- Database
- Fanedit Listings
- FanFix
- Terminator: Enhanced Edition, The
Terminator: Enhanced Edition, The
Featured
Updated
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1984
Original Running Time:
107
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
107
Time Cut:
0.5
Available in HD?
Additional Links:
Brief Synopsis:
"Uh-huh-huh, hey Beavis, these effects aren't so special..."
The purpose of this edit is to improve the low budget, outdated VFX so it still feels like a 1984 Terminator movie, but the laughable moments like painfully obvious Schwarzenegger mannequins and choppy stop motion animation are fixed.
This edit does not change the film's narrative or add deleted scenes.
The purpose of this edit is to improve the low budget, outdated VFX so it still feels like a 1984 Terminator movie, but the laughable moments like painfully obvious Schwarzenegger mannequins and choppy stop motion animation are fixed.
This edit does not change the film's narrative or add deleted scenes.
Intention:
This film editing project aims to level up Terminator to a higher budget 1980's production.
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
Change List:
1. Regraded throughout to reduce the extreme teal from the official remastered Blu-ray.
2. Re-foleyed many of the gunshots from the remastered Blu-ray 5.1 mix using new, beefier sounds. Where’s the beef? Right here.
3. Cleaned up and processed various 3rd party VFX to remove the color banding and other artifacts and to blend the footage into a 1980’s movie.
4. Replaced an opening production company credit with a credit for those who did the new VFX work.
5. Replaced the beginning of the opening scene from the future with footage from VFX artist, Jamie Martin. It looks more realistic now as an establishing shot for a ruined, apocalyptic Los Angeles with a better rendering of the Hunter Killer craft, rather than a low budget styrophome set with miniature stop motion animation.
6. Matched the font and recreated the Los Angeles 2029 A.D. title.
7. VFX so the Terminator doesn't flinch-blink when he guns down the first Sarah Connor.
8. In Reese's dream about the future, replaced a few VFX shots with much better ones by Jamie Martin.
9. In the same dream, foleyed in the arrival of the getaway car.
10. Added post production VFX during some of Reese's dream footage so it's less apparent the background with the HK Tank is a screen.
11. Removed the sound of the phone crashing when the Terminator guns down Sarah's roommate. Also made it so he doesn’t flinch-blink so much during the gunshots.
12. Darkened, reframed, and added one deepfake VFX shot by StoRyx to the eye surgery scene. Now the footage looks more realistic rather than featuring a brightly lit, ridiculuous mannequin.
13. Added blood VFX and gore SFX to the eye surgery scene.
14. On the closeup of the Terminator's cyborg eye, slightly rotated it to match the tilted angle of the Terminator's head.
15. Cut the Terminator fixing his hair in the mirror after he removes his eye. So there is no sudden jarring difference in the look of his face.
16. VFX to darken the Terminator's sunglasses when he arrives in the police station lobby so we can't see that his eye is still there. Concealed his eye and eyelashes at a side angle as well.
17. Darkened the glasses in one of the shots of the police station shootout where we could kind of see the Terminator’s eyes again.
18. Added some blood spray to various cops being shot including when the Terminator shotguns the fleeing rookie.
19. Cut a few frames of one of the cop's reactions to getting shot.
20. Changed a weird shot of the Terminator backing up after shooting a cop, so now he advances forward and shoots some more.
21. Foleyed in Reese kneeing the cop.
22. Added some camera shake to closeup up of car's fuel guage showing empty since the car is moving.
23. When Sarah dreams as Reese recounts what the future is like, replaced some of the Hunter Killer footage with better looking VFX by Jamie Martin.
24. Same future sequence, post production to help reduce the effect of using screens for backgrounds.
25. In the dead cat motel, darkened and reframed the scene with the Terminator looking through the address book so it no longer showcases a joke mannequin.
26. Same motel scene, added some VFX and SFX to create a lovely surprise.
27. Re-foleyed The Terminator’s footsteps departing the motel.
28. Re-foleyed Reese’s sneakers hitting the pavement after hitchhiking.
29. Darkened, reframed, and widened the footage with the Terminator dummy driving the big rig at the end so it looks more realistic and more like Schwarzenegger.
30. Post processing to reduce the background screen effect in multiple shots when the rig explodes behind Sarah.
31. The endoskeleton robot at the end (the full sized puppet version) moves faster as it follows Reese and Sarah into the building (cut a few seconds of it moving slow and Sarah picking up the board. Also sped up some of the sluggish endoskelton footage).
32. Inside the warehouse as the Terminator gets close to Sarah and Reese, removed the studio sound effects which indicated a Terminator POV shot that wasn't actually there. Seems that with the actors not looking straight toward the camera the intended POV did not work. Foleyed in Reese stepping back.
33. The endoskeleton has its movements smoothed to eliminate the stop motion animated effect. VFX work by Uncle Machete using flowframes.
34. Re-foleyed the endoskeleton smacking Reese around.
35. The final shot of the stop motion version of the endoskelton walking toward Reese is replaced with a Blender version by StoRyx.
36. Post production processing of epic shot of Sarah driving away toward the stormy sky, to make it look more real and less like a composite.
1. Regraded throughout to reduce the extreme teal from the official remastered Blu-ray.
2. Re-foleyed many of the gunshots from the remastered Blu-ray 5.1 mix using new, beefier sounds. Where’s the beef? Right here.
3. Cleaned up and processed various 3rd party VFX to remove the color banding and other artifacts and to blend the footage into a 1980’s movie.
4. Replaced an opening production company credit with a credit for those who did the new VFX work.
5. Replaced the beginning of the opening scene from the future with footage from VFX artist, Jamie Martin. It looks more realistic now as an establishing shot for a ruined, apocalyptic Los Angeles with a better rendering of the Hunter Killer craft, rather than a low budget styrophome set with miniature stop motion animation.
6. Matched the font and recreated the Los Angeles 2029 A.D. title.
7. VFX so the Terminator doesn't flinch-blink when he guns down the first Sarah Connor.
8. In Reese's dream about the future, replaced a few VFX shots with much better ones by Jamie Martin.
9. In the same dream, foleyed in the arrival of the getaway car.
10. Added post production VFX during some of Reese's dream footage so it's less apparent the background with the HK Tank is a screen.
11. Removed the sound of the phone crashing when the Terminator guns down Sarah's roommate. Also made it so he doesn’t flinch-blink so much during the gunshots.
12. Darkened, reframed, and added one deepfake VFX shot by StoRyx to the eye surgery scene. Now the footage looks more realistic rather than featuring a brightly lit, ridiculuous mannequin.
13. Added blood VFX and gore SFX to the eye surgery scene.
14. On the closeup of the Terminator's cyborg eye, slightly rotated it to match the tilted angle of the Terminator's head.
15. Cut the Terminator fixing his hair in the mirror after he removes his eye. So there is no sudden jarring difference in the look of his face.
16. VFX to darken the Terminator's sunglasses when he arrives in the police station lobby so we can't see that his eye is still there. Concealed his eye and eyelashes at a side angle as well.
17. Darkened the glasses in one of the shots of the police station shootout where we could kind of see the Terminator’s eyes again.
18. Added some blood spray to various cops being shot including when the Terminator shotguns the fleeing rookie.
19. Cut a few frames of one of the cop's reactions to getting shot.
20. Changed a weird shot of the Terminator backing up after shooting a cop, so now he advances forward and shoots some more.
21. Foleyed in Reese kneeing the cop.
22. Added some camera shake to closeup up of car's fuel guage showing empty since the car is moving.
23. When Sarah dreams as Reese recounts what the future is like, replaced some of the Hunter Killer footage with better looking VFX by Jamie Martin.
24. Same future sequence, post production to help reduce the effect of using screens for backgrounds.
25. In the dead cat motel, darkened and reframed the scene with the Terminator looking through the address book so it no longer showcases a joke mannequin.
26. Same motel scene, added some VFX and SFX to create a lovely surprise.
27. Re-foleyed The Terminator’s footsteps departing the motel.
28. Re-foleyed Reese’s sneakers hitting the pavement after hitchhiking.
29. Darkened, reframed, and widened the footage with the Terminator dummy driving the big rig at the end so it looks more realistic and more like Schwarzenegger.
30. Post processing to reduce the background screen effect in multiple shots when the rig explodes behind Sarah.
31. The endoskeleton robot at the end (the full sized puppet version) moves faster as it follows Reese and Sarah into the building (cut a few seconds of it moving slow and Sarah picking up the board. Also sped up some of the sluggish endoskelton footage).
32. Inside the warehouse as the Terminator gets close to Sarah and Reese, removed the studio sound effects which indicated a Terminator POV shot that wasn't actually there. Seems that with the actors not looking straight toward the camera the intended POV did not work. Foleyed in Reese stepping back.
33. The endoskeleton has its movements smoothed to eliminate the stop motion animated effect. VFX work by Uncle Machete using flowframes.
34. Re-foleyed the endoskeleton smacking Reese around.
35. The final shot of the stop motion version of the endoskelton walking toward Reese is replaced with a Blender version by StoRyx.
36. Post production processing of epic shot of Sarah driving away toward the stormy sky, to make it look more real and less like a composite.
User reviews
7 reviews
Overall rating
9.9
Audio/Video Quality
10.0(7)
Visual Editing
10.0(7)
Audio Editing
9.9(7)
Narrative
10.0(7)
Enjoyment
9.9(7)
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I've always struggled to love the first Terminator for some reason. Partly because I knew and loved T2 first and I think I lament the low budget feel of the first movie. It's amazing what they pulled off at the time with the money they had, but I'll always wish it was more on the level of T2. Classic handmade, low budget vibes work great for horror, but I guess I want my sci-fi to feel sleeker and cleaner.
So krausfadr has gone a long way toward making this into something I enjoy more. His edit seamlessly integrates the improved effects and it really raises the movie in my esteem. Definitely my go-to version, and a much better setup for T2. His color correction is also much appreciated, though the teal and blue are still more present than I hoped. I guess Cameron really BLUE this movie up with the remaster.
With the visuals so marvelously updated, I did find myself wishing for a version of the score to match. I know a lot can be done with MIDI orchestra these days and I think a soundtrack that's on par with visuals would really take this to the next level. But that wasn't part of krausfadr's intentions with the edit, so I won't hold it against him.
So krausfadr has gone a long way toward making this into something I enjoy more. His edit seamlessly integrates the improved effects and it really raises the movie in my esteem. Definitely my go-to version, and a much better setup for T2. His color correction is also much appreciated, though the teal and blue are still more present than I hoped. I guess Cameron really BLUE this movie up with the remaster.
With the visuals so marvelously updated, I did find myself wishing for a version of the score to match. I know a lot can be done with MIDI orchestra these days and I think a soundtrack that's on par with visuals would really take this to the next level. But that wasn't part of krausfadr's intentions with the edit, so I won't hold it against him.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
S
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I really like the changes that krausfadr has made. The updated VFX work very well and do not compromise James Cameron's original vision. In addition to the updated effects, the new sounds and color grade are great. This will be my preferred version for any rewatches in the future.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
Overall rating
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
9.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
9.0
Krausfadr has put together a very slick looking version of a low budget film, drawing from pre-made material from a few different FX artists. The colour grading is a welcome change and generally everything looks and sounds fantastic. I think, if anything, the score now sticks out as being a bit out of place due to the rest of the film seeming so polished.
Some nitpicks below:
- 20:29-ish - as Kyle wakes from his dream he cocks his gun and it's very quiet compared to the other replaced sounds. I'm wondering if this is an old sound that got missed in the replacement process?
- 32:15ish - the new gun sounds have a room reverb that doesn't sound realistic in the apartment where they take place. It's particularly noticeable on the last gunshot at 32:19, which has a much longer tail.
- The new eye-replacement scene works much better and largely holds up well as a result. Two shots still look very dated though. The shot of Arnie in the mirror at 55:51 I think should be cut entirely. It's so apparent that it's a dummy, and I think it's better to not have the shot than have the illusion of the scene broken. The shot at 55:40 is a bit trickier, due to keeping visual continuity, but if it's possible to trim the start of it where Arnie's head movement is very janky, I think having the shot briefly as it moves closer to the eye would still work well as we transition to the closeup.
I would also have appreciated the option of the original audio without newly added sounds, if only for the sake of comparison. The absence of subtitles is also disappointing, given how few cuts were made. I have family who require subtitles, so I am naturally a big advocator, especially if something is intended as a replacement for the original. That aside, I would consider this my go-to version. Recommended.
Some nitpicks below:
- 20:29-ish - as Kyle wakes from his dream he cocks his gun and it's very quiet compared to the other replaced sounds. I'm wondering if this is an old sound that got missed in the replacement process?
- 32:15ish - the new gun sounds have a room reverb that doesn't sound realistic in the apartment where they take place. It's particularly noticeable on the last gunshot at 32:19, which has a much longer tail.
- The new eye-replacement scene works much better and largely holds up well as a result. Two shots still look very dated though. The shot of Arnie in the mirror at 55:51 I think should be cut entirely. It's so apparent that it's a dummy, and I think it's better to not have the shot than have the illusion of the scene broken. The shot at 55:40 is a bit trickier, due to keeping visual continuity, but if it's possible to trim the start of it where Arnie's head movement is very janky, I think having the shot briefly as it moves closer to the eye would still work well as we transition to the closeup.
I would also have appreciated the option of the original audio without newly added sounds, if only for the sake of comparison. The absence of subtitles is also disappointing, given how few cuts were made. I have family who require subtitles, so I am naturally a big advocator, especially if something is intended as a replacement for the original. That aside, I would consider this my go-to version. Recommended.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
T
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
I didn't think I would need this edit, but having seen it I realize how important it is. Just like Adywans Revisited edits (Star Wars) enhances and elevates the beloved movies without obstucting any of the original storytelling, Krausfadr makes the same magic with The Terminator.
The changes are subtle, you might even miss them if you're not aware. And thats the beauty. Instead of overdoing lots of edits or FX, here you are served a movie that removes the distraction of old effects and "corrects" for to the 21st century.
My favourite changes:
+ The more fluid moving Terminator in the ending, without the jerky stop-motion-effect.
+ New added future LA scenes.
+ Audio correction and more beefy shot sounds.
This will be my to-go version.
The changes are subtle, you might even miss them if you're not aware. And thats the beauty. Instead of overdoing lots of edits or FX, here you are served a movie that removes the distraction of old effects and "corrects" for to the 21st century.
My favourite changes:
+ The more fluid moving Terminator in the ending, without the jerky stop-motion-effect.
+ New added future LA scenes.
+ Audio correction and more beefy shot sounds.
This will be my to-go version.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
T
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
A great fresh way to revisit the original Terminator. I never had much of a problem with the original FX shots, part of them because I think that they add to the "handmade" low budget charm, and others because I guess I'm used to them, but in any case the replaced shots in this edit work fine and are for the most part unobtrusive. More Adywan than George Lucas Special Edition, if you wish.
The one thing that I can unambiguosly say is a definite improvement is the eye surgery scene. You know, if your FX shots don't look good enough, downplay and hide them, don't show off. That's why the CGI shots in the original Jurassic Park look so much better than the ones in the current sequels despite being much more primitive. And that's what should have been done here from the start: that dummy head was way too obvious, and now via a combination of cropping and darkening it all looks so much more convincing.
And for the purists out there: for my tastes this is still a more accurate representation of the original film than the wretched teal regrading that the current official version has. Now that is an abomination. Krausfadr's regrading still shows a slight teal hue, but it looks considerably closer to how it looked since 1984, and that alone makes it an instant winner for me.
As a practical FX loyalist, won't call it my definitive edition, but it's pretty much an equally great version to watch. And as expected, video and audio quality are flawless, as is the actual editing work.
(Also, I must point out that there's a bit involving a swarm of flies that is objectively overdone, but likely to give you a good laugh. I know it gave me one!)
The one thing that I can unambiguosly say is a definite improvement is the eye surgery scene. You know, if your FX shots don't look good enough, downplay and hide them, don't show off. That's why the CGI shots in the original Jurassic Park look so much better than the ones in the current sequels despite being much more primitive. And that's what should have been done here from the start: that dummy head was way too obvious, and now via a combination of cropping and darkening it all looks so much more convincing.
And for the purists out there: for my tastes this is still a more accurate representation of the original film than the wretched teal regrading that the current official version has. Now that is an abomination. Krausfadr's regrading still shows a slight teal hue, but it looks considerably closer to how it looked since 1984, and that alone makes it an instant winner for me.
As a practical FX loyalist, won't call it my definitive edition, but it's pretty much an equally great version to watch. And as expected, video and audio quality are flawless, as is the actual editing work.
(Also, I must point out that there's a bit involving a swarm of flies that is objectively overdone, but likely to give you a good laugh. I know it gave me one!)
D