Your enthusiasm for the films you watch is so refreshing. Thank you for another great video. I saw "Terminator Dark Fate" in the cinema and I thought it was really good. The villan terminator Rev-9 is very well acted and the fight scenes with the character of Grace were breathtaking.
I couldn't agree more Iain. It seems a lot of Terminator fans really don't like Dark Fate but I don't understand why. Maybe it's simply the fact that good ol' Arnie looks older now and it doesn't fit the usual perception of a Terminator movie. I thought he was great in this one. John.
Just rewatched Terminator 2 today. I’m happy with the 4K. One of my favourite movies. It makes me sad how they just wipe John out in this Dark Fate movie. What was James Cameron thinking 😮
There were about 30 intervening years between the two films though so that's probably why it didn't bother me. I think I was just amazed that the computer artists were able to reproduce Edward Furlong so convincingly. It's not as good a film as The Terminator or the fabulous sequel, but as a sequel to that second film I think it's very good. The only one I haven't liked is the Genesys one, if that's the correct spelling. John.
Very kind of you to say so Benjamin. I'm still a little busy trying to sort the new house out (and the cinema!) but normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. The cinema has some masking now but I need to attach the motors and automation... which could pull everything out of the ceiling immediately of course! John.
T2 got many many releases on laserdisc, and they're all spectacular. I have 3 separate editions, and they're reference quality in picture and sound for the LD format. I saw it in the cinema in 1991 when I was much younger than I should've been, but seeing the Future War sequence, as I was sitting quite close to the screen, is something I've never forgotten.
Thank James. Just ashame I didn't care for the Genisys film otherwise I'd have covered that a bit too but I feel it's best not to slag a film off and thereby probably upset a few people. John
Glad it isn't just me. I also had the picture go completely black on the train sequence. The other 4k disc I had that problem with was Unforgiven. It's a very dark film, as I'm sure you know, and you can barely see anything during the climax unless you tinker with the settings.
It is surprising how much they can vary. Terminator Dark Fate is one I need to revisit though to see if I can play with things a little better now but I did put it through the ringer at the time of the review. It's a shame it was such a low quality video because the image quality was actually very good in spite of it. 2K should never have been foisted on us for cinema release. That era when it was introduced in the 2000s is why I hardly ever go to the cinema any longer unless I know it's a film print being screened. John.
@@moviecollector5920 my projector, an Optoma, has several HDR picture modes. When I put it into "Bright" it did look quite a lot better. I only wish I'd known that before I watched Unforgiven, as it ruined the screening.
@@isaacrank9583 I think a lot of us are learning the hard way Isaac. It was only because I was taking things a bit more seriously for these reviews that I started trying to establish what was wrong with some discs. 'Wrong' is probably not the correct word but some releases seem to be mastered better than others. It's possible Dark Fate and Unforgiven looked too dark in the cinema but I don't recall any trouble with Unforgiven when I saw it in Leicester Square. John.
WOW! Thanks for this review. T2 is one of my favourite movies. Saw it 5 times in the cinema (unfortunately not in 70mm). I had the massive CAV extended box set Laser Disc of T2 which I sadly had to sell when I left the country (Canada) 12 years ago. Cost me a whopping $150.00 CAD but was worth it. The extra features took me a month to watch. Probably the best use of the CAV format ever with an excellent mix of video and still images / text that taught me so much about film making and AI. Love your reviews.
Now why didn't I ever have that CAV LaserDisc of T2??? Oh well, you can't have 'em all. It sounds like a similar disc set to the Alien CAV box set, and the Aliens CAV box set now I come to mention it. The trouble I really had with some of my best LaserDiscs was that I usually had the film on Super 8 so I never watched the actual feature film on the discs. In other words, I was buying them for the extra features or to re-record the soundtracks on the Super 8 films. But what a great hobby this film collecting hasbeen for so much of my life. John.
Thank you for another stellar review. I do have the 4K disk although i thought the transfer was spectacular on my set up. It was sharp and HDR was amazing. The train scene was incredibly dark and lost all detail. Again, thank you from your friend in the USA.
I seem to keep missing comments Ariel so apologies for ignoring you. I think the transfer to 4K may be better than I was giving it credit for but I had to mess the picture up to get the darkest scenes visible. With the 4K discs I've run since this one I've found that it's not alone in being a bit messed up in places (A Few Good Men is a stand out in this regard). So perhaps next time I watch it I'll be a little more forgiving and take better note of the colour difference between the 2K Blu-ray and the 4K. Who knows, maybe my opinion will completely change. Having to stick the brightness up during that dark train scene to see what was actually happening messed up the contrast for the rest of the film and that ain't likely to have done the image quality any good. But it has made me focus more accutely on subsequent 4K discs and I'm planning a 4K vs. 2K comparison video for the not too distant future as a result. I did check on IMDB that this film was a 2K at cinemas and that's the information they have so this was an upscale like so many special effects films are for 4K disc release. I think that's a bit of a con but I'm open to persuasion because HDR does make a difference - not always for the better though it has to be said.
@Theo M D-ILA by any chance Theo? I saw the first one brought into the UK back about 2003/4 after a film collecting colleague had it installed. Amazing quality for the time but there was a wait for HD DVD to get the best out of it... and then Blu-ray of course. But I only saw it projecting DVD so although the projected image was amazing for video at that time it wasn't up to Super 8 standards owing to the SD video being projected. I have no doubt the JVCs today are superior to that £18,000 projector back then despite costing a lot less. Next time perhaps I'll be able to go JVC.
Hi John, another great video. I'm here because I've just got the blu ray of Dark Fate. Your Terminator super 8 looks amazing! I think Terminator 2 looked great on all formats even vhs. You have a great Terminator collection. All the best. 👍
The funny thing is that if I were to make the same video today I'd probably show a lot more of my Terminator collection but back when I made this one I was still working things out a bit. I think I've found my mojo now and have built quite a following... but it's never enough! One day I'll conquer the world though!!! Cue maniacal laughter. John.
It's unfortunate the T2 4K colors have been messed up and ruined by DNR (it's not a real film scan it's just an up conversion from the 3D blu-ray and smeared with teal filter) . The 2015 blu-ray seems the closest to the film print at home even though the grain structure is inconsistent.
The LaserDisc is very good Tony. It won't be as sharp as later releases but it's accurate and has a good feel. Best of all is the Super 8 though. John.
Didn’t manage to watch The Terminator at the cinema in 1984 as I was too young but did watch it when it arrived on VHS. The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square have a Terminator Double-Bill in 35mm next month which I’m pre-booked to watch. Can’t wait…
If that's the first two Terminator movies then that is going to be a great evening. A friend did have T2 on 35mm but he let that print go recently so it could be that one. That was the one used to create the 16mm 'Scope negative for the Super 8 prints. Another colleague has The Terminator on 35mm so these prints are still around, thankfully. John.
@@ItsTimePictures Some of these prints are special such as The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. But there are compromises owing to the diminutive size of the frame which most people would find too distracting these days. I have always looked past those (dust and neg dust being the prime culprits) and just enjoy the quality of the image being presented. But it's being able to project a real film that is the magical aspect to it all. John.
It's only the reboot film Genisys I didn't care for. Other than that it's been a great series with the first film being the stand out but the sequel wasn't far off.
I see the highlander posters in the back and looking forward to a 4K release of it. The anniversary Blu-ray is very good tho. One of my fav movies. And T2 is one of my top movies as well.
We seem to have very similar interest in movies Jon. I have Highlander on Super 8 and although it's not the best quality that was ever issued on the format it's magical to be able to run it on film. John.
@@moviecollector5920 would you say that super 8 is like laser disc quality or Blu-ray quality? And is it pricey to purchase super 8 or 35 mm film reels?
@@jonnyfive5000 I'd say it's somewhere between DVD and Blu-ray but film is very expensive. 35mm is actually cheaper to get hold of but storing just one 35mm film takes up a lot of space. Super 8 should probably be considered a bit of fun to add a little piece of magic from the past to a home cinema and disc collection. The Super 8 equipment you see me using is just about the best there is but that's a lifetime of being into the Super 8 hobby. There aren't many people still around who have a Super 8 feature collection like I do. Some of them are absolutely outstanding quality but there are always things like neg dust and general dust and specks of dirt getting onto the prints. As a film enthusiast who loves the look and feel of real [reel!] film I am able to look past all this and simply enjoy the images. Sound is another matter and I have re-recorded most of my features to get Dolby Stereo decoding as good as possible. Super 8 sound stripes are tiny as you would expect but sometimes they can sound damned good. Older selected scenes Super 8 package movies are now too often faded. Not many were printed on low fade stock but they are still good fun to run. the T2 and Terminator features in this Terminator retrospective video are both amazing quality, first print run copies with re-recorded stereo sound. And they don't come much better than that. I don't know how much they would sell for today but a lot - maybe as much as £1k. John.
Wow seeing that T2 marquee and large poster at the Leicester Square Cinema is amazing. It just kind of tells you that this movie is a big deal and it was. I was too young to see T2 in the cinemas back in 91 but i remember seeing it for the first time from a pirate copy before it came out on VHS, it looked horrible but it became my favourite film instantly. When it did come out on VHS my parents bought it and i just remember the stereo sound that came out of our Toshiba TV that we had at the time and it sounded amazing it was like watching it for the first time again, yeah we didn't have a surround sound setup back then unfortunately.
If I'd have known what a fan you were I'd have invited you round to out central London home at the time and you could have watched it on our ten foot wide 'Scope screen on Super 8 with Dolby Stereo surround sound. It was and still is a rather special Terminator collectible to own. John.
@@moviecollector5920 to experience the film that way would have been awesome especially having only seen it on a 4:3 24 inch tv i think it was at the time.
@@quatz1981 Super 8 was the king of home cinema up until about 2005/2006 but even then you had to spend big money on a video projector that was capable of matching the best of Super 8 at the time. It's only really been the past 10 years or so that video has taken over. Nothing will ever replace real film for me though because it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Actually, I think my earliest genuine memory is as a result of Super 8 so take a look at my Super 8 Film Gauge video and you'll see that memory with me at the age of 2 or 3 years old. John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's awesome John, i find it a shame that most movies nowadays are shot digitially with the exception of such directors as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese who still shoot on film. Although i never had a projector and only ever experienced film prints at the cinema back before they were all converted to digital, i truely appreciate the format and the image quality it produces.
I'd love for you to look in to the 4k bluray of Terminator 2 because of the amount of noise reduction applied and grain being scrubbed. However the transfer was approved by James Cameron and said that's how he originally wanted the film to look.
I suppose it was shot on Super 35 and he was never happy with that compromise. Super 35 was preferred by computer special effects houses as it made their work easier. I think this is because full frame 2x anamorphic 35mm presented issues with the squeezing process but it could also be that computer cartooning was such low quality compared to film that getting the film maker to adopt a lesser quality (i.e. smaller) filming process meant their low quality work wasn't so obvious in th end product. But I expect I'm talking crap there. By reducing the film grain James Cameron maybe felt it was a compromise worth taking to get closer to the true 35mm look. I saw a premiere house 70mm blow-up and my recollection is of a fantastic looking print. I really do remember the opening future battle at the Odeon Leicester Square well and was astounded by it. John.
Hello John, great video. You are probably the first person who actually likes the T6 - Dark Fate :-) It would be nice if you would have talked more about the T1 and T2 releases. Maybe making a small series for each movie franchise.
Ah, but I may get an excuse to cover Terminator and T2 when I finally get around to 4K discs of those. I would very much like to do something Star Trek related so that might meet your request. Sorry you didn't enjoy Dark Fate. Maybe if you'd have watched it here with us you'd have enjoyed it more. John.
Hey John, your Super 8, VHS and Laserdisc collection is impressive. I'm now sad that I sold over 300 laserdiscs when DVD came out. I had both T1 and T2 on LD. The T2 LD was amazing. I've not seen Dark Fate, so clearly need to get my act together. I was increasingly disappointed with this series after T2. Those shades are epic. Hope you'll be back!
LaserDiscs are worth having for the packaging even if the picture quality is not up to today's standards. There's something special about those large discs that makes them collectable. Not quite so much as Super 8 which is something extra special - and extra expensive! I think Dark Fate is terrific but many do not agree with me. I suppose it was the gap of almost 30 years since Terminator 2 and this sequel to it that meant I could forgive some of the aspects of it. When Aliens went to Alien 3 in six years and killed off the survivors from the previous film at the start in a similar way to Dark Fate, I'd had enough of it before the story even really started. The long intervening period between the two films in this case seemed to help and I was pleased to see Linda Hamilton back in the role of Sarah Connor again despite her no longer being the lovely young gal from the first film. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yup, really regret letting those old LDs go. My greatest sin was losing The Abyss, which is still yet to appear on BluRay or 4K despite the grading and remastering having been completed in March 2019.
I have not watched this movie yet but I plan on buying it. I made the mistake of reading reviews when it came out and was discouraged by what I read. I'll tell you what though, Terminator Salvation is very underrated, I absolutely love that movie, I think it was done very well! Thanks for another great review! Hasta la Vista baby! 😎
No problemo! I too think Terminator: Salvation was a good entry into the ongoing saga so we're not alone. Dark Fate, in my opinion, is the third best Terminator film. John.
Kia ora John, I’ve just found and started subscribing to your excellent channel. I’m working my way through your ‘back catalogue’ of reviews, but had to comment on this one due to you donning sunglasses and hamming it up Arnie-style. Loved it, wery well done! I particularly value your deep knowledge and experience with historic cinema filming and projection systems (like Super 8), and especially the very large format systems such as Cinerama and IMAX (which I experienced little of growing up down-under in New Zealand, and where there’s only one IMAX cinema in the country and that’s an 8 hour drive from me!) Thank you for your great work, keep it up and I look forward to learning much more from your channel. Ngā mihi, Richard
Ho ho, you're the first person that noticed the sunglasses Richard. They're actually the official T2 replica sunglasses and my wife Susanne made me do the ending again with them on which I thought was a rather good idea. If that IMAX in New Zealand is a real IMAX theatre (i.e. 70mm/15 sprocket film) then it will be worth a flight or a long drive if they're ever screening 'Interstellar' so that's my recommendation. But I think 'Tenet' and 'Dunkirk' would also be stunners. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Well, it was worth the reshoot, John, because with the replica shades on, I thought for a moment that it was Arnie delivering the closing “I’ll be back.” I will research the Auckland IMAX cinema offering, but any travel and viewing will have to wait for this pandemic to subside. Until then, I’ve got your channel to work my way through! Thanks.
Thanks you very much for your detailed answer! You really know your stuff - im glad you have such a passion for the movies. I already follow and can't wait for your next upload :) Thank you!
They are actually the official Terminator 2 glasses Cheekster... but I don't think anyone ever realized that. I've had them more than 30 years now and they still get a lot of use. Actually, they've had more use than ever this past summer. John.
@@moviecollector5920 - Oh… *WOW!* Even more 😎 Terminator 2 is my favourite movie of all-time, watched it 19 times at the cinema including 70mm blowup at Odeon, Marble Arch and the 3D re-release in 4K in 2017. The Pioneer Special Edition Boxset on Laser Disc was the favourite in my collection back in the day. Wish I had hung onto it but sadly sold my player and all of my discs shortly after DVD was launched.
@@cheekster777 I'm still a LaserDisc fan and might be able to get hold of a later Pioneer player to use in the home cinema as I have the original player hooked up to the telly. Haven't been using it enough lately though as I just don't get the time due to always editing something. I can recall the 70mm blow-up at the Leicester Square Odeon because the opening future war sequence made such an impression on me. I can remember sitting there amazed at the image quality and then leaning over to say something in my wife's ear when that sequence had finished. I said I hope that if nothing else, that extract got issued on Super 8. Well, that wish more than came true. John.
One of mine too. But I prefer The Terminator because the story is so damned good and Michael Biehn is the secret ingredient that makes it all hang together. Robert Patrick was perfect in his role in T2 but that was completely different. John.
I had that PAL laserdisc of Terminator 2, it must have been my most played disc. I miss laserdisc but buying em could be very expensive. I bought A Clockwork Orange on NTSC laser it cost me £55 from Movie Boulevard in Leeds. It was in the days when you couldn't get the film in this country. It was a great disc, it's one of the lasers I wish I'd kept for old times sake. I got rid of my laserdisc player years ago, a Pioneer CLD 2950, and all my laserdiscs except the Criterion of Halloween and the Japanese disc of The Evil Dead. I previously seen A Clockwork Orange on a VHS tape with Dutch (I think) subtitles so the laserdisc was a big leap in quality.
I still have a soft spot for laser disc but haven't run any all the way through for months now. I will get back into them though. Most expensive I ever shelled out for was the NTSC of Gettysburg which I think was £80 but the image quality of that is sadly very poor. The cost of laser disc paled in comparison to Super 8 of course with features costing an average £300 at that time. They were - and still are - something very special though. At the time Super 8 was the only option for genuine home cinema and the best prints still stand up to scrutiny today.
Most CGI is done in 2k due to cost and the extra time 4k takes to process. That's my understanding. Also the added cost to the 4k process. I understand many studios thought they just copy the film to a 4k disc and that it. Very wrong in this think ing .The Last Jedi Bluray was not improved in the process due to money issues and the controversy of the film. Good Video. 😎.
Agreed Stephen. The whole lower resolution special effects problem is causing issues with so many films and that is why image quality in cinemas is largely not what it once was in the days of film. Video cameras and projection are much better now but a 2K video on a huge screen often doesn't cut it. John.
Thank you Thomas. I will be doing some more soon but right now I'm fully tied up with a disc release which has got to be out and on sale early next month. Stay tuned though because I'm getting the 4K vs. 2K video plans sorted despite being fully occupied with other things. I should really take a fresh look at Terminator Dark Fate to see if I can get the quality of the 4K up to surpass the Blu-ray before I get stuck in. The colour should be superior given the HDR so I'll take another look.
Wow you have the original virgin video release of terminator. I remember buying it from my local video store. I do believe it was the first actual video to buy over the counter
Got it from Tower Records on Piccadilly Circus in 1988 if I remember correctly. My soon to be wife at the time (who has put up with me all these years and thankfully has grown to love movies and home cinema) had not seen The Terminator so I put that right immediately. She loved it and still does. That's why we got a copy on Super 8 as soon as it was out a few years later. John.
Just bought a 4k copy of this and it is the first 4k I've bought where I had to mess with the settings it was to dark. Wich is why I'm watching your review and you say the same thing. Glad it's not just me.
I expect it was how the movie looked in many cinemas Jonathan. DUNE is another one that suffered similarly and my review of that one just over two years ago generated a very healthy debate all about the dark sequences that confirmed all our systems vary and it turned out that cinemas have variable results too. John.
I discovered your channel recently and I very much appreciate your passion and expertise. Would you consider doing a review of T2 in 4k ? Cheers from Bordeaux.
Nice to have you here Philippe. I may do a T2 4K review one day but it will mean finding a cheap or free copy as I know the film off by heart having owned it on Super 8 since shortly after its theatrical release. The Super 8 print is a beauty so if I ever get another copy on video I'll only ever look at it the once. I know that many people claim that the video editors/authors of the 4K master applied digital noise reduction so it will be interesting to see if they've got it right. I believe it was a Super 35 shoot so it could be that people were expecting the superior quality of anamorphic, full frame 35mm but as neither the 70mm, 35mm, Super 8 or LaserDisc had poor quality issues they're probably right. Top Gun was Super 35 and look how good the 4K release of that turned out. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hi John. Thank you for your answer. Your positive comments on the Zulu blu-ray convinced me to get myself a copy. I had to purchase a UK edition because the film is only available on dvd here in France. What a shame for such a brilliant film that deserves the best image possible. I also pre-ordered a french BR re-release of "The fall of the roman empire", one of my all time favorite epics. That should look nice too.😉
@@philippehenaud5906 The Fall of the Roman Empire is probably the best image quality ever to be seen on the Super 8 gauge. The later prints weren't as good but the first run prints were 16mm on an image area only 6mm wide. Amazing. But the point is that it should look spectacular on Blu-ray for the same reason and that is its 65mm origin much the same as Zulu's Super Technirama origin. John.
I'm a fan of the Terminator movie's but i wished they stayed with the violence just like the first terminator movie but i still watched the last 5 movie's at the cinema and i also bought them all but i wish they would keep all of the bonus content on dvd and put it with the blu-ray because there is hour's of bonus content on the T1 ultimate edition 2 disc and T2 ultimate edition 2 disc dvd's, great review.
The first film is the best, no question about it as far as I'm concerned. I do enjoy them all though, apart from Genesys I think but that's largely because Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton were so perfect in the roles in the first film I cannot imagine anyone ever being able to match them. The two in this certainly didn't anyway. John.
Great review Ive not seen this on 4k though I agree with you in some instances some of the blu rays look a little brighter and clearer. I am intrigued to know your comparrison of 'Unforgiven' on 4k, this was one of those films that made me mess around with the settings, although the 4k was supervised by Clint Eastwood himself and he wanted an intentional darker look, I thought the opening was unwatchable on 4k. Alot of this film is lit by candles and wall lamps only so the blu ray was the better looking to my eyes.. it may not be accurate but at least I could make out what the hell was going on.
I don't have Unforgiven on 4K Ethan but I have found exactly the same thing with a couple of 4K releases, most notably this Terminator Dark Fate release. But I do understand Mr. Eastwood's desire for a darker tone to the image because it was designed that way and he probably felt the Blu-ray was overbright. A lot of releases do seem to have been overbright through the years compared to Super 8 equivalent releases but that's how the domestic market tends to prefer them.
I love Dark Fate, I find it quite underrated but its a solid sequel to T2. I’m happy if the franchise ends here. I also really enjoy Salvation, which I consider the prequel to 1,2 and dark fate.
Great review as always. I was wondering what you had resting on top of the laserdisc? Is that an LP or something else? It doesn't look like any LD cover I've seen of "The Terminator" before. I could be mistaken. I like the fact that you have such a huge collection of super8 films. I only have a handful of those, but would love to find some more - even though they very rarely seem available to purchase. Keep those reviews coming!
That's the soundtrack album and you're the first person to ask about it Mark. With regards to Super 8 take a look for Classic Home Cinema. I think I've got them on the Super 8 Links page of www.bfcc.biz but they are still releasing a few new titles. Very expensive now of course but they also have a massive second hand list. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thank for the amazing links, John. There are several Super 8 titles I'd love to get hold of. What a catch with that Terminator soundtrack! Mark
@@markhollier4087 I purchased that Terminator LP for my wife in 1992 I think. She hadn't seen the film when we got together a few years before so I soon put that right and it's been one of her favourite films ever since.
Ive heard 2 separate rumours of the T2 4k being a full remastered version or just a upscaled version of the Blu-Ray. I sincerely hope they do a full remaster as it could be a benchmark 4K
I've not seen the 4K of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I know it has had criticism about using digital noise reduction but if it didn't transfer well then that was perhaps an attempt to rescue the situation. It looks fabulous on film and it looked very good on LaserDisc so I can't think why it wouldn't have crossed over to UHD so well. The original shoot was Super 35 so not the most ideal format but this would have been due to the computer animation to be added to it which apparently is easier if anamorphic lenses haven't been used. However, it does mean far less of the 35mm frame has been utilized which immediately means a reduction in image quality. The 70mm blow-up print I saw at the Odeon looked fabulous though... but that's film and it simply works. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Apparently the T2 4k to quote Films at Home is barely noticeable compared to the Blu-ray, but I heard they was about to do a total remaster of it in December for the 30th anniversary Ed but again Ive heard its the old 4k with added merch. Ill wait till December n see the reviews but if its pants then Ill be hugely disappointed
@@C4rL72 It's a shame there aren't more Super 8 prints around because it looks fabulous blown up as big as possible on Super 8. I used to run the sound in synch with the laser disc which made it even better. Must get back to using my ten foot wide roll down screen again for Super 8 prints like that. To be fair to Jeff at Films At Home there are a lot of 4K discs that are almost indistinguishable from the Blu-ray. If it weren't for HDR there would be no point in 4K for our tiny home screens.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah I see that HDR as a gimmick towards an audience who walks into Currys/Comet and see the big TVs in demo mode and think its amazing , however I really want to see that leap from blu-ray to 4k almost the same from dvd to blu-ray, same transfers have matched that and others just appear to be lazy transfers. The nostalgia in me needs to see the great films take that huge leap, shawshank, shining, alien and Star wars. if that can happen then why the mediocre effort for other films such as T2, great work tho mate, regards Carl
@@C4rL72 I expect the film grain was a bit too coarse than the makers would have liked on the T2 transfer so someone tried some noise remover on it and the result is the natural, realistic look of the film was lost. But I haven't seen it so I don't know. But that is the basic summary of why some 4K transfers look better than others and it is pretty much all down to the original shoot and the format and film stock it was shot on. A film shot today on Super Panavision 65 is going to knock spots off anything other than 15/70 IMAX and that is why Murder on the Orient Express and Tenet are two of the best - if not the best - 4K discs available. Jaws is quite exceptional for a 35mm film but that is perhaps because it was transferred at 6K to get every last detail out of every single frame. Apocalypse Now was only transferred at 4K and from the interpositive as the negative for the original version of the film no longer exists but it is up there with Jaws as probably the two best 35mm transfers so far.
Of course the whole premise of travelling back in time to change the future lends itself to negating past films in this series, so no problem there for me. I have the trailers for the first 2 on Super 8 and the chase sequence from T2. However on some DVD forums they criticised the 5.1 remix of The Terminator for using new effects recordings (gunfire etc) that they thought sounded different to the original. AT the time of its cinema release I knew a computer programmer who identified the chip used from the on-screen code shown and said it was a cheap 8 bit device. How a little knowledge can spoil a film for some people!!
I don't think I've ever seen Terminator 2 on video Brian. But I have run the 200ft Chase extract in synch with the DVD quite a lot over the years. I think we even did that at the BFCC but maybe I'm getting confused with the first time I put the HTI GS1200 on all those years ago and that extract was the first item in the show. That made quite an impact. But would I care if a few sound effects had been changed? I doubt it. I probably wouldn't even notice. I can understand that some people get a bit hot under the collar about this sort of thing though because I don't ever want to see any re-hash of Star Wars ever again. I don't have to but others who love the film don't have that choice. John.
The Terminator was always a great looking film so it should be a good 'un. I purchased a copy on Monday but won't be looking at it until I can get together with Simon again for another 35mm vs. 4K. John.
hi mate great video last night i watched the first terminator movie standard blu ray today i was looking for The Terminator on 4k blu ray on youtube but no luck it would be awsome if they did the terminator on 4k and the rise of the machines
I've only seen a clip of The Terminator on Blu-ray and that looked fabulous. It is a fabulous looking film though so that's why the home movies all look so good. Nothing will ever beat having it on Super 8 though... although I do have a friend who has a 35mm print. That just might top it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 hey mate so happy i got another blu ray of The Terminator from HMV store and its much better quality than the first version i bought on blu ray way back when and the cover was terminator face with slip case
love this review! i also enjoyed dark fate a lot. your enthusiasm for home projection has me interested as being in my 20's, I can't recall very clearly having seen many films projected non-digitally. im wondering now if the "magic" of projected film comes from its dynamic range, as by comparison celluloid film as a shooting format also has significantly more dynamic range than even the best digital cameras.
Video cameras and projectors are much better now Raptor but the technology was foisted on us long before it was ready. I was in central London and so most weeks the premiere theatres on Leicester Square were frequented where the best film prints were shown. It was a wonderful period for movies. Then all of a sudden following the Star Wars Attack of the Clones debacle (worst image quality I ever saw in a cinema) cinemas were being forced to take poor quality video projection. The Empire Leicester Square was no longer the exciting place it had been as the most awful images were suddenly being projected causing great and good films to look dour and lifeless. But if you can get to a genuine IMAX cinema that is still showing genuine IMAX 70mm/15 sprocket film you can see for yourself how superior film can be. Also, later this year find a cinema screening Death on the Nile in 70mm (5 sprocket) and if that's as good to look at as Murder on the Orient Express you'll be transported back to film's golden era. John.
@@moviecollector5920 thanks for your insight! now that i think about it i was able to see a 70mm print of 2001 a couple years ago so that theater will probably have more similar presentations including possibly Death on the Nile.
T2 is my favourite movie of all time, and glad to see you enjoyed it too. Its effects were groundbreaking and like the Matrix since, these special effects have been used to death. I really enjoyed Dark Fate, as well as T3 and loved Salvation. I do feel that Genysis failed on the part that it was badly cast. Replacing Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor with Emilia Clarke was a step down in my opinion, and I dont just mean in height difference. If you look at the training Linda Hamilton done for the role as Sarah and how she looked conpared to Emilia Clarke it was like night and day. There was also an age difference which also showed. But at the end of the day we've had nearly 25 years of enjoying T2 and then had someone try and copy it, fans were never going to be happy no matter what.
I suspect the makers of Genysis thought that getting Arnie back into the role would be enough of a draw and the rest of it was thought about after he'd been cast. I watched that one a second time and liked it even less but there are some good sequences even if it's not enough to make it a good film. By contrast, I thought Dark Fate was pretty terrific. I suppose I've liked them all apart from Genysis but I put Dark Fate in the number 3 spot. John.
I did know about the Salvation 4K release. That should look a lot better than Dark Fate as it was shot on film but the Blu-ray isn't brilliant so it would be interesting to learn what other real enthusiasts think of the 4K compared to the 2K. You're nominated Bilko!!!
@@moviecollector5920 ha ha I will be totally honest. I have dark fate on 4k but watched it yet. As for salvation I thought look fantastic. Very dark though. I did put brightness up a tad. No atmos mix though.
The Terminator franchise, it's a mixed bag John, I remember watching T2 on the big screen in '91, it's definitely the greatest sequel of all-time, revisited it in 3D on the big screen in 2017, hated the new colourization and some of the effects were changed, if it ain't broke don't fix it, Terminator Salvation is probably the best film since T2 in my opinion, as much as T2 broke the mold The Terminator 1984 set the bar.
The Terminator is a masterpiece, there's no question of that in my mind. T2 is a great sequel and I'm not too far from your thinking there James because I think it may be the second best sequel of all time. I rate Aliens as the best. As for turning T2 into a 3D movie, there is just no way I would ever look at it. I know what they're trying to achieve with all these faux 3D conversions and if it brings the films to a new generation of youngsters who then like it enough to seek out the original films then that's mission accomplished. But to me films such as T2 are works of art and modifying them is like going in and 'improving' Rembrandt's 'The Nightwatch'. My opinion of all the other Terminator sequels is that 'Dark Fate' is the best but I do like 'Salvation'. The only one I really haven't liked much is the attempt at a reboot which was 'Genysis' or however it was spelled. It started well but quickly disintegrated. It did have some good sequences though so it wasn't all bad. John.
Hello John, I have a burning question I need to ask and this is the only platform I can find you! ........I have seen T2 (and a couple of other blockbusters from the same era, like True Lies and Gladiator) on television where the original music score appears to have been stripped away to be replaced by something entirely different and generic. If it hadn't happened more than once I would swear I was going mad or dreaming it, but although rare this has happened a few times. Is this something you have ever heard of? I can't recall what TV channel I watched these on, but it was probably not the big 5. I seem to recall it was a midday showing on a distant digital channel. Would it be a case of losing rights to play the music in certain countries, or someone saving money from performing music rights? That's the only explanations I can think of, but really it doesn't sound likely on an old movie that's been played to death for 30 years. I have asked on other forums if anyone else has noticed this kind of thing but people think I am losing my marbles! It was very noticeable to me, it made me realise what a HUGE part of a movie the score i; like T2 without those 5 seismic drum beats, or the wailing grief stricken female chants in Gladiator. If this is something you have come across I'd love to know how it happens.
There were usually different versions of films for different markets so it's possible a particular television station has screened an alternative edit of a film for whatever reason. For example, I have an airline print of Lethal Weapon and I think it's better than the theatrical version simply because all the bad language has been overdubbed so different words are used instead of profanity and most of them are actually really funny and clever. I haven't noticed alternative music on anything but I wouldn't rule it out. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Very true. I had a hundred or so laserdiscs, but had to sell them all when I moved on to dvd. My apartment at the time was just too small. My biggest issue with physical media is the need of space... And the laserdiscs were HEAVY as well. I had to reinforce the shelf I kept my collection in, it was actually about to break.
@@HenrikWilhelmsson I have similar problems. 35mm in particular is not easy to find space for so I've had to strictly limit my intake of features on that gauge. John.
My mixed review of Terminator Dark Fate Saw this in IMAX and as always it's a great treat even for less good movies. Terminator 6 is a very mixed bag. The action is pretty good, the SFX aren't really the best, but better than what was shown in the trailer. The story is pretty much copy and paste from the first two movies, and there are certain twists to them but aren't really impactful and not that exciting. The best thing about this movie is the central performances from Linda Hamilton, McKenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes. Hamilton is sassy as ever and at the same time brings gruff gravitas and it is a pleasure to see her coming back as Sarah Connor. Another one coming back is of course Arnold Schwarzenegger as an older Terminator with a dark past, he shows he is a better actor than some give him credit for. Gabriel Luna is the newest threat as a so called Rev-9, a two for one Terminator with an Endo Skeleton and a liquid counterpart. He is a fine addition, but no Robert Patrick. I hope this is the swansong of this franchise, though I suspect there is more to come. If there are more I am wary of the rehash this movie already represents. ××1/2/×××××. (Written at time of release)
I think that's a really good summary Jonas. It was a 2K film though so I can well imagine how awful it looked on an IMAX screen. Having said that, was it a genuine IMAX theatre of a re-worked normal cinema with a slightly higher screen? That probably would have looked okay because video has come a long way since they foisted the original video projectors on us in cinemas. At that point I quickly lost interest and ever since I've been careful to ensure that my few trips to the cinema have been to see real films with only a couple of exceptions. I saw Gravity in 3D at the Waterloo IMAX and the image quality was terrible but still a hugely enjoyable video to watch despite that. It's better at home in 2D though. John.
It is a genuine IMAX theater and the only one close enough that I can visit. Meanwhile it is not the biggest IMAX salon in the world, but it isn't too bad and quality of picture and audio are top notch. I never saw Gravity in IMAX, but is a very good film.
I went to see the James Cameron remastered T2 in the cinema a few years ago. The one where they fixed some of the bloopers and sfx. It ought to look good on UHD 4K Blu-ray. I’m not clear on whether it’s actually available though.
Apparently other video collectors have claimed excessive digital noise reduction has been applied to the 4K of T2: Judgment Day but I haven't seen it to comment. It's possible that they are mistaken because the 70mm blow-up I saw at the Odeon Leicester Square was almost perfect and so there wasn't much in the way of film grain. Mass-produced 35mm prints were not so good so it could be confusion. But it is a shame that the film makers felt the need to eliminate a few of the things they consider flaws because I think we tend to accept that they couldn't realistically expect Arnie to do the motorcycle jump into the flood canal and so it's obvious it's his stunt man (Peter Kent if I remember correctly) so we don't mind that we can tell it's not really the big man on that motorbike. Fortunately the Super 8 prints are the original film and that is as good as it needs to look in the home. Sadly those prints are no longer available and if one were to come up for sale it would probably cost four figures now. John.
I'm pretty sure Zavvi are selling the same disc as everyone else. Probably just a marketing ploy to make you thing they've got something extra special.
@@moviecollector5920 I’m still seeing a lot of whining about the Terminator 2 Ultra HD Blu-ray transfer. I’d be really interested in your opinion if you get the chance. I think it’s a lot of nonsense from people who don’t understand film. How could Cameron really get it so wrong? I don’t think it’s possible. If he scanned a 70mm original negative maybe there was hardly any grain?
Does the digital version code included on the 4K disc come with the director’s commentary and extra deleted scenes and featurettes that were omitted on the 4K disc and bluray?
I'm sorry to say that I don't know. I've never used a digital code for any film so I'd not actually thought about it. My assumption was that you just get the basic film with a code as anything else would add to the file size and be a little difficult to program. But I may well be wrong.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the reply. Apparently, it is only a few selected digital vendors that have these special features like itunes but there is no detailed information anywhere. Since Dark Fate came out 1 year ago today and no one knows where to get clear info on the omitted content that is only exclusive to digital, I suggest making a video about this today if you can.
@@gaips A director's commentary for Dark Fate should be very interesting. Many people claim not to like this film but I thought it was pretty terrific. I'll have to take another look at the disc and see what's what before investigating where the additional [missing] content is available.
Ha i have that Virgin VHS of the 1st film. one of the 1st videos i ever had and i was definitely younger than 18. Think i wore it out. Have to admit never had the super 8 though. Love all of the films except for Genisys. Am a big fan of Dark Fate actually. I think it was unfairly reviewed and overall i think it stands up very well. Hamilton in particular is excellent. I have the Bluray not the 4K and by sounds of it dont need to upgrade after all.
Nope, the Blu-ray was just as good as, if not better, than the 4K in here. I've done a lot of tinkering since this review so the 4K may just have the edge now but it will still be close. Like you, I like all the Terminator films except Genisys which I thought was pretty awful and even worse the second time around. Looks like you'll have to track down Super 8 prints of the first two films then! John.
What a channel this is.....very informative...just stumbled across your channel and recommend to any movie buffs..... Should check out the original terminator remastered on Blu Ray.....you won't be disappointed...
Thank you for that Roy. I have seen a couple of clips of the Blu-ray Roy and I can see what you mean. Fantastic! But we do own a print of the original Terminator on Super 8 so not only do I know the script off by heart by now but I can't see that we'll ever replace such a perfect Super 8 film print with any video version. There's just a magic to having a favourite film on film and enjoying the je ne sais quoi that goes with it every time we run it. A perfect film? Quite possibly. And I think 'Dark Fate' is a darned good sequel too but not many people seem to agree with me. Right now I'm working on a classic car disc release but I do want to get back to a couple of RUclips film videos asap... I have a Phantasm 1 to 5 retrospective coming as that original Phantasm was another part of my growing up, similar to Terminator but a little earlier.
Or alternatively perhaps just run the original film again. T2 was fantastic but there's nothing like that original film. Dark Fate was a good sequel but that's what it is, a sequel. Given the constraints I thought it was very good and I actually can't wait to run it again but I'll try to hold off for a few years. John.
@@moviecollector5920 problem is in Dark Fate killing off John Connor at the beginning of the film is just like Alien 3 it makes all of T2 redundant. This is something Cameron was against but he did it anyway.
@@moviecollector5920 also there is also a problem of redundancy. If you kill John Connor then there's automatically a new John Connor replacement in this case a female John Connor what's the point of the Terminators anyway? Its just an endless cycle. Again no stakes and no point.
@@purefoldnz3070 I felt that was acceptable because thirty years has passed. With Alien 3 it was a step too far because we were expecting to see the continuing adventures of the characters who struggled to survive the events in Aliens and it was only six years after that great sequel. If Dark Fate had have appeared six years after T2 then I'd have felt the same as you and I'd have been lost right at the beginning.
@@purefoldnz3070 That's been a problem since T2. But let's face it, you have to suspend belief when you watch fantasy films like these and just enjoy the nonsense that's being served up so expertly well.
Yes, and if you're coming from a previous LCD video projector you will think something is wrong to start with but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it and my brain almost completely filters it out now unless I deliberately go looking for it. The only way to completely eliminate the DLP rainbow effect is to get a hybrid D-ILA projector or a 3xDLP projector. And they cost big money by comparison so I think I'll stick with the el cheapo single DLP!
@@jim_herd LCD is preferable but they are susceptible to dust getting onto the three LCD elements and once it's on there, that's it without sending it away. But it always returns with more dust sometime down the line. With DLP you will only see the rainbow effect when your eyes move across the screen and there is a light area in among dark sections of the image. Happens particularly with straight white lines (e.g. titles) on black backgrounds. You'll get used to it quickly.
@@moviecollector5920 Actually, yes, I did get some dust in mine. Only really noticeable on a white screen. Think I’ll get an OLED TV when I’ve got the money. A TV is best for HDR I think. I’d be interested to know how the scenes you talk about look on a good OLED.
@@jim_herd I don't watch films on a television at all any longer. Television screens were always a necessary evil in order to keep up with every film I wanted to see but now that home video projection is so good there is no need and so I don't. Actually, I don't like a lot of the fake looking imagery on a lot of the over enhanced televisions these days but then I suppose I set up all my equipment to resemble film as closely as possible so it's not likely that I would like them. I do sometimes check titles I review on my own television but only if something does not appear quite right when projected.
Is the original Terminator movie available on 4K yet? Its one of my favourite sci-fi movies. I dont really care about the sequels, specially Dark Fate. The sequels were mainstream audience action movies which isnt really my thing.
I will be back he says.... But yes its is a shame that so many modern movies were mastered in 2K and now upscaled to 4K. One older movie I thought had excellent image quality was the 5th element.
The Fifth Element was shot on film Andreas - apart from the special effects done on a computer of course - and that is why it looks so good. Best 4K I've seen so far is 'Murder on the Orient Express' which was shot with 65mm and released as 70mm prints. The follow-up 'Death on the Nile' has been done the same way so if you can find a cinema screening a 70mm print later this year then it should be fabulous cinema outing. When this 2K video projection nonsense was first brought into cinema in the early 2000s it was hearbreaking to see. I'd only ever enjoyed the best premiere prints in the West End of London and now we had this second rate, boring, dead looking video projection. It's improved a lot now but nothing beats a 70mm screening so thank goodness there are still a few cinemas in London with the facilities. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yes, I remember being very impressed with this movie in the cinema. This was in Leicester. I would think they used a 4k projector and not not projected on 70mm. Will get this version. It will be great to see the Death on The Nile. Not only are these beautiful movies, but also great to see something that is refreshingly good and old school.
@@andreasoberg2021 The 1978 'Death on the Nile' is one of my favourite films so it's going to take something to come close to that. But 70mm is certainly going to help. John.
That was the reproduction of Edward Furlong's 'John Connor' character being killed by Arnie's Terminator character wasn't it? I'd have felt the same way about it if this film had have followed Terminator 2: Judgment Day by a few years - much like Alien 3 killed my interest in that film with the opening that killed off all the surviving characters from Aliens... apart from Ripley of course. But because so many years have passed since T2 it didn't adversely affect the rest for me. John.
Considering that Terminator 3 killed off Sarah Connor unceremoniously and instead followed an adult John Connor, I could not criticize Dark Fate for doing the exact opposite. (Furthermore, Sarah was the main character of the first two films, so I'm naturally more attached to her than I am to John.) The short-lived TV series might have an advantage over both films by keeping Sarah and John alive, even if they are recast.
This is definitely the worst Terminator film. I saw it once and never again lol But Im glad u enjoyed it :) I hope the next one will be better and I read that Arnold signed for another Terminator movie. I do wonder if there actually will be another one anytime soon since Dark Fate didn't do well at all.
I think the main reason I didn't like Genysis is because the original film was so damned perfect that I simply cannot accept anyone in the roles other than Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. John.
Everyone needs a hobby and you have a good one, John. And hey, why not do a RUclips channel and talk about your hobby and do reviews. Very enjoyable. I do like DARK FATE, but sorely disappointed they killed off Edward Furlong's character early in the film. He was one of the reasons, along with Linda Hamilton, I was looking forward to seeing their reunion in the movie franchise. While filming THE SHINING, Stanley Kubrick told Stephen King that he wanted to kill off the whole family. Stephen King told him, if you do that they (the audience) will hate you, so Mr. Kubrick opted not to do that and I am so glad. In the sequel to that film there is a sequence where a twelve year old is tortured and murdered and his screams are forever embedded in my mind and I NEVER want to watch it again. Some films go too far. I mean, I do give kudos to the young actor for his realistic performance but there are films that I never want to see again due to their ultra realism in violence and death. Edward Furlong's character was such a young hero and to have him disposed of was a bit of a disappointment.
Think of the reason for that early killing off of Edward Furlong as John Connor though Daniel. It had to be done otherwise a 2 hour film would have taken 20 years to complete. Just that opening sequence probably took months because it was a computer recreation of Edward Furlong as he was almost 30 years earlier. There was no way to include him all the way through. It was brilliant to see him again and looking so real. It's not often computer animators are able to pull off something like that so well. Now that I've said that, I'll probably look at it again and think how awful it looks! I thought Doctor Sleep was the best possible sequel to The Shining we could ever have wished for. John.
good review.... sadly, the movie sucked. this franchise has a dark fate, ha ha. i am a film lover, more ways than one, but honestly, i was shocked when i found myself napping for about 6-8 minutes in the theater!
A lot of people have said the same but I loved it. There are a few who seem to have enjoyed as much as I so maybe we're all seeing different things for and against. If it had have come out shortly after T2 I don't think I'd have felt the same about it as I do but time was on its side as far as I'm concerned. John.
Thank you. This is the worst 'Terminator' movie you could possibly imagine. I saw it for free and couldn't be bothered to pay attention more than half way. What a total pile of crap.
I disagree the beginning of Dark Fake makes Sarah Connor a failure, and the rest is horrendous afterwords (let's not even get started on how they changed the Terminator into an interior decorator in a sexless marriage...)
Give it another watch sometime and see what you think because I too would have thought along the same lines if this film had have appeared after the second film. Somehow the intervening years made it alright to kill off John Connor right at the start. Alien 3 was a failure right from the beginning for doing the same thing but perhaps even that would have fared better if there had been a 30 year gap between movies. John.
I think it already did Robert. But it's just as good on Blu-ray so if you have the Blu-ray then there's no reason to purchase a second copy on 4K. John.
The 4th Terminator is the one that I consider not belonging to the T series . the color palette was the typical washed out green armageddon look adopted by so many filmmakers during the period from the years 2000 to around 2010....... horrible
@@milovacc1195 I love the orignal film Milo and in particular Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton - besides the timeless portrayal by Mr. Schwarzenegger of course. To re-make it with very different actor and actress really didn't work for me and I lost interest increasingly as the film went on. Maybe next time I take a look I'll change my opinion. Sorry I didn't say much about Genisys - I didn't really know what to say without being even more negative than I appeared. i've enjoyed every other Terminator film though and I don't think I can say that of any other series of films except Phantasm. John.
Your enthusiasm for the films you watch is so refreshing. Thank you for another great video. I saw "Terminator Dark Fate" in the cinema and I thought it was really good. The villan terminator Rev-9 is very well acted and the fight scenes with the character of Grace were breathtaking.
I couldn't agree more Iain. It seems a lot of Terminator fans really don't like Dark Fate but I don't understand why. Maybe it's simply the fact that good ol' Arnie looks older now and it doesn't fit the usual perception of a Terminator movie. I thought he was great in this one. John.
Just rewatched Terminator 2 today. I’m happy with the 4K. One of my favourite movies. It makes me sad how they just wipe John out in this Dark Fate movie. What was James Cameron thinking 😮
There were about 30 intervening years between the two films though so that's probably why it didn't bother me. I think I was just amazed that the computer artists were able to reproduce Edward Furlong so convincingly. It's not as good a film as The Terminator or the fabulous sequel, but as a sequel to that second film I think it's very good. The only one I haven't liked is the Genesys one, if that's the correct spelling. John.
I’ve recently been binging all your videos and I just want to say I love your work! No fluff, extremely informative and clean delivery
Very kind of you to say so Benjamin. I'm still a little busy trying to sort the new house out (and the cinema!) but normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. The cinema has some masking now but I need to attach the motors and automation... which could pull everything out of the ceiling immediately of course!
John.
T2 got many many releases on laserdisc, and they're all spectacular. I have 3 separate editions, and they're reference quality in picture and sound for the LD format.
I saw it in the cinema in 1991 when I was much younger than I should've been, but seeing the Future War sequence, as I was sitting quite close to the screen, is something I've never forgotten.
Exactly the same for me - that opening future war sequence... unforgettable. And T2 on LaserDisc, I couldn't agree more.
John.
That was the most reasonable commentary that I have ever watched about Terminator series. Good on you mate.
James
Thank James. Just ashame I didn't care for the Genisys film otherwise I'd have covered that a bit too but I feel it's best not to slag a film off and thereby probably upset a few people. John
Glad it isn't just me. I also had the picture go completely black on the train sequence.
The other 4k disc I had that problem with was Unforgiven. It's a very dark film, as I'm sure you know, and you can barely see anything during the climax unless you tinker with the settings.
It is surprising how much they can vary. Terminator Dark Fate is one I need to revisit though to see if I can play with things a little better now but I did put it through the ringer at the time of the review. It's a shame it was such a low quality video because the image quality was actually very good in spite of it. 2K should never have been foisted on us for cinema release. That era when it was introduced in the 2000s is why I hardly ever go to the cinema any longer unless I know it's a film print being screened. John.
@@moviecollector5920 my projector, an Optoma, has several HDR picture modes. When I put it into "Bright" it did look quite a lot better. I only wish I'd known that before I watched Unforgiven, as it ruined the screening.
@@isaacrank9583 I think a lot of us are learning the hard way Isaac. It was only because I was taking things a bit more seriously for these reviews that I started trying to establish what was wrong with some discs. 'Wrong' is probably not the correct word but some releases seem to be mastered better than others. It's possible Dark Fate and Unforgiven looked too dark in the cinema but I don't recall any trouble with Unforgiven when I saw it in Leicester Square. John.
I find your film reviews and commentary quite enjoyable. 😊
Thanks Jesus. 1917 is next with a bit of the 1993 Gettysburg included too.
WOW! Thanks for this review. T2 is one of my favourite movies. Saw it 5 times in the cinema (unfortunately not in 70mm). I had the massive CAV extended box set Laser Disc of T2 which I sadly had to sell when I left the country (Canada) 12 years ago. Cost me a whopping $150.00 CAD but was worth it. The extra features took me a month to watch. Probably the best use of the CAV format ever with an excellent mix of video and still images / text that taught me so much about film making and AI. Love your reviews.
Now why didn't I ever have that CAV LaserDisc of T2??? Oh well, you can't have 'em all. It sounds like a similar disc set to the Alien CAV box set, and the Aliens CAV box set now I come to mention it. The trouble I really had with some of my best LaserDiscs was that I usually had the film on Super 8 so I never watched the actual feature film on the discs. In other words, I was buying them for the extra features or to re-record the soundtracks on the Super 8 films. But what a great hobby this film collecting hasbeen for so much of my life.
John.
Thank you for another stellar review. I do have the 4K disk although i thought the transfer was spectacular on my set up. It was sharp and HDR was amazing. The train scene was incredibly dark and lost all detail. Again, thank you from your friend in the USA.
I seem to keep missing comments Ariel so apologies for ignoring you. I think the transfer to 4K may be better than I was giving it credit for but I had to mess the picture up to get the darkest scenes visible. With the 4K discs I've run since this one I've found that it's not alone in being a bit messed up in places (A Few Good Men is a stand out in this regard). So perhaps next time I watch it I'll be a little more forgiving and take better note of the colour difference between the 2K Blu-ray and the 4K. Who knows, maybe my opinion will completely change. Having to stick the brightness up during that dark train scene to see what was actually happening messed up the contrast for the rest of the film and that ain't likely to have done the image quality any good. But it has made me focus more accutely on subsequent 4K discs and I'm planning a 4K vs. 2K comparison video for the not too distant future as a result. I did check on IMDB that this film was a 2K at cinemas and that's the information they have so this was an upscale like so many special effects films are for 4K disc release. I think that's a bit of a con but I'm open to persuasion because HDR does make a difference - not always for the better though it has to be said.
@Theo M D-ILA by any chance Theo? I saw the first one brought into the UK back about 2003/4 after a film collecting colleague had it installed. Amazing quality for the time but there was a wait for HD DVD to get the best out of it... and then Blu-ray of course. But I only saw it projecting DVD so although the projected image was amazing for video at that time it wasn't up to Super 8 standards owing to the SD video being projected. I have no doubt the JVCs today are superior to that £18,000 projector back then despite costing a lot less. Next time perhaps I'll be able to go JVC.
I had the same experince with the train scene, very very dark.
Hi John, another great video. I'm here because I've just got the blu ray of Dark Fate. Your Terminator super 8 looks amazing! I think Terminator 2 looked great on all formats even vhs. You have a great Terminator collection. All the best. 👍
The funny thing is that if I were to make the same video today I'd probably show a lot more of my Terminator collection but back when I made this one I was still working things out a bit. I think I've found my mojo now and have built quite a following... but it's never enough! One day I'll conquer the world though!!! Cue maniacal laughter.
John.
It's unfortunate the T2 4K colors have been messed up and ruined by DNR (it's not a real film scan it's just an up conversion from the 3D blu-ray and smeared with teal filter) . The 2015 blu-ray seems the closest to the film print at home even though the grain structure is inconsistent.
The LaserDisc is very good Tony. It won't be as sharp as later releases but it's accurate and has a good feel. Best of all is the Super 8 though. John.
Didn’t manage to watch The Terminator at the cinema in 1984 as I was too young but did watch it when it arrived on VHS. The Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square have a Terminator Double-Bill in 35mm next month which I’m pre-booked to watch.
Can’t wait…
If that's the first two Terminator movies then that is going to be a great evening. A friend did have T2 on 35mm but he let that print go recently so it could be that one. That was the one used to create the 16mm 'Scope negative for the Super 8 prints. Another colleague has The Terminator on 35mm so these prints are still around, thankfully. John.
@@moviecollector5920 - Indeed John, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Another excellent job Matey!!
The Terminator on Super8, full length... I need to fly over the Atlantic and visit!
And Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It's going to be a long night when you visit!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I admit to being completely fascinated by the idea of a Super8 presentation of a 35mm film. Especially anamorphic scope!
@@ItsTimePictures Some of these prints are special such as The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. But there are compromises owing to the diminutive size of the frame which most people would find too distracting these days. I have always looked past those (dust and neg dust being the prime culprits) and just enjoy the quality of the image being presented. But it's being able to project a real film that is the magical aspect to it all.
John.
Glad u also enjoy Salvation, its a great movie, great actions despite all remarks
It's only the reboot film Genisys I didn't care for. Other than that it's been a great series with the first film being the stand out but the sequel wasn't far off.
I see the highlander posters in the back and looking forward to a 4K release of it. The anniversary Blu-ray is very good tho. One of my fav movies. And T2 is one of my top movies as well.
We seem to have very similar interest in movies Jon. I have Highlander on Super 8 and although it's not the best quality that was ever issued on the format it's magical to be able to run it on film.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 would you say that super 8 is like laser disc quality or Blu-ray quality? And is it pricey to purchase super 8 or 35 mm film reels?
@@jonnyfive5000 I'd say it's somewhere between DVD and Blu-ray but film is very expensive. 35mm is actually cheaper to get hold of but storing just one 35mm film takes up a lot of space. Super 8 should probably be considered a bit of fun to add a little piece of magic from the past to a home cinema and disc collection. The Super 8 equipment you see me using is just about the best there is but that's a lifetime of being into the Super 8 hobby. There aren't many people still around who have a Super 8 feature collection like I do. Some of them are absolutely outstanding quality but there are always things like neg dust and general dust and specks of dirt getting onto the prints. As a film enthusiast who loves the look and feel of real [reel!] film I am able to look past all this and simply enjoy the images. Sound is another matter and I have re-recorded most of my features to get Dolby Stereo decoding as good as possible. Super 8 sound stripes are tiny as you would expect but sometimes they can sound damned good.
Older selected scenes Super 8 package movies are now too often faded. Not many were printed on low fade stock but they are still good fun to run. the T2 and Terminator features in this Terminator retrospective video are both amazing quality, first print run copies with re-recorded stereo sound. And they don't come much better than that. I don't know how much they would sell for today but a lot - maybe as much as £1k.
John.
Wow seeing that T2 marquee and large poster at the Leicester Square Cinema is amazing. It just kind of tells you that this movie is a big deal and it was. I was too young to see T2 in the cinemas back in 91 but i remember seeing it for the first time from a pirate copy before it came out on VHS, it looked horrible but it became my favourite film instantly. When it did come out on VHS my parents bought it and i just remember the stereo sound that came out of our Toshiba TV that we had at the time and it sounded amazing it was like watching it for the first time again, yeah we didn't have a surround sound setup back then unfortunately.
If I'd have known what a fan you were I'd have invited you round to out central London home at the time and you could have watched it on our ten foot wide 'Scope screen on Super 8 with Dolby Stereo surround sound. It was and still is a rather special Terminator collectible to own. John.
@@moviecollector5920 to experience the film that way would have been awesome especially having only seen it on a 4:3 24 inch tv i think it was at the time.
@@quatz1981 Super 8 was the king of home cinema up until about 2005/2006 but even then you had to spend big money on a video projector that was capable of matching the best of Super 8 at the time. It's only really been the past 10 years or so that video has taken over. Nothing will ever replace real film for me though because it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Actually, I think my earliest genuine memory is as a result of Super 8 so take a look at my Super 8 Film Gauge video and you'll see that memory with me at the age of 2 or 3 years old. John.
@@moviecollector5920 That's awesome John, i find it a shame that most movies nowadays are shot digitially with the exception of such directors as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese who still shoot on film. Although i never had a projector and only ever experienced film prints at the cinema back before they were all converted to digital, i truely appreciate the format and the image quality it produces.
I'd love for you to look in to the 4k bluray of Terminator 2 because of the amount of noise reduction applied and grain being scrubbed. However the transfer was approved by James Cameron and said that's how he originally wanted the film to look.
I suppose it was shot on Super 35 and he was never happy with that compromise. Super 35 was preferred by computer special effects houses as it made their work easier. I think this is because full frame 2x anamorphic 35mm presented issues with the squeezing process but it could also be that computer cartooning was such low quality compared to film that getting the film maker to adopt a lesser quality (i.e. smaller) filming process meant their low quality work wasn't so obvious in th end product. But I expect I'm talking crap there. By reducing the film grain James Cameron maybe felt it was a compromise worth taking to get closer to the true 35mm look. I saw a premiere house 70mm blow-up and my recollection is of a fantastic looking print. I really do remember the opening future battle at the Odeon Leicester Square well and was astounded by it.
John.
Hello John, great video. You are probably the first person who actually likes the T6 - Dark Fate :-)
It would be nice if you would have talked more about the T1 and T2 releases. Maybe making a small series for each movie franchise.
Ah, but I may get an excuse to cover Terminator and T2 when I finally get around to 4K discs of those. I would very much like to do something Star Trek related so that might meet your request. Sorry you didn't enjoy Dark Fate. Maybe if you'd have watched it here with us you'd have enjoyed it more.
John.
Hey John, your Super 8, VHS and Laserdisc collection is impressive. I'm now sad that I sold over 300 laserdiscs when DVD came out. I had both T1 and T2 on LD. The T2 LD was amazing. I've not seen Dark Fate, so clearly need to get my act together. I was increasingly disappointed with this series after T2. Those shades are epic. Hope you'll be back!
LaserDiscs are worth having for the packaging even if the picture quality is not up to today's standards. There's something special about those large discs that makes them collectable. Not quite so much as Super 8 which is something extra special - and extra expensive! I think Dark Fate is terrific but many do not agree with me. I suppose it was the gap of almost 30 years since Terminator 2 and this sequel to it that meant I could forgive some of the aspects of it. When Aliens went to Alien 3 in six years and killed off the survivors from the previous film at the start in a similar way to Dark Fate, I'd had enough of it before the story even really started. The long intervening period between the two films in this case seemed to help and I was pleased to see Linda Hamilton back in the role of Sarah Connor again despite her no longer being the lovely young gal from the first film. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yup, really regret letting those old LDs go. My greatest sin was losing The Abyss, which is still yet to appear on BluRay or 4K despite the grading and remastering having been completed in March 2019.
@@Celestialrob I know some lucky bugger who has The Abyss full length and 'Scope on Super 8. Imagine that!
I have not watched this movie yet but I plan on buying it. I made the mistake of reading reviews when it came out and was discouraged by what I read. I'll tell you what though, Terminator Salvation is very underrated, I absolutely love that movie, I think it was done very well! Thanks for another great review! Hasta la Vista baby! 😎
No problemo! I too think Terminator: Salvation was a good entry into the ongoing saga so we're not alone. Dark Fate, in my opinion, is the third best Terminator film. John.
Kia ora John, I’ve just found and started subscribing to your excellent channel. I’m working my way through your ‘back catalogue’ of reviews, but had to comment on this one due to you donning sunglasses and hamming it up Arnie-style. Loved it, wery well done! I particularly value your deep knowledge and experience with historic cinema filming and projection systems (like Super 8), and especially the very large format systems such as Cinerama and IMAX (which I experienced little of growing up down-under in New Zealand, and where there’s only one IMAX cinema in the country and that’s an 8 hour drive from me!) Thank you for your great work, keep it up and I look forward to learning much more from your channel. Ngā mihi, Richard
Ho ho, you're the first person that noticed the sunglasses Richard. They're actually the official T2 replica sunglasses and my wife Susanne made me do the ending again with them on which I thought was a rather good idea.
If that IMAX in New Zealand is a real IMAX theatre (i.e. 70mm/15 sprocket film) then it will be worth a flight or a long drive if they're ever screening 'Interstellar' so that's my recommendation. But I think 'Tenet' and 'Dunkirk' would also be stunners.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Well, it was worth the reshoot, John, because with the replica shades on, I thought for a moment that it was Arnie delivering the closing “I’ll be back.” I will research the Auckland IMAX cinema offering, but any travel and viewing will have to wait for this pandemic to subside. Until then, I’ve got your channel to work my way through! Thanks.
Thanks you very much for your detailed answer!
You really know your stuff - im glad you have such a passion for the movies.
I already follow and can't wait for your next upload :)
Thank you!
You are welcome B.M. John.
The ending of this video is very 😎
Thank you.
They are actually the official Terminator 2 glasses Cheekster... but I don't think anyone ever realized that. I've had them more than 30 years now and they still get a lot of use. Actually, they've had more use than ever this past summer.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 - Oh… *WOW!* Even more 😎
Terminator 2 is my favourite movie of all-time, watched it 19 times at the cinema including 70mm blowup at Odeon, Marble Arch and the 3D re-release in 4K in 2017. The Pioneer Special Edition Boxset on Laser Disc was the favourite in my collection back in the day. Wish I had hung onto it but sadly sold my player and all of my discs shortly after DVD was launched.
@@cheekster777 I'm still a LaserDisc fan and might be able to get hold of a later Pioneer player to use in the home cinema as I have the original player hooked up to the telly. Haven't been using it enough lately though as I just don't get the time due to always editing something. I can recall the 70mm blow-up at the Leicester Square Odeon because the opening future war sequence made such an impression on me. I can remember sitting there amazed at the image quality and then leaning over to say something in my wife's ear when that sequence had finished. I said I hope that if nothing else, that extract got issued on Super 8. Well, that wish more than came true.
John.
Terminator 2 Judgment Day is my all time fave action film, purely the best.
One of mine too. But I prefer The Terminator because the story is so damned good and Michael Biehn is the secret ingredient that makes it all hang together. Robert Patrick was perfect in his role in T2 but that was completely different. John.
I had that PAL laserdisc of Terminator 2, it must have been my most played disc. I miss laserdisc but buying em could be very expensive. I bought A Clockwork Orange on NTSC laser it cost me £55 from Movie Boulevard in Leeds. It was in the days when you couldn't get the film in this country. It was a great disc, it's one of the lasers I wish I'd kept for old times sake. I got rid of my laserdisc player years ago, a Pioneer CLD 2950, and all my laserdiscs except the Criterion of Halloween and the Japanese disc of The Evil Dead. I previously seen A Clockwork Orange on a VHS tape with Dutch (I think) subtitles so the laserdisc was a big leap in quality.
I still have a soft spot for laser disc but haven't run any all the way through for months now. I will get back into them though. Most expensive I ever shelled out for was the NTSC of Gettysburg which I think was £80 but the image quality of that is sadly very poor. The cost of laser disc paled in comparison to Super 8 of course with features costing an average £300 at that time. They were - and still are - something very special though. At the time Super 8 was the only option for genuine home cinema and the best prints still stand up to scrutiny today.
Most CGI is done in 2k due to cost and the extra time 4k takes to process. That's my understanding. Also the added cost to the 4k process.
I understand many studios thought they just copy the film to a 4k disc and that it.
Very wrong in this think ing .The Last Jedi Bluray was not improved in the process due to money issues and the controversy of the film.
Good Video. 😎.
Agreed Stephen. The whole lower resolution special effects problem is causing issues with so many films and that is why image quality in cinemas is largely not what it once was in the days of film. Video cameras and projection are much better now but a 2K video on a huge screen often doesn't cut it.
John.
love your reviews but you don't seem to do many, how about a few more , i would like to see your full collection of movies .
Thank you Thomas. I will be doing some more soon but right now I'm fully tied up with a disc release which has got to be out and on sale early next month. Stay tuned though because I'm getting the 4K vs. 2K video plans sorted despite being fully occupied with other things. I should really take a fresh look at Terminator Dark Fate to see if I can get the quality of the 4K up to surpass the Blu-ray before I get stuck in. The colour should be superior given the HDR so I'll take another look.
Wow you have the original virgin video release of terminator. I remember buying it from my local video store. I do believe it was the first actual video to buy over the counter
Got it from Tower Records on Piccadilly Circus in 1988 if I remember correctly. My soon to be wife at the time (who has put up with me all these years and thankfully has grown to love movies and home cinema) had not seen The Terminator so I put that right immediately. She loved it and still does. That's why we got a copy on Super 8 as soon as it was out a few years later.
John.
Just bought a 4k copy of this and it is the first 4k I've bought where I had to mess with the settings it was to dark. Wich is why I'm watching your review and you say the same thing. Glad it's not just me.
I expect it was how the movie looked in many cinemas Jonathan. DUNE is another one that suffered similarly and my review of that one just over two years ago generated a very healthy debate all about the dark sequences that confirmed all our systems vary and it turned out that cinemas have variable results too.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 you should make a video about your terminator collection. Mines quite robust. I even have a full size skull replica.
@@jreal5 I'm not sure I've got very much Jonathan. What I have I probably showed in this video. John.
I discovered your channel recently and I very much appreciate your passion and expertise. Would you consider doing a review of T2 in 4k ? Cheers from Bordeaux.
Nice to have you here Philippe. I may do a T2 4K review one day but it will mean finding a cheap or free copy as I know the film off by heart having owned it on Super 8 since shortly after its theatrical release. The Super 8 print is a beauty so if I ever get another copy on video I'll only ever look at it the once. I know that many people claim that the video editors/authors of the 4K master applied digital noise reduction so it will be interesting to see if they've got it right. I believe it was a Super 35 shoot so it could be that people were expecting the superior quality of anamorphic, full frame 35mm but as neither the 70mm, 35mm, Super 8 or LaserDisc had poor quality issues they're probably right. Top Gun was Super 35 and look how good the 4K release of that turned out.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hi John. Thank you for your answer. Your positive comments on the Zulu blu-ray convinced me to get myself a copy. I had to purchase a UK edition because the film is only available on dvd here in France. What a shame for such a brilliant film that deserves the best image possible. I also pre-ordered a french BR re-release of "The fall of the roman empire", one of my all time favorite epics. That should look nice too.😉
@@philippehenaud5906 The Fall of the Roman Empire is probably the best image quality ever to be seen on the Super 8 gauge. The later prints weren't as good but the first run prints were 16mm on an image area only 6mm wide. Amazing. But the point is that it should look spectacular on Blu-ray for the same reason and that is its 65mm origin much the same as Zulu's Super Technirama origin.
John.
I'm a fan of the Terminator movie's but i wished they stayed with the violence just like the first terminator movie but i still watched the last 5 movie's at the cinema and i also bought them all but i wish they would keep all of the bonus content on dvd and put it with the blu-ray because there is hour's of bonus content on the T1 ultimate edition 2 disc and T2 ultimate edition 2 disc dvd's, great review.
The first film is the best, no question about it as far as I'm concerned. I do enjoy them all though, apart from Genesys I think but that's largely because Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton were so perfect in the roles in the first film I cannot imagine anyone ever being able to match them. The two in this certainly didn't anyway. John.
Great review Ive not seen this on 4k though I agree with you in some instances some of the blu rays look a little brighter and clearer. I am intrigued to know your comparrison of 'Unforgiven' on 4k, this was one of those films that made me mess around with the settings, although the 4k was supervised by Clint Eastwood himself and he wanted an intentional darker look, I thought the opening was unwatchable on 4k. Alot of this film is lit by candles and wall lamps only so the blu ray was the better looking to my eyes.. it may not be accurate but at least I could make out what the hell was going on.
I don't have Unforgiven on 4K Ethan but I have found exactly the same thing with a couple of 4K releases, most notably this Terminator Dark Fate release. But I do understand Mr. Eastwood's desire for a darker tone to the image because it was designed that way and he probably felt the Blu-ray was overbright. A lot of releases do seem to have been overbright through the years compared to Super 8 equivalent releases but that's how the domestic market tends to prefer them.
I had the same experince with this title in 4k.
I’m guessing they were special 3D glasses at the end!
I suppose they are rather special in that they're official reproduction Terminator 2: Judgment Day sunglasses from 1991.
@@moviecollector5920 Really? That’s brilliant. Nice one.
I love Dark Fate, I find it quite underrated but its a solid sequel to T2. I’m happy if the franchise ends here.
I also really enjoy Salvation, which I consider the prequel to 1,2 and dark fate.
Yep, I agree with all that. But there don't seem to be many of us who fully appreciate Dark Fate for what it is. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah I don’t get the hate. It’s all politicaly motivated because people claim the movie is ‘woke’. Anyways its great!
Great review as always. I was wondering what you had resting on top of the laserdisc? Is that an LP or something else? It doesn't look like any LD cover I've seen of "The Terminator" before. I could be mistaken. I like the fact that you have such a huge collection of super8 films. I only have a handful of those, but would love to find some more - even though they very rarely seem available to purchase. Keep those reviews coming!
That's the soundtrack album and you're the first person to ask about it Mark. With regards to Super 8 take a look for Classic Home Cinema. I think I've got them on the Super 8 Links page of www.bfcc.biz but they are still releasing a few new titles. Very expensive now of course but they also have a massive second hand list.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thank for the amazing links, John. There are several Super 8 titles I'd love to get hold of. What a catch with that Terminator soundtrack! Mark
@@markhollier4087 I purchased that Terminator LP for my wife in 1992 I think. She hadn't seen the film when we got together a few years before so I soon put that right and it's been one of her favourite films ever since.
@@moviecollector5920 Your wife has excellent taste.
@@markhollier4087 Questionable... she did marry me after all!!!
Ive heard 2 separate rumours of the T2 4k being a full remastered version or just a upscaled version of the Blu-Ray. I sincerely hope they do a full remaster as it could be a benchmark 4K
I've not seen the 4K of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. I know it has had criticism about using digital noise reduction but if it didn't transfer well then that was perhaps an attempt to rescue the situation. It looks fabulous on film and it looked very good on LaserDisc so I can't think why it wouldn't have crossed over to UHD so well. The original shoot was Super 35 so not the most ideal format but this would have been due to the computer animation to be added to it which apparently is easier if anamorphic lenses haven't been used. However, it does mean far less of the 35mm frame has been utilized which immediately means a reduction in image quality. The 70mm blow-up print I saw at the Odeon looked fabulous though... but that's film and it simply works.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Apparently the T2 4k to quote Films at Home is barely noticeable compared to the Blu-ray, but I heard they was about to do a total remaster of it in December for the 30th anniversary Ed but again Ive heard its the old 4k with added merch. Ill wait till December n see the reviews but if its pants then Ill be hugely disappointed
@@C4rL72 It's a shame there aren't more Super 8 prints around because it looks fabulous blown up as big as possible on Super 8. I used to run the sound in synch with the laser disc which made it even better. Must get back to using my ten foot wide roll down screen again for Super 8 prints like that.
To be fair to Jeff at Films At Home there are a lot of 4K discs that are almost indistinguishable from the Blu-ray. If it weren't for HDR there would be no point in 4K for our tiny home screens.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah I see that HDR as a gimmick towards an audience who walks into Currys/Comet and see the big TVs in demo mode and think its amazing , however I really want to see that leap from blu-ray to 4k almost the same from dvd to blu-ray, same transfers have matched that and others just appear to be lazy transfers. The nostalgia in me needs to see the great films take that huge leap, shawshank, shining, alien and Star wars. if that can happen then why the mediocre effort for other films such as T2, great work tho mate, regards Carl
@@C4rL72 I expect the film grain was a bit too coarse than the makers would have liked on the T2 transfer so someone tried some noise remover on it and the result is the natural, realistic look of the film was lost. But I haven't seen it so I don't know. But that is the basic summary of why some 4K transfers look better than others and it is pretty much all down to the original shoot and the format and film stock it was shot on. A film shot today on Super Panavision 65 is going to knock spots off anything other than 15/70 IMAX and that is why Murder on the Orient Express and Tenet are two of the best - if not the best - 4K discs available. Jaws is quite exceptional for a 35mm film but that is perhaps because it was transferred at 6K to get every last detail out of every single frame. Apocalypse Now was only transferred at 4K and from the interpositive as the negative for the original version of the film no longer exists but it is up there with Jaws as probably the two best 35mm transfers so far.
Hasta la vista, baby!
Keep up the great work.
No problemo!
Of course the whole premise of travelling back in time to change the future lends itself to negating past films in this series, so no problem there for me. I have the trailers for the first 2 on Super 8 and the chase sequence from T2. However on some DVD forums they criticised the 5.1 remix of The Terminator for using new effects recordings (gunfire etc) that they thought sounded different to the original. AT the time of its cinema release I knew a computer programmer who identified the chip used from the on-screen code shown and said it was a cheap 8 bit device. How a little knowledge can spoil a film for some people!!
I don't think I've ever seen Terminator 2 on video Brian. But I have run the 200ft Chase extract in synch with the DVD quite a lot over the years. I think we even did that at the BFCC but maybe I'm getting confused with the first time I put the HTI GS1200 on all those years ago and that extract was the first item in the show. That made quite an impact. But would I care if a few sound effects had been changed? I doubt it. I probably wouldn't even notice. I can understand that some people get a bit hot under the collar about this sort of thing though because I don't ever want to see any re-hash of Star Wars ever again. I don't have to but others who love the film don't have that choice.
John.
Just ordered The Terminator 1984 on 4K
The Terminator was always a great looking film so it should be a good 'un. I purchased a copy on Monday but won't be looking at it until I can get together with Simon again for another 35mm vs. 4K. John.
hi mate great video
last night i watched the first terminator movie standard blu ray
today i was looking for The Terminator on 4k blu ray on youtube but no luck
it would be awsome if they did the terminator on 4k and the rise of the machines
I've only seen a clip of The Terminator on Blu-ray and that looked fabulous. It is a fabulous looking film though so that's why the home movies all look so good. Nothing will ever beat having it on Super 8 though... although I do have a friend who has a 35mm print. That just might top it. John.
@@moviecollector5920 hey mate so happy i got another blu ray of The Terminator from HMV store and its much better quality than the first version i bought on blu ray way back when and the cover was terminator face with slip case
I agree with u. The last best terminator movie was salvation 👍
It was a rather good film. I don't really understand why others dislike it so much. John.
love this review! i also enjoyed dark fate a lot. your enthusiasm for home projection has me interested as being in my 20's, I can't recall very clearly having seen many films projected non-digitally. im wondering now if the "magic" of projected film comes from its dynamic range, as by comparison celluloid film as a shooting format also has significantly more dynamic range than even the best digital cameras.
Video cameras and projectors are much better now Raptor but the technology was foisted on us long before it was ready. I was in central London and so most weeks the premiere theatres on Leicester Square were frequented where the best film prints were shown. It was a wonderful period for movies. Then all of a sudden following the Star Wars Attack of the Clones debacle (worst image quality I ever saw in a cinema) cinemas were being forced to take poor quality video projection. The Empire Leicester Square was no longer the exciting place it had been as the most awful images were suddenly being projected causing great and good films to look dour and lifeless. But if you can get to a genuine IMAX cinema that is still showing genuine IMAX 70mm/15 sprocket film you can see for yourself how superior film can be. Also, later this year find a cinema screening Death on the Nile in 70mm (5 sprocket) and if that's as good to look at as Murder on the Orient Express you'll be transported back to film's golden era.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 thanks for your insight! now that i think about it i was able to see a 70mm print of 2001 a couple years ago so that theater will probably have more similar presentations including possibly Death on the Nile.
T2 is my favourite movie of all time, and glad to see you enjoyed it too. Its effects were groundbreaking and like the Matrix since, these special effects have been used to death. I really enjoyed Dark Fate, as well as T3 and loved Salvation. I do feel that Genysis failed on the part that it was badly cast. Replacing Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor with Emilia Clarke was a step down in my opinion, and I dont just mean in height difference. If you look at the training Linda Hamilton done for the role as Sarah and how she looked conpared to Emilia Clarke it was like night and day. There was also an age difference which also showed. But at the end of the day we've had nearly 25 years of enjoying T2 and then had someone try and copy it, fans were never going to be happy no matter what.
I suspect the makers of Genysis thought that getting Arnie back into the role would be enough of a draw and the rest of it was thought about after he'd been cast. I watched that one a second time and liked it even less but there are some good sequences even if it's not enough to make it a good film. By contrast, I thought Dark Fate was pretty terrific. I suppose I've liked them all apart from Genysis but I put Dark Fate in the number 3 spot.
John.
Great show as always. I'm hoping for a 4k uhd release of terminator and terminator 3 . Did you know salvation has a 4k release now.
I did know about the Salvation 4K release. That should look a lot better than Dark Fate as it was shot on film but the Blu-ray isn't brilliant so it would be interesting to learn what other real enthusiasts think of the 4K compared to the 2K. You're nominated Bilko!!!
@@moviecollector5920 ha ha I will be totally honest. I have dark fate on 4k but watched it yet. As for salvation I thought look fantastic. Very dark though. I did put brightness up a tad. No atmos mix though.
The Terminator franchise, it's a mixed bag John, I remember watching T2 on the big screen in '91, it's definitely the greatest sequel of all-time, revisited it in 3D on the big screen in 2017, hated the new colourization and some of the effects were changed, if it ain't broke don't fix it, Terminator Salvation is probably the best film since T2 in my opinion, as much as T2 broke the mold The Terminator 1984 set the bar.
The Terminator is a masterpiece, there's no question of that in my mind. T2 is a great sequel and I'm not too far from your thinking there James because I think it may be the second best sequel of all time. I rate Aliens as the best. As for turning T2 into a 3D movie, there is just no way I would ever look at it. I know what they're trying to achieve with all these faux 3D conversions and if it brings the films to a new generation of youngsters who then like it enough to seek out the original films then that's mission accomplished. But to me films such as T2 are works of art and modifying them is like going in and 'improving' Rembrandt's 'The Nightwatch'. My opinion of all the other Terminator sequels is that 'Dark Fate' is the best but I do like 'Salvation'. The only one I really haven't liked much is the attempt at a reboot which was 'Genysis' or however it was spelled. It started well but quickly disintegrated. It did have some good sequences though so it wasn't all bad.
John.
Hello John, I have a burning question I need to ask and this is the only platform I can find you! ........I have seen T2 (and a couple of other blockbusters from the same era, like True Lies and Gladiator) on television where the original music score appears to have been stripped away to be replaced by something entirely different and generic. If it hadn't happened more than once I would swear I was going mad or dreaming it, but although rare this has happened a few times. Is this something you have ever heard of? I can't recall what TV channel I watched these on, but it was probably not the big 5. I seem to recall it was a midday showing on a distant digital channel. Would it be a case of losing rights to play the music in certain countries, or someone saving money from performing music rights? That's the only explanations I can think of, but really it doesn't sound likely on an old movie that's been played to death for 30 years. I have asked on other forums if anyone else has noticed this kind of thing but people think I am losing my marbles! It was very noticeable to me, it made me realise what a HUGE part of a movie the score i; like T2 without those 5 seismic drum beats, or the wailing grief stricken female chants in Gladiator. If this is something you have come across I'd love to know how it happens.
There were usually different versions of films for different markets so it's possible a particular television station has screened an alternative edit of a film for whatever reason. For example, I have an airline print of Lethal Weapon and I think it's better than the theatrical version simply because all the bad language has been overdubbed so different words are used instead of profanity and most of them are actually really funny and clever. I haven't noticed alternative music on anything but I wouldn't rule it out.
John.
I miss my T2 laserdisc 😢
LaserDiscs were worth keeping if only for the covers Henrik. But T2 is a great transfer.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Very true. I had a hundred or so laserdiscs, but had to sell them all when I moved on to dvd. My apartment at the time was just too small. My biggest issue with physical media is the need of space... And the laserdiscs were HEAVY as well. I had to reinforce the shelf I kept my collection in, it was actually about to break.
@@HenrikWilhelmsson I have similar problems. 35mm in particular is not easy to find space for so I've had to strictly limit my intake of features on that gauge.
John.
My mixed review of
Terminator Dark Fate
Saw this in IMAX and as always it's a great treat even for less good movies. Terminator 6 is a very mixed bag. The action is pretty good, the SFX aren't really the best, but better than what was shown in the trailer. The story is pretty much copy and paste from the first two movies, and there are certain twists to them but aren't really impactful and not that exciting. The best thing about this movie is the central performances from Linda Hamilton, McKenzie Davis and Natalia Reyes. Hamilton is sassy as ever and at the same time brings gruff gravitas and it is a pleasure to see her coming back as Sarah Connor. Another one coming back is of course Arnold Schwarzenegger as an older Terminator with a dark past, he shows he is a better actor than some give him credit for. Gabriel Luna is the newest threat as a so called Rev-9, a two for one Terminator with an Endo Skeleton and a liquid counterpart. He is a fine addition, but no Robert Patrick. I hope this is the swansong of this franchise, though I suspect there is more to come. If there are more I am wary of the rehash this movie already represents. ××1/2/×××××. (Written at time of release)
I think that's a really good summary Jonas. It was a 2K film though so I can well imagine how awful it looked on an IMAX screen. Having said that, was it a genuine IMAX theatre of a re-worked normal cinema with a slightly higher screen? That probably would have looked okay because video has come a long way since they foisted the original video projectors on us in cinemas. At that point I quickly lost interest and ever since I've been careful to ensure that my few trips to the cinema have been to see real films with only a couple of exceptions. I saw Gravity in 3D at the Waterloo IMAX and the image quality was terrible but still a hugely enjoyable video to watch despite that. It's better at home in 2D though. John.
It is a genuine IMAX theater and the only one close enough that I can visit. Meanwhile it is not the biggest IMAX salon in the world, but it isn't too bad and quality of picture and audio are top notch. I never saw Gravity in IMAX, but is a very good film.
I went to see the James Cameron remastered T2 in the cinema a few years ago. The one where they fixed some of the bloopers and sfx. It ought to look good on UHD 4K Blu-ray. I’m not clear on whether it’s actually available though.
Zavvi claims theirs is the remastered version on 4K Blu-ray. Not sure.
Apparently other video collectors have claimed excessive digital noise reduction has been applied to the 4K of T2: Judgment Day but I haven't seen it to comment. It's possible that they are mistaken because the 70mm blow-up I saw at the Odeon Leicester Square was almost perfect and so there wasn't much in the way of film grain. Mass-produced 35mm prints were not so good so it could be confusion. But it is a shame that the film makers felt the need to eliminate a few of the things they consider flaws because I think we tend to accept that they couldn't realistically expect Arnie to do the motorcycle jump into the flood canal and so it's obvious it's his stunt man (Peter Kent if I remember correctly) so we don't mind that we can tell it's not really the big man on that motorbike. Fortunately the Super 8 prints are the original film and that is as good as it needs to look in the home. Sadly those prints are no longer available and if one were to come up for sale it would probably cost four figures now.
John.
I'm pretty sure Zavvi are selling the same disc as everyone else. Probably just a marketing ploy to make you thing they've got something extra special.
@@moviecollector5920 Looks like it. Hopefully he’ll remaster the rest of the movies and put them all out in a box set.
@@moviecollector5920 I’m still seeing a lot of whining about the Terminator 2 Ultra HD Blu-ray transfer. I’d be really interested in your opinion if you get the chance. I think it’s a lot of nonsense from people who don’t understand film. How could Cameron really get it so wrong? I don’t think it’s possible. If he scanned a 70mm original negative maybe there was hardly any grain?
Does the digital version code included on the 4K disc come with the director’s commentary and extra deleted scenes and featurettes that were omitted on the 4K disc and bluray?
I'm sorry to say that I don't know. I've never used a digital code for any film so I'd not actually thought about it. My assumption was that you just get the basic film with a code as anything else would add to the file size and be a little difficult to program. But I may well be wrong.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the reply. Apparently, it is only a few selected digital vendors that have these special features like itunes but there is no detailed information anywhere. Since Dark Fate came out 1 year ago today and no one knows where to get clear info on the omitted content that is only exclusive to digital, I suggest making a video about this today if you can.
@@gaips A director's commentary for Dark Fate should be very interesting. Many people claim not to like this film but I thought it was pretty terrific. I'll have to take another look at the disc and see what's what before investigating where the additional [missing] content is available.
Don't worry.. the movie isn't worth watching anyway.
Ha i have that Virgin VHS of the 1st film. one of the 1st videos i ever had and i was definitely younger than 18. Think i wore it out.
Have to admit never had the super 8 though.
Love all of the films except for Genisys. Am a big fan of Dark Fate actually. I think it was unfairly reviewed and overall i think it stands up very well. Hamilton in particular is excellent. I have the Bluray not the 4K and by sounds of it dont need to upgrade after all.
Nope, the Blu-ray was just as good as, if not better, than the 4K in here. I've done a lot of tinkering since this review so the 4K may just have the edge now but it will still be close. Like you, I like all the Terminator films except Genisys which I thought was pretty awful and even worse the second time around.
Looks like you'll have to track down Super 8 prints of the first two films then!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 HA LOL, yes indeed!
What a channel this is.....very informative...just stumbled across your channel and recommend to any movie buffs..... Should check out the original terminator remastered on Blu Ray.....you won't be disappointed...
Thank you for that Roy. I have seen a couple of clips of the Blu-ray Roy and I can see what you mean. Fantastic! But we do own a print of the original Terminator on Super 8 so not only do I know the script off by heart by now but I can't see that we'll ever replace such a perfect Super 8 film print with any video version. There's just a magic to having a favourite film on film and enjoying the je ne sais quoi that goes with it every time we run it. A perfect film? Quite possibly. And I think 'Dark Fate' is a darned good sequel too but not many people seem to agree with me. Right now I'm working on a classic car disc release but I do want to get back to a couple of RUclips film videos asap... I have a Phantasm 1 to 5 retrospective coming as that original Phantasm was another part of my growing up, similar to Terminator but a little earlier.
@@moviecollector5920 looking forward to future vids.....
Terminator needs to go back to its low budget roots. Make it like an Outer Limits episode set at night on the rain soaked streets of LA.
Or alternatively perhaps just run the original film again. T2 was fantastic but there's nothing like that original film. Dark Fate was a good sequel but that's what it is, a sequel. Given the constraints I thought it was very good and I actually can't wait to run it again but I'll try to hold off for a few years.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 problem is in Dark Fate killing off John Connor at the beginning of the film is just like Alien 3 it makes all of T2 redundant. This is something Cameron was against but he did it anyway.
@@moviecollector5920 also there is also a problem of redundancy. If you kill John Connor then there's automatically a new John Connor replacement in this case a female John Connor what's the point of the Terminators anyway? Its just an endless cycle. Again no stakes and no point.
@@purefoldnz3070 I felt that was acceptable because thirty years has passed. With Alien 3 it was a step too far because we were expecting to see the continuing adventures of the characters who struggled to survive the events in Aliens and it was only six years after that great sequel. If Dark Fate had have appeared six years after T2 then I'd have felt the same as you and I'd have been lost right at the beginning.
@@purefoldnz3070 That's been a problem since T2. But let's face it, you have to suspend belief when you watch fantasy films like these and just enjoy the nonsense that's being served up so expertly well.
Do you experience any rainbow effect on the Optoma? I hear they’re better these days. I saw it years ago on a DLP projector and went LCD.
Yes, and if you're coming from a previous LCD video projector you will think something is wrong to start with but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it and my brain almost completely filters it out now unless I deliberately go looking for it. The only way to completely eliminate the DLP rainbow effect is to get a hybrid D-ILA projector or a 3xDLP projector. And they cost big money by comparison so I think I'll stick with the el cheapo single DLP!
@@moviecollector5920 Ah;). Cool. I was hoping genuine 4K LCD projectors would be much cheaper by now but you still have to spend £5k for one:(.
@@jim_herd LCD is preferable but they are susceptible to dust getting onto the three LCD elements and once it's on there, that's it without sending it away. But it always returns with more dust sometime down the line. With DLP you will only see the rainbow effect when your eyes move across the screen and there is a light area in among dark sections of the image. Happens particularly with straight white lines (e.g. titles) on black backgrounds. You'll get used to it quickly.
@@moviecollector5920 Actually, yes, I did get some dust in mine. Only really noticeable on a white screen. Think I’ll get an OLED TV when I’ve got the money. A TV is best for HDR I think. I’d be interested to know how the scenes you talk about look on a good OLED.
@@jim_herd I don't watch films on a television at all any longer. Television screens were always a necessary evil in order to keep up with every film I wanted to see but now that home video projection is so good there is no need and so I don't. Actually, I don't like a lot of the fake looking imagery on a lot of the over enhanced televisions these days but then I suppose I set up all my equipment to resemble film as closely as possible so it's not likely that I would like them. I do sometimes check titles I review on my own television but only if something does not appear quite right when projected.
Is the original Terminator movie available on 4K yet? Its one of my favourite sci-fi movies. I dont really care about the sequels, specially Dark Fate. The sequels were mainstream audience action movies which isnt really my thing.
Terminator is the best , no doubt about that. Not a 4K as far as I know but it's bound to come eventually.
@@moviecollector5920
Yeah, hope so. It is a fantastic sci fi movie.
I'd guess 2 years. For the 40th anniversary.
@@tdegrddeehjgd
👍🏻 Yes, maybe. Be good if they included the mono sound option too.
I will be back he says.... But yes its is a shame that so many modern movies were mastered in 2K and now upscaled to 4K. One older movie I thought had excellent image quality was the 5th element.
The Fifth Element was shot on film Andreas - apart from the special effects done on a computer of course - and that is why it looks so good. Best 4K I've seen so far is 'Murder on the Orient Express' which was shot with 65mm and released as 70mm prints. The follow-up 'Death on the Nile' has been done the same way so if you can find a cinema screening a 70mm print later this year then it should be fabulous cinema outing.
When this 2K video projection nonsense was first brought into cinema in the early 2000s it was hearbreaking to see. I'd only ever enjoyed the best premiere prints in the West End of London and now we had this second rate, boring, dead looking video projection. It's improved a lot now but nothing beats a 70mm screening so thank goodness there are still a few cinemas in London with the facilities.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yes, I remember being very impressed with this movie in the cinema. This was in Leicester. I would think they used a 4k projector and not not projected on 70mm. Will get this version. It will be great to see the Death on The Nile. Not only are these beautiful movies, but also great to see something that is refreshingly good and old school.
@@andreasoberg2021 The 1978 'Death on the Nile' is one of my favourite films so it's going to take something to come close to that. But 70mm is certainly going to help.
John.
Awesome trip down memory lane, although The opening scene of Dark Fate killed the movie for me.
That was the reproduction of Edward Furlong's 'John Connor' character being killed by Arnie's Terminator character wasn't it? I'd have felt the same way about it if this film had have followed Terminator 2: Judgment Day by a few years - much like Alien 3 killed my interest in that film with the opening that killed off all the surviving characters from Aliens... apart from Ripley of course. But because so many years have passed since T2 it didn't adversely affect the rest for me.
John.
Considering that Terminator 3 killed off Sarah Connor unceremoniously and instead followed an adult John Connor, I could not criticize Dark Fate for doing the exact opposite. (Furthermore, Sarah was the main character of the first two films, so I'm naturally more attached to her than I am to John.) The short-lived TV series might have an advantage over both films by keeping Sarah and John alive, even if they are recast.
This is definitely the worst Terminator film. I saw it once and never again lol But Im glad u enjoyed it :) I hope the next one will be better and I read that Arnold signed for another Terminator movie. I do wonder if there actually will be another one anytime soon since Dark Fate didn't do well at all.
Whoa, a film we disagree on mirvmn2. I think that's a first.
I actually prefer Genysis to Dark Fate. They at least tried to do something different with that one instead of just telling the same story again.
I think the main reason I didn't like Genysis is because the original film was so damned perfect that I simply cannot accept anyone in the roles other than Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I was a fan of the TV show so the cast change didn’t bother me. Arnie is all you really need.
Everyone needs a hobby and you have a good one, John. And hey, why not do a RUclips channel and talk about your hobby and do reviews. Very enjoyable. I do like DARK FATE, but sorely disappointed they killed off Edward Furlong's character early in the film. He was one of the reasons, along with Linda Hamilton, I was looking forward to seeing their reunion in the movie franchise. While filming THE SHINING, Stanley Kubrick told Stephen King that he wanted to kill off the whole family. Stephen King told him, if you do that they (the audience) will hate you, so Mr. Kubrick opted not to do that and I am so glad. In the sequel to that film there is a sequence where a twelve year old is tortured and murdered and his screams are forever embedded in my mind and I NEVER want to watch it again. Some films go too far. I mean, I do give kudos to the young actor for his realistic performance but there are films that I never want to see again due to their ultra realism in violence and death. Edward Furlong's character was such a young hero and to have him disposed of was a bit of a disappointment.
Think of the reason for that early killing off of Edward Furlong as John Connor though Daniel. It had to be done otherwise a 2 hour film would have taken 20 years to complete. Just that opening sequence probably took months because it was a computer recreation of Edward Furlong as he was almost 30 years earlier. There was no way to include him all the way through. It was brilliant to see him again and looking so real. It's not often computer animators are able to pull off something like that so well. Now that I've said that, I'll probably look at it again and think how awful it looks!
I thought Doctor Sleep was the best possible sequel to The Shining we could ever have wished for.
John.
good review.... sadly, the movie sucked. this franchise has a dark fate, ha ha. i am a film lover, more ways than one, but honestly, i was shocked when i found myself napping for about 6-8 minutes in the theater!
A lot of people have said the same but I loved it. There are a few who seem to have enjoyed as much as I so maybe we're all seeing different things for and against. If it had have come out shortly after T2 I don't think I'd have felt the same about it as I do but time was on its side as far as I'm concerned.
John.
Thank you. This is the worst 'Terminator' movie you could possibly imagine. I saw it for free and couldn't be bothered to pay attention more than half way. What a total pile of crap.
I disagree the beginning of Dark Fake makes Sarah Connor a failure, and the rest is horrendous afterwords (let's not even get started on how they changed the Terminator into an interior decorator in a sexless marriage...)
Give it another watch sometime and see what you think because I too would have thought along the same lines if this film had have appeared after the second film. Somehow the intervening years made it alright to kill off John Connor right at the start. Alien 3 was a failure right from the beginning for doing the same thing but perhaps even that would have fared better if there had been a 30 year gap between movies.
John.
Terminator Dark Fare doesn't need 4K Ultra HD Blu ray release it won't sell well😂
I think it already did Robert. But it's just as good on Blu-ray so if you have the Blu-ray then there's no reason to purchase a second copy on 4K.
John.
The 4th Terminator is the one that I consider not belonging to the T series . the color palette was the typical washed out green armageddon look adopted by so many filmmakers during the period from the years 2000 to around 2010....... horrible
Understand that - it did look different. But get past that and it's actually rather good... or at least, I think it is.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 oddly enough, you put down the T5 Genysis. i enjoyed the picture quality, and the return of Arnie was magic !
@@milovacc1195 I love the orignal film Milo and in particular Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton - besides the timeless portrayal by Mr. Schwarzenegger of course. To re-make it with very different actor and actress really didn't work for me and I lost interest increasingly as the film went on. Maybe next time I take a look I'll change my opinion. Sorry I didn't say much about Genisys - I didn't really know what to say without being even more negative than I appeared. i've enjoyed every other Terminator film though and I don't think I can say that of any other series of films except Phantasm.
John.
Dark Fate is just terrible sadly. Really hated the story. T800 talking about drapes 🤦🏻♂️
I found that really amusing. Thought the film was pretty terrific too. Just as well we're all different. John.