Though not a patch on James Cameron’s first two brilliant instalments, McG’s fourth helping of Judgment Day goodness goes all out on balls-to-wall action, and Terminator Salvation makes its very noisy debut in hi-def thanks to Sony’s explosive Blu-ray. Warning: Ears may bleed.
The year is 2018, and Judgment Day has turned the Earth into a barren, post-apocalyptic landscape where pockets of human resistance fighters continue to battle Skynet’s machines. John Connor, leader of the resistance, is intent on bringing down Skynet and its newest model, the T-800, though a stranger from the past (Worthington) arrives on the scene to throw a surprise spanner in the works.
Though McG was perhaps the wrong person to deliver the hotly anticipated fourth instalment of the Terminator franchise (let’s face it, anyone apart from James Cameron is probably the wrong choice), Salvation contains a fair few nifty nods to the earlier movies, and adds its own touches of intrigue to the Terminator mythology. It’s not a perfect Terminator movie, but it does have style, and it does kick all kinds of ass on Blu-ray.
The picture, devoid of much colour and given a grey-ish, apocalyptic-style finish, looks terrifically sharp and slick. The exceptional detail is apparent from the start, with close-ups revealing every drop of sweat and minor cuts on the actors’ faces, while the war-torn locales of the deserts and underground facilities boast fine textures and depth.
Even more impressive than the pristine visuals is the thunderous soundtrack in Earth-shattering 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Certainly, the only way to really experience such a boisterous fireworks display of a movie away from the big screen is on Blu-ray, and with the aid of some big ass speakers. Salvation is a movie that doesn’t understand the word ‘subtle’, and so at every turn there is an action scene waiting to fill the room with a deep, heavy bass and special effects that put you deep in the thick of the action. The sounds of gunfire, helicopter blades, explosions and speeding vehicles all contribute to a truly dazzling surround sound experience, while the rare quieter moments provide some clear dialogue and effectively atmospheric background effects.
The extras include your usual mixed bag of on-set featurettes and behind the scenes footage, though the main attraction here is the superb ‘Maximum Movie Mode’ interactive feature. As previously demonstrated on the Watchmen Blu-ray, the ‘Maximum Movie Mode’ provides an in-depth and multifaceted onslaught of info thanks to commentary from the director and numerous behind-the-scenes snippets, storyboard comparisons and trivia pop-ups, providing a fresh and exciting probe into all aspects of the production.
The Blu-ray also includes the ‘Directors Cut’ of the movie as well as the ‘Theatrical Cut’. Though not dramatically different from the version shown at cinemas, the ‘DC’ weaves in about four minutes of extra footage throughout.
Overall Verdict: The film’s not perfect, but the Blu-ray will blow you away.
Special Features:
Movie IQ
Blu-ray Live
Cinechat
Maximum Movie Mode
‘Re-Forging The Future’ Featurette
‘The Moto-Terminator’ Featurette
‘Focus Points’ Featurettes
Trailers
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths
