Techtite DVD Reviews

The Film : Long before James Cameron was known for his Titanic tribulations, there was his first big hit: The Terminator. Not only was this film good for Cameron --who wrote and directed-- it also brought many stars into the limelight for the very first time, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton (who'd later marry Cameron). If that isn't a good sign of a great film, I don't know what is. Simply put, this is one of the best sci-fi thrillers ever made.

The story is simple enough, and involves the typical tale of robots without emotion trying to "terminate" the overly emotional human race. The twist is, that as far as the future is concerned, we have won the war against them. Enter the Terminator (Schwarzenegger), who is a flesh-covered, human-looking cyborg, sent to the past to prevent the humans from winning the war. The method is truly diabolical; he will kill the mother of the man who led the human resistance, before he can ever be born!

Obviously, the future resistance is not about to let that happen, to poor Sarah Conner (Hamilton). They've sent one of their best soldiers, Kyle Reese (Biehn, best known for his role in Cameron's other hit, Aliens), to prevent the killing machine from succeeding. The problem is, they can only send people (or robots with human flesh) through the time portal naked, without a single weapon on them. This is little problem for the Terminator, whose titanium body is a weapon in itself; Kyle will have to find a 20th-century way to save Sarah, all by himself.

Of course, there's also an evolving love story, and a predictable yet amusing time travel plot twist that led to a superior sequel, called Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Fans of later Cameron films might also enjoy cameos by actors used in his later films, particularly those used as soldiers in Aliens. However, this is just a drop in the bucket when counting the reasons to watch this excellent sci-fi thriller. This is, after all, the film that began Cameron's and Schwarzenegger's careers, and after seeing the film, there's little wonder why.

The DVD : Not unlike the Terminator 2 "Ultimate Edition," this is a two-sided DVD, with the film on one side, and the special features on the other. This is nice, since nobody had to reduce the quality or quantity of the video, to include either. Still, I personally prefer it when a two-disc set is included on two separate discs. It seems less likely for the disc to get dirty that way, without either side open to the elements within the DVD case.

Enough belly-aching; on to the bonuses! Of course, the A-number-one draw for this DVD is the deleted scenes, totaling to around ten minutes. There are seven of them, which start with an alternate introduction of Sarah Conner, looking in the mirror in her waitress uniform and musing, "I'm so wholesome I could puke!" Next is an extended scene involving one of the "wrong Saras" killed by the Terminator, which shows how indifferent he leaves the house, still holding the gun, with neighbors running for cover or going to call for help. Next there's a collection of moments involving Lt. Traxler (Paul Winfield), including 2 moments when he starts to consider that Reese is really telling the truth. Another extended scene has Sarah musing to Reese about all the places and things he never got to see, which he could see if they're successful in defeating the Terminator. A similar scene is equally intriguing in character development, when "the morning after" has Sarah tickling Reese, who's finally experiencing some happiness in his war-torn life.

My two favorite deleted scenes --and the best reason for the DVD purchase-- is an allusion used in the sequel, when Sarah suggests to Reese that they blow up Cyberdyne and change history for the better. He rejects the idea, saying it's too risky, and not part of his mission. She then runs from him, tired of being treated as a mere "mission objective." The scene ends with him breaking down, feeling like he wasn't meant to be in the past at all. This deleted "prelude" to the sequel is complimented by another deleted scene, near the finale of the film, when it's revealed that the building they defeat the Terminator in is none other than Cyberdyne Systems itself. Sure, it's a pretty cheesy time paradox that deserved to be cut from the film, and yet as a deleted scene, it's a must-see for any fan!

Two documentaries are also offered. One involves "a retrospective" of the film, and includes interviews with Cameron and Schwarzenegger in 1986, two years after Terminator became such a surprise hit. It includes several amusing anecdotes, such as the original plan that Schwarzenegger would play the part of the heroic soldier Reese, and not the villain. This documentary is roughly 18 minutes long, and almost makes up for the fact that neither Cameron nor Schwarzenegger participated in an audio commentary. In addition, there's a second documentary, titled "Other Voices," with comments and anecdotes from a wider array of cast and crew involved with the film.

In addition to the deleted scenes and documentaries, there is a look at the rough first draft of the film, written by Cameron, prior to becoming a screenplay (DVD-ROM features include two screenplay drafts to enjoy). Slide-Show galleries on disc include James Cameron's own artwork for the film, production photos, Stan Winston Effects photos, Visual Effects, and publicity photos. Topping off the bonus features are 5 trailers and commercials, including the version of the trailer shown overseas. This European trailer is amusing in how much they show audiences, versus the "approved for all audiences" theatrical trailers stateside.

Of course, much like the Ultimate Edition DVD of Terminator 2, there are a whole lot of hidden features as well (see "sidebar" comments in the rightmost, gray column). However, these are not necessary in making the truth apparent, that this is a great DVD release. Once again, it would've been nice to have a Cameron audio commentary, or one by Schwarzenegger (as he did for Total Recall's new, "Mars case" DVD). However, what is included is more than worth the purchase price, for any fan of the film.

	Final Rating : Deep Impact. A classic in the history of sci-fi, thrillers, and robot-movies, all rolled into one. It is also the film that began Schwarzenegger and Cameron's careers. Cool.
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The Terminator

A Techtite Review