Terminator 2: Hands of Fate

Audio/Video Quality 10: The quality of the 1280x720 mp4 is lovely.

Visual Editing 10: A great job here. ThrowgnCpr has used his/her own personnal taste as to what extended-cut scenes to use or not use and luckily I loved what was kept and didn't miss what was cut. All the editing was nicely done and the many removals of cheesiness were very welcome. The edits themselves are numorous and well executed.

Audio Editing 10: Sensational! The biker bar redub is inspired and worth the 'price' of admission for this fanedit alone. It not only changes our perception of Arnie's character but it changes our perception of his performance. All other audio editing was smooth and slick.

Narrative 9: I've knocked a point off for narrative as while I felt the vast majority of changes were an improvement... I thought that the removal of some of the early Sarah footage portrayed her as a slightly less physically threatening character. In the original it's made pretty clear that anybody who turns their back on Sarah is likely going to visiting the emergency room. In this cut she's just a bit angry until we see her escape. This didn't spoil my experience, as I've seen the official cut a gazillion times and have a well formed idea of who Sarah is. But I wonder about first time viewers?

Enjoyment 10: In all honesty this is probably gonna be the cut I watch in future. The story feels fully fleshed out like in the extended cut but less bloated. I was surprised by quite how much could be done to improve what some might consider a masterpiece already.

September 2, 2009 @ 8:19 pm

Let me preface this review by stating that I am huge Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron and Terminator fan. I have seen T2 dozens of times and have owned about 6 releases of the film over the years (currently 3 – ultimate edition dvd/xtreme edition dvd/skynet edition bluray). This does indeed bias my review because many of my comments are tied to my love of the original film and how ‘I would have done it’ had I been the editor. As always, no disrespect is intended. Only a constructive criticism and review.

!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!

First off, we have a DVD9 release, very nice. this allows for a complete release with all the bells and whistles of a commercial DVD. even without popping the disc in I know this is a cut above the normal fanedit DVD.

Upon start up we are greeted with a slick image of an Owl and the words “A ThrowgnCpr Production” with some nice bass groove. This is nice and adds to the production value IMO. Then Bang! we get launched into a really fantastic menu intro clip in near HD quality followed by the interactive menu typed onscreen in terminator-vision. Amongst the options are more features than some commercial releases: play, chapters, bonus features, etc. each with a sleek motion transition to accompany the action. This is without a doubt the best fanedit menu I have seen all year.

The Main feature:

Technical: As mentioned before Throw chose to use the Ultimate Edition DVD as his source which was his only pitfall. The Ultimate edition released back in 2000 looks poor when compared to newer transfers/releases of the film. The image is blurry at times (on my 40″ 1080p HDTV the white intro credits were very soft and showcased lots of color bleed) and looks less good than what we have seen in other transfers. It isnt what I would call unwatchable, but it looks worse than it should (or could) have. There were also instances of judder noticeable when slow camera pans across stationary objects occurred (see: the intro w/ flames on playground equipment and the fence at Pescadero) These observations aside, the picture was clear and stable throughout and was quite watchable.

The Edits:

Many tiny changes have been made and I felt most were for the best. the addition of “Hands of Fate” where we normally see “Judgment Day” in the credits was masterful, my jaw dropped with jealous zeal when I saw it slam up with seamless integration. I dont know how Throw accomplished this but damned if it isnt beautiful.

Custom credits allowed ‘fanedited by TC’ another seamless integration. The new bad to the bone scene makes me smile because other than the first time I saw the original I have always disliked the silliness of the scene. Throw's reconstruction of the scene from the ground up is really something special even if it adds nothing to the narrative besides concealing the t-800′s allegiance this time around. I did feel that the sound effects/dialog needed to be louder here though as they seemed (to my ear) a little low in the mix. but I’ll take it, the score from T1 works wonders here and masterfully calls back to the original terminator film.

Removal of Robo-humor throughout helped the film but I think the editor should have gone further. the ”stand on one leg” scene could do without johns “put your leg down” line and the smile scene is always painful to watch. its sooooo slapstick and fails to work for me every time. I know the point is to show the T-800 is learning but I still hate that horse face smile.

Other instances of audience winking/robohumor removal puzzled me (this is where ‘I would have done it different’ comes in). The “model citizen” line from Silberman seemed to cut too late -I would have cut on Sarahs face, rather than as Silberman begins to turn. The “Trust Me” Arnold line in Cyberdyne (I feel) cuts too late also, as we see John beginning to run to Arnold to stop him from killing humans. I would have cut earlier, but thats just me. I also felt the Kyle Reese dream sequence played funny. I wish I could better articulate my feelings here but i cant, something just felt off.

I only raise these issues to better illustrate my personal bias. I feel it would be unfair to not explain where I am coming from even if personal bias is usually something you dont want in a review, a classic like T2 is impossible to remove bias from the equation. Otherwise the edits are spot on and really benefit the film, I didnt for a second miss the “No Problemos” the “Chillout Dickwads” and the “Hasta La Vista Baby’s” great work!

Custom end credits were very smooth, almost too smooth, and looked very crisp compared to the films intro text. I love the attention to detail by adding yourself in twice (that I caught) as well as the fanedit.org and ThrowgnCpr Produtions logos. Very well done. I was caught off guard when I saw my handle in the credits. I dont know what I did to deserve that honor, but I thank you all the same as it was a very pleasant surprise.

The Bonus Features:

Wow, for a fanedit, there's a truckload of material here the featurette focusing on the sound reconstruction of the bad to the bone sequence is the crown jewel. its informative and interesting, well narrated and a great example of how fanediting can be used to alter/enhance a scene. Even though its a few minutes long IMO this is right up there with the commentary track on Attack of the Phantom. Required viewing for any aspiring editor.

Easter Eggs:

Great stuff from SNL/30 Second Bunnies/GNR I havent seen the ‘Toonces’ skit or the ‘You Could Be Mine’ video in YEARS and never saw the ’30 Second Bunnies’ before. Nothing remarkable about this material other than its inclusion to round out a full package.

Overall this is a great package for Fanedit fans as well as Terminator fans. We get a great edit of a classic film and pile of features not previously released on the plethora of Terminator DVD’s over the years.

Editing: 9 of 10 As I mentioned there were no technical issues in the editing only things I would have done differently
Entertainment: 9 of 10

Image & Video Quality:
Image quality was less than optimal. The source material wasnt the best choice but it was still enjoyable and not too distracting. some minor judder in certain camera pans.
Video Quality: 7 of 10

Audio Editing & Audio Quality:
Seamless, great editing from start to finish. my only quip is the levels on the reconstructed scene seem slightly low.
Audio Quality: 9 of 10
Audio Editing: 10 of 10

Presentation:
Best DVD authoring I have seen all year. Fantastic menu w/ full transitions. A truckload of extras and smooth near HD quality motion menus.
Presentation: 10 of 10

Final Result: 8 of 10 for me
A few minor issues hold this back from being a perfect edit but most are technical in nature and do not reflect on the editing and enjoyment of the film. This is a fantastic take on a classic and provides yet another option for us folks who have seen this film in 3 different versions (more if we count ADM/Tubes/Scaperat’s edits ;) ) Required viewing for T2 fans.

August 14, 2009 @ 8:08 pm

Review by Captain Khajiit

**Warning!**

**This review contains spoilers!**

As a serious, no-nonsense edition of the film, this is virtually perfect. One of the intentions was to “create a new experience” and the faneditor certainly succeeds here. A series of subtle purposeful cuts gives the movie a much darker, grimmer feel, akin to that of the original. The scenes with Sarah in the mental hospital are now free of the inconsistencies of the original, and the reworked scene when the visitors peer through Sarah’s cell door has an impressive, almost sinister feel to it. I found it heightened tension and made us empathise with the character.

The rebuilt “bad to the bones” scene was superbly done, and shows exceptional technical skill, although the new voice for the bartender didn’t sound quite gruff enough and didn’t entirely convince me. While this redone scene does give a more menacing aura to the T-101, I still feel the viewer is still left in no doubt that something has changed about him and that the T-1000 is now in the bad guy role. For instance, unlike in the first film, he doesn’t actually kill at the start: he just defends himself, albeit with great force; whereas the T-1000′s first act of impaling a police officer leaves us in little doubt as to what he’s about. The two are obviously competing rather than cooperating to find John (given the T-1000′s contemptuous look and dismissive line at the house when told of the “big guy”: I wouldn’t worry about him!), so I still don’t think Arnie new role is much of a surprise, as it’s the only one he really could have. This is ultimtely down to the fact that the original material was inherently structured and presented in a certain way, not the faneditor. Those who want a more hardcore movie will nevertheless find the new “bad to the bones” scene and the numerous other edits to be definite improvements.

The weaving forth between theatrical and special edition versions is deftly handled, and the faneditor has a good eye for spotting where the added special addition material can enhance the theatrical cut and where it can be safely discarded. The removal of the majority of the cheese definitely helps the pace of the film, and the faneditor consistently implements his vision for the edit through to the very end, although – in my opinion – John teaching the terminator to smile could have gone, the give-me-five routine could have been shortened and I wouldn’t miss the following voiceover either. Nonetheless, this version was meant as a light edit, and as such it will no doubt be seen as a best of both worlds by many fans.

Editing: 10 out of 10 for the editing itself
Entertainment: 8 out of 10 (original theatrical cut 8 out of 10; original special edition 7 out of 10)

Image and video quality: The video quality was excellent all round. 10 out of 10
Audio editing and audio quality: I noticed no hard cuts, and the places where the soundtrack has been rebuilt were seamlessly integrated and completely suit the feel of the film. 10 out of 10
Presentation: If you are a stickler for presentation, this won’t disappoint you. The animated menus could grace an official release, and the extras are implemented in an utterly professional way. I far preferred these menus to those of my Skynet Edition blu ray. 10 out of 10

Overall: 9 out of 10

A hugely accomplished and immensely enjoyable edit! While nothing has yet surpassed the theatrical cut for me, simply because of its pace, my special edition DVD can consider itself terminated.

In 1984 I witnessed a near perfect apocalyptic movie titled "The Terminator". I watched it over and over. When 1991 came along I saw commercials for a sequel titled "Terminator: Judgement Day". Boy was I excited. I coulld not wait to revisit that world again, but it had to be bigger and better. Realizing that Jim Cameron was directing, and remembering how well "Aliens" went over there could be no wrong going on here. Well I was wrong. The first thing that ticked me off was that Arnie was not the big badass. The second thing was this Eddie Furlong kid was ruining the movie for me. I watched it but could not rewatch if for years. Recently I purchased a terminator set of movies and T2 was a part of that. To this day i have not rewatched my copy, but over the years friends of mine would play it loving it; I honestly don't know why.

Fast forward about a decade and ThrowgnCpr comes out with "T2: Hands of Fate". This really is amazing. First off the title intro editing is out of this world. Never have I seen this kind of mastery. Secondly almost everything that was fixed probably should have; and left me really oving how this whole movie turned out. ThrowgnCpr basically saved this movie; the tricks in the parking log: gone. The stupid slang lingo; gone. The thumbs up at the end; gone. Two things that I do question would be the motorcycle jump into the canal, where Arnie is chasing the semi, and the smile being added 2/3rds of the way in. I still don't understand why the bike jump is gone, but seeing Arnie smile when he handles the Gatling(?) gun near the end makes one realize why the smile is added 5 minutes before.

All in all I now can watch a near perfect sequel to the perfect movie. Thank you very much.

Great job on this one, really takes out those "hollywood" moments and keeps it more on par with the original highly recommend for fans of the series