With advancements in technology in the past few years, especially with artificial intelligence, there has been an ever-growing fear that machines will take over. However, back in 1984, a movie premiered in theaters that fictionalized what could happen if that scenario did occur? Forty years ago, The Terminator hit theaters and exceeded Orion Pictures' box office predictions. It also helped launch James Cameron's (Titanic) filmmaking career and solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger (Last Action Hero) as leading man material. In celebration of its 4 decades, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is (finally!) releasing it on 4K for the first time beginning on November 19, 2024.
The year is 1984. The location is Los Angeles. It's the middle of the night, and suddenly the air becomes electrically charged as a naked "man" (Schwarzenegger) appears out of thin air. After acquiring clothing, he finds a phone book and looks up Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton; Dante's Peak). A short time later, a second man appears and goes looking for Sarah Connor as well. When the first two women named Sarah Connor end up dead, the police start looking for the third one who has met Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn; Aliens), the second naked man. Kyle tells Sarah the person trying to kill her is a cyborg sent back in time from 2029 to kill her so she can't become the mother of John Connor, leader of the human resistance.
Schwarzenegger doesn't have many lines in the film, which is probably a good thing, but at the time he had the build and the chiseled looks to make him a perfect candidate to portray a half-human, half-robot being from the future. Hamilton was good-looking and had the demeanor of a rough and tough woman who could hold her own against any adversity. Biehn had rugged good looks but wasn't overly muscular, making him appear more human than Schwarzenegger did as the cyborg.
The 4K restoration is a mixed bag of visuals. The 2160p resolution offers incredible details - notably Detective Traxler's (Paul Winfield; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) tweed jacket - but also shows how special effects have aged. The opening scenes of the machines searching the darkness for resistance fighters are simply awful. There is no better way to say it. It is clear they are models on a fake background using computer-generated lasers in post-production.
The Dolby Atmos audio is fairly flat, unfortunately. There isn't much depth or layering of sounds, but the soundtrack and dialogue are mixed well. The effects do sound crisp and clean but not robust, especially in the scenes with explosions. The included extras are all archival, though some of them were not included with the Blu-ray release. They include: Deleted Scenes with Optional James Cameron Commentary, Creating the Terminator: Visual Effects & Music, The Terminator: Closer to the Real Thing, and Unstoppable Force: The Legacy of the Terminator.
The Terminator was a movie made on a $6.5 million budget, and with the updated video quality, there are moments where it shows. However, the film went on to make $78 million worldwide, becoming a box office hit despite Orion Pictures' reservations. It also spawned several sequels that thankfully had much bigger budgets, allowing for better effects.
I know fans of the film, the franchise, and Schwarzenegger have been anxiously waiting for this 4K release, and they will undoubtedly be happy it has finally arrived. However, while some of the video and audio are great, the former has some weak spots, and the latter is just okay.
It doesn't matter much, though, as I'm sure this 4K will be flying off shelves, especially for those lucky enough to get their hands on a steelbook special edition.
Grade: A
