Blu-ray Review: Terminator: Salvation (Director’s Cut)

Release Date: December 1st, 2009
Running Time: 117 minutes / 114 minutes

The Film

I can’t remember the world without Terminator–it is that engrained into our pop culture, but after Arnold’s return in Rise of the Machines, rights issues and the man going into politics cast major doubts over the future of the franchise. Would we ever get to see a Terminator film set in the future that the fans have been clamoring for? Thankfully filmmakers realized that John Connor is the star of the franchise’s story, not Arnold’s Terminator model. Of course I recognize that Arnold defined the franchise, but it doesn’t mean it can’t succeed without him in the spotlight. The result is Terminator: Salvation, the first true look at John Connor’s leadership in the war against the machines that also happens to be one of the best summer movie Blu-ray releases.

The film opens in 2003 when the dying Doctor Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter) of Cyberdyne Systems makes a last-minute deal with death row inmate, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), to give his body over to Cyberdyne following his sentence. A text narrative explains that one year later Skynet goes live and eradicates humanity. The story picks up in 2018 where John Connor (Christian Bale), a member of the resistance and prophet figure, leads an attack on a Skynet base but is the only survivor when the entire base is destroyed. Later Marcus digs himself out of the wreckage, confused but very much alive.

John is debriefed at Resistance Headquarters, a nuclear sub, by General Ashdown (Michael Ironside) and learns that the Resistance has discovered a radio frequency that could potentially shut down all of Skynet’s machines and end the war. The Resistance has found a kill list saying everyone on the sub, as well as John Connor and Kyle Reese, will be dead in four days. John is tasked with testing out the radio signal because the Resistance is going to strike Skynet central before the kill list is a reality. John and his wife, Kate (Bryce Dallas Howard), ruminate on the repercussions of his future-father Kyle being killed before reinforcing Resistance morale over radio communication.

Meanwhile Marcus has walked to the ruins of LA and is saved from a Terminator by Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and his young friend, Star (Jadagrace Berry), the Resistance LA branch. Kyle gets Marcus up to speed on the state of the world, and then the trio is attacked while trying to leave LA. A number of humans are captured, including Kyle and Star, and Resistance pilot Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood) is shot down. Marcus locates her, the two bond, and she brings him to meet John. Unfortunately a land mine accident reveals that Marcus is part man, part machine despite fully believing he is human. John orders Marcus disassembled but Blair helps him escape. During the escape Marcus saves John’s life and informs him of Kyle’s capture. John allows Marcus to escape so he can infiltrate Skynet and disable the defenses in order for John to rescue Kyle before General Ashdown has the whole area leveled.

I really do not understand the critical backlash this film received when hitting theaters. The practical effects are awesome and the CGI is integrated to perfection. The Terminator skeletons have never looked so intimidating, and Skynet is more threatening than ever due to its army of robotic monstrosities. I also found the story to be very engaging, especially since the franchise was taking a drastic departure from the previous films. Sure there were moments I could have done without, mostly the Moon Bloodgood subplot, but the entire story barrels along at a breakneck pace. To realize an apocalyptic future that had been hinted at for twenty years is a huge achievement, and everything about the film simply felt like a Terminator movie.

Though the franchise was never award-winning in terms of acting, I thought everyone turned in very appropriate performances. Bale is natural in the role of John Connor and carries the weight of the world in his face. Anton Yelchin is impressive as Kyle Reese, a testament to his talents since the performance is drastically different than his in Star Trek. Worthington works the badass stoicism as well. A certain cameo that you may have heard of also gave me fanboy chills.

I wasn’t particularly excited for Terminator: Salvation last summer, especially considering the scores of amazing films that would follow, but this film got me back into the franchise. I am ready to see Terminator taken to new places in this horrible future that Connor tried to change time and time again but failed. Now what will John Connor do? I’ll be watching to find out.

The set boasts an R-rated Director’s Cut, but honestly I couldn’t tell much difference. There is one scene of partial nudity, a few scenes that play out a little smoother, and maybe some more violence but nothing too brutal. If the rumors of 30+ minutes of excised footage are true then who knows what else was left in the editing room.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 2.40:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. This is not a colorful film. Browns, blacks, and grays dominate the palette, but outside of the gorgeous explosions not much color is called for. Black levels are deep with more than acceptable shadow detail. Fine detail is some of the best on the format. All of the dust, dirt, and degeneration seen in the film are recreated to pinpoint perfection. This immense level of detail also lets you see the various working parts of the Terminators and creates excellent depth in the bombed out locations. I noticed one or two occasions of very minor compression artifacts in the more chaotic moments, but digital errors are really not a problem and the print is pristine.

The audio is offered in an English DTS HD 5.1 master lossless audio track and French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is an aggressive track that is explosive in every scene yet is also consistently balanced. Explosions, gunfire, chase scenes—it’s all here. The surround channels remains constantly active, whether driving home the action or enhancing the scene. Ambience is important as the audio brings the post-apocalyptic world to life just as much as the visuals. The intense bass hits will rumble your spine, and the familiar musical theme has never had so much power behind it. Despite all of the chaotic action on screen, dialogue is always balanced and crisp. In short, this film and Star Trek have two of the sheer loudest mixes I have heard on the format, yet they are both reference quality in their own way.

The Extras

The three-disc set contains the R-rated Director’s Cut, the Theatrical Cut / Bonus Features, and a Digital Copy disc.

Though only offered on the Theatrical Cut, the Maximum Movie Mode is just as much a revelation as it was when it premiered on the Watchmen Blu-ray. The viewing experience is rife with picture-in-picture material, including interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, effects exploration, and more. For certain sequences McG will come on screen in front of two TVs, one showing the film and the other showing behind-the-scenes content for an in-depth discussion of the sequence. Storyboard-to-film comparisons are also offered through picture-in-picture as well as interactive Still Galleries. My favorite feature, however, was a pop-up timeline detailing the Terminator mythology. The only downside to this whole mode is that it doesn’t really touch on the differences found in the Director’s Cut.

“Focus Points” is a collection of two to three minute featurettes covering specific topics that can be viewed within Maximum Movie Mode or through the menu. The self-explanatory pieces include: “Digital Destruction,” “Molten Metal and the Science of Simulation,” “Enlisting the Air Force,” “Building the Gas Station,” “Creating the VLA Attack,” “Hydrobots,” “Exploding Serena’s Lab in Miniature,” “Terminator Factory,” “An Icon Returns,” “Stan Winston Workshop,” and “Napalm Blast.”

If the Maximum Movie Mode is too much for you then a slimmed down documentary is offered called “Reforging the Future” (19 minutes). This piece covers the in-depth task of creating a new, unique Terminator world while living up to fan expectations. The look of the film is dissected through effects, location shoots, props, costumes—pretty much everything. However, if you did sit through Maximum Movie Mode then you won’t find too much new material here.

Lastly, “The Moto-Terminator” is a 9-minute featurette on creating the motorcycle robots featured heavily in the film.

As a list of extra content there may not appear to be too much on this set but that is because it is devoid of promotional, fluff content. Everything here is worth watching which is hard to say for most home video releases.

Final Thoughts

Terminator: Salvation (Director’s Cut) is a thrilling continuation of the franchise that sets the board for many future John Connor stories. Boasting the technical superiority that you would expect from a blockbuster film and loaded with worthwhile extra content, this film is a must-own for serious action buffs.