In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Lionsgate announced a new Blu-ray steelbook release of the movie, which will feature a new documentary and a 4K restoration of the film which has been overseen by James Cameron himself. Recently, it was revealed that the new release will be available to buy from November 23rd, with the box featuring artwork by Orlando Arocena and Tracie Ching, exclusively available from Best Buy in the U.S. An international version, with different artwork but the same 4K transfer and extras will release worldwide on December 6th.
The official synopsis reads: “James Cameron‘s epic action, sci-fi masterpiece starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his most iconic role, first hit cinema screens in 1991, 30 years later Terminator 2 is still considered one of the greatest action blockbusters of all time. It has been 10 years since the events of Terminator. Sarah Connor’s ordeal is only just beginning as she struggles to protect her son John, the future leader of the human resistance against the machines, from a new Terminator, T1000 sent back in time to eliminate John Connor while he’s still a child. Sarah and John don’t have to face this terrifying threat alone however. The human resistance have managed to send them an ally, a warrior from the future ordered to protect John Connor at any cost. The battle for tomorrow has begun…”
Extras featured in the new release include:
&• T2: Reprogramming The Terminator documentary (including exclusive interviews with James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong and many more) – 55 mins
&• 2 Feature Commentaries; 23 Members of Cast & Crew (1993)/Director James & Co-Author William Wisher
&• The Making of T2 (1993)
&• Seamless Branching Of The Theatrical Version (137 mins approx.)
&• Special Edition Version (154 mins approx.)
&• Extended Special Edition Version (156 mins approx.)
&• 2 Deleted Scenes With Audio Commentary
&• Trailers – T2:3D (2017)
&• T2 Theatrical Trailer ‘This Time There Are Two’/’Same Make New Mission’/’Building The Perfect Arnold
Terminator 2: Judgment Day proved to be one of those rare occasions when a sequel manages to do everything just right and outdo the original movie in pretty much every respect. As well as being arguably the best movie in the Terminator franchise, it is also seen as one of the best movies of the decade and one of the best action movies ever made, being seen on numerous “Top Movie” lists of the last few decades. On its release, the movie was a huge blockbuster hit, and pulled in numerous accolades for its special effects including picking up four Academy Awards from six nominations, including Best Make-Up, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing.
While many directors have attempted to recapture the magic of Terminator 2 through movies like Terminator: Salvation, Terminator: Genisys and the box office bomb Terminator: Dark Fate, nothing has quite been able to live up to James Cameron’s epic blockbuster, and it is doubtful that any future iteration ever will. While Arnie is always up for a return to the franchise, he is not the man he used to be and in trying to accommodate that, the movie always seems to lose what made The Terminator and Terminator 2 special. The story that needed to be told had really been told between those two movies, and no matter how clever new writers and directors attempt to be with the time-traveling theme, they just can’t add anything meaningful to it, even after 30 years.
The Terminator 2: Judgment Day 4K Ultra HD Steelbook will release on November 23 exclusively at Best Buy and will cost $27.99, and a 4K version will be released internationally on December 6th.