With TERMINATOR:SALVATION now taking the franchise into the future in theaters, TERMINATOR:2018 reviews director James Cameron's 1991 sequel which just released in the new TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY Skynet Edition exclusively on Blu-ray.  Few films have seen more special edition DVD releases than T2, so is this Skynet Edition truly worth adding to your collection after all these "extreme" and "ultimate" versions and T2's earlier 2006 Blu release?   The answer is yes, since the Skynet Edition is the first to truly exploit the full creative advantage of the high-def Blu-ray format in the 2.0 era of BD players for a rich new TERMINATOR 2 viewing experience.

HASTA LA SEQUEL, BABY T2's legend casts a long shadow in the franchise, all but eclipsing TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, turning once-waitress Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) into a survivalist soldier and psychiatric patient living solely to protect her son John Connor (then-newcomer Eddie Furlong).  Cameron and co-writer William Wisher further confounded expectations by flipping the script on the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) himself, making the T-800 John's protector sent by his future self to defeat the T-1000 (stunningly stoic Robert Patrick) assigned to kill John. Few sequels to a groundbreaking blockbuster have looked and felt so different from their originator, yet remained so consistent in expanding the storyline to new frontiers.  With the lines between good and bad, human and machine so deliberately blurred, Cameron successfully elevated his mythology above the monster-chases-girl formula and put the entire future of humanity at risk.  With the Schwarzenator sent back in time to guard the boy Connor's destiny as the destroyer of Skynet, T2 pulls off the impossible feat of fighting a future apocalyptic war before the bombs ever fall.  That, and Cameron made the world's most lethal robotic executioner into John Connor's cybernetic Big Brother. While ILM's visual effects aren't state-of-the-art like they were in 1991, they hold up remarkably well on Blu-ray's hide no flaws high-def picture.  James Cameron's film is ambitious, epic masterpiece of sci-fi action and suspense.  His sequence-built story keeps the intricate, fate-bending plot marching relentlessly forward (even with the added scenes of the 1993 Special Edition), while amping up the tension and danger with each step.  The complex, time travel mythology literally evolved before fans' eyes in TERMINATOR 2, with Sarah and John seemingly averting Judgment Day's doom once and for all.  But we all know the future is never certain, especially in Hollywood filmmaking where billions of lives take a back seat to millions of dollars at the box office.

THE SKYNET EDITION BECAME AWARE AT 12:01 A.M. ON MAY 19, 2009

Lionsgate definitely makes up for its prior edition of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY with this feature-packed Skynet Edition, which collects all the best of T2 material previously available and combines their collective strengths as only Blu-ray's high-def format can present.

The feature film is Skynet Edition's primary mission, of course, and this collection offers all three versions of TERMINATOR 2: the original Theatrical Release cut at 137 minutes, the Special Edition with added footage running 154 minutes, and the Extended Special Edition at 156 minutes.  What, you only see two versions listed on the BD Main Menu?  Where the stars are in the third slot below the Select Version menu, enter the numerical code 82997 (August 29, 1997 aka Judgment Day) to unlock this Extended Special edition, containing two extra scenes previously released in the Extreme Edition DVD edit, which are now seamlessly branched into the Blu-ray Extended Special version of the film, as they were in the Extreme Edition DVD release.  While the difference between Special and Extended versions is minimal for this reason — roughly two minutes of running time — the Skynet release is the first to offer and combine them on Blu-ray into a third optional and seamless edit.

Speaking of which, viewers may notice that this Skynet Edition is indeed 'self-aware' about which generation Blu-ray player you have: start the disc on a 1.x gen player and after some analysis time, Skynet offers a message that while full menu features remain functional, you cannot access the BD-Live interactive features, which of course only exist for internet-connected 2.x profile players.  This isn't a major setback for enjoying the film at all, but the notification is a nice-if-minor touch adding to the Artificial Intelligence theme.  In short, the film plays fine on a 1.x gen player, with perhaps some split-second delays in menu reaction time — although I have not tested menu speeds on a 2.x player yet to compare.  You just can't take advantage of the BD-Live features available if using a 1.x machine, but you'd be used to that by now anyway.

Meanwhile the Main Menu takes full advantage of Blu-ray technology by offering complete control over multiple film versions, audio effects, playback modes and more:

• Select Version grants access to all three versions of T2 once you enter the secret code above.
  
  
• Browse Timeline provides scene navigation across the selected film version with scene image and timecode data displayed.  This menu also offers the choice to bookmark favorite scenes and access them directly through the Time Markers option.
  
  
• Sensory Control ticks through audio track options including the thunderous DTS-HS Lossless Master Audio 6.1 track, English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX, English Dolby Headphone (5.1 audio sound via 2.0 phones), French 2.0 Surround (added scenes in English-only audio and subtitled) and English TheatreVision Descriptive Narrative Audio for the Blind.  At 48 khHz 16-bit rate, the DTS-HD Master Audio track will test the limits of your sound system, blasting out the film's most dynamic audio moments (hasta la vista, Cyberdyne!) while demonstrating phenomenal control and clarity during the most quiet, subtle moments, such as picking out the internal servo motors in the T-800's arm as John Connor poses the shut-down Terminator's hand during the 'chip surgery' scene.
  
  Also offered are two previously released Commentary Tracks, one a somewhat choppy Production Commentary collection of cast/crew interviews edited to fit the unfolding film, and the far superior Writer/Director Commentary with James Cameron and co-writer William Wisher, who actually sat down and discussed the film while viewing it.  The Production track is solid enough in its scope but beyond the personal insights and recollections of on-set experiences, it definitely lacks the cohesive polish of a traditional commentary track in both subject matter and recording levels.  In contrast, Cameron and Wisher's real-time comments during the film makes for an informative and even entertaining listening experience, adding another layer of appreciation to this very dense movie.  Cameron's enthusiasm to talk about some scenes and making-of moments occasionally step on Wisher's half-made points, but the director never fails to express appreciation for his dedicated cast and crew and applies good humor throughout.  The two make a likeable commentary duo, mirroring the high marks they delivered as a creative team.
  
  Controls for English, Spanish, and French Subtitles are also offered above an interface for viewers who own a D-Box Motion Code theater chair for that in-game sensation, plus a THX system test program.

• Interactive Modes loads up the second arsenal of Blu-exploiting extra material in a clever high-tech guise, which invest added value to this BD release.  This menu is topped by three options for Visual Implants, which are basically picture-in-picture enhancements for the Special Edition only (see image above, right): Trivia Data Overlay delivers text commentary and trivia facts about the film in a window on the bottom-left of the screen, ranging from production challenges to tongue-in-cheek retorts to the unfolding action; followed by the Production Data Overlay, a strictly technical data stream on how the film was made shot-by-shot; and finally Linked Data Modules, a nifty tool which pops up when sidebar video is available relating to the current scene — select this pop-up command and the film halts to play the story-linked video segment, then returns you to the story where you left it.  The thin menubar seen at the top-right corner offers toggle on/off controls for all three of these functions which can be displayed simultaneously, turned off individually on command, or disabled completely — a very handy interactive ability, even though you basically must learn this system by experiment since nothing in the Main Menu or disc insert explains how to use it during playback.  All three of these Visual Implants require careful viewing of the film to keep track as the data gets delivered, and much of it is culled from the previous DVD edition bonus materials and making-of documentaries so it's not new material, but presented in a very cohesive, interactive method of enhanced movie watching rather than a film-or-bonus choice with no connection between the two modes.
  
  The Source Code mode opens a similar sub-window which displays the actual shooting script text (shot descriptions and dialogue) while the film plays above it.  Another die hard fan way to experience the film, but once again it's incorporated into the viewing experience on this Blu-ray release rather than being relegated to simply page-text reading on an inert bonus feature screen.  Similarly, the Schematics option blends the film with original storyboard art of scenes and shots as they unfold on screen, which makes for a very visual journey between filmmaking concept and celluloid reality.  The Query Mode uses on-screen text windows to ask trivia questions about the film with a range of difficulty degrees in the 'game' play — a fun feature for multi-fan viewings where casual chat about the film is paramount to studying it.  Processor Tests likewise inserts games of skill into the viewing experience at sporadic intervals throughout the film in perhaps the least successful feature of this Blu-ray edition, in that there are long waits for not much gameplaying which of course pales in comparison to console-style gaming like the Terminator:Salvation game now available for XBox, PS3 and PCs.
  
  
• Ancillary Data stores archived promotional material for T2 including the Teaser Trailer, 2 Theatrical Trailers, plus the T2 Special Edition and THX Trailer promo clips, all presented in 1080p HD resolution for the first time.  Terminated Data offers the two Deleted Scenes: T-1000's Search in which Robert Patrick does a fingertip sensory sweep of John Connor's room to learn more about his target, and the Future Coda epilogue showing Sarah Connor as an aged grandmother watching adult John Connor play happily with his child at the LA playground, having averted Judgment Day and saved mankind.  As noted previously, these deleted scenes are incorporated into the Extended Special edition through Blu-ray seamless branching, and both come with their own commentary accordingly as added scenes or stand-alone clips.  The final entry, Dyson Protocol List, salutes the talented crew and companies who created the Skynet Edition with Blu-ray disc credits of their own.
  
  
• Skynet Access is the final Main Menu option, giving viewers with a 2.x Blu-ray player access to the online BD-Live features, expected to include exclusive T2 content plus (likely) info and promotions related to TERMINATOR:SALVATION, director McG's future-war reboot of the franchise currently blowing away audiences in theaters.
  

THE SKYNET EDITION WILL DEFINITELY TRY TO REACQUIRE YOU

TERMINATOR:2018 gives TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY Skynet Edition 4 of 5 stars as a solid, feature-packed Blu-ray release which exploits the second generation abilities of the high-definition disc format to recommend its inclusion in movie fans' and Terminator fanatics' home video libraries.  This film has had multiple home entertainment releases going back over fifteen years to VHS and Laserdisc editions, across numerous DVD releases and editions which always promise more of the movie audiences crave.  Credit to Lionsgate for delivering a much more robust Blu-ray effort which justifies the Skynet Edition just three years after the bare bones treatment it got, and indeed the vastly upgraded DTS-HD soundtrack and treasure trove of bonus material approach must-see status. 

This release isn't flawless: for example, the sound levels vary greatly between menu music and effects and the HD content, which will blast you back in your chair if you don't dial down the volume knob in the transition.  The same flaw is apparent when viewing some of the picture-in-picture video extras, which have much lower volume levels than the rest of the film — this should have been an easy fix in resmastering the material for Blu-ray use.  But overall, the TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY Skynet Edition extends the Terminator franchise into the 21st century where it belongs, both technologically for home viewing and thematically in its futurist dramatic frame of reference.  James Cameron's mind-bending tale of destruction and destiny, placing mankind's future on the narrow shoulders of young John Connor, has never looked and sounded better, and this Skynet Edition pulls out all the stops to enhance your TERMINATOR 2 experience better than ever.  Also available in a Limited Edition T2 Complete Six-Disc Collector's Set with a replica T-800 Chrome Endoskeleton including previous Ultimate and Extreme editions of TERMINATOR 2 on DVD to complete your library.