, but I breathed a little sigh of relief when Aug. 29, 1997, came and went without Skynet blowing the world to dust. — John
Also in this issue: Evolution DVD
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