Terminator, The: Extended Edition

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9.5 (28)
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Terminator, The: Extended Edition
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Franchise:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1984
Original Running Time:
108
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
116
Time Added:
8
Brief Synopsis:
Terminator 1 as a more complete movie, extended with several missing scenes that truly add to character development and the storyline.
Intention:
Deeper character development and brings Cyberdyne clearly into the greater story arc.
Release Information:
DVD
Cuts and Additions:
- Sarah’s “I’m so wholesome I could puke” conversation in front of the mirror before starting work
- T-800 leaving the scene of the first termination
- Several bits with Traxler and Vulkovitch in pursuit
- Bit where Traxler is considering that Reese may be telling the truth
- Traxler’s admonition to Reese to protect Sarah before dying
- Sarah deciding to destroy Cyberdyne & Reese’s breakdown (long, excellent scene)
- Sarah planning on all the great things Kyle will see and do after they change the future
- A little post-coital intimacy between Sarah & Kyle
- The chip being discovered … at Cyberdyne
Cover art by Cassidy (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

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28 reviews
 
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21%
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Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.4(11)
Audio Editing
 
9.2(10)
Visual Editing
 
9.6(10)
Narrative
 
9.6(11)
Enjoyment
 
9.6(28)
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10.0
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10.0
Earlier versions of this might have been poorer visual quality, but the one I got was seamless. I was relying purely on memory to identify which were the deleted scenes, because there was no visual tell at all. Moreover, these scenes really add a lot to the film, as I explained in my full review here: https://boxd.it/2yu8wL

This is absolutely a shelf-replacer, which is shocking for how old of a fanedit it is. I think this might be the oldest one that still absolutely holds up. The video doesn't quite approach 720p standards, but I think having a bit of grime serves the film well. This version now has a more gradual love story and more direct ties to the later films (just watch T-2 and Dark Fate), perfectly setting up the Terminator-verse, as well as perfectly standing on its own. I love this version, and will look forward to showing it to others!

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A completely seamless integration of deleted footage. Well done!

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Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
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Overall rating
 
9.2
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8.0
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Here's an example of an already-great film given a total new dimension with the addition of the deleted scenes. Usually such a move as this is hit or miss - sometimes it can be a revelation, sometimes you clearly know why the director deleted them in the first place. In this case, Cameron missed the moat by not including at least one pivotal scene that changes the entire context of the final act and the mood the film takes into its closing credits.

The first 2/3rds of the film doesn't benefit too much from the additional scenes - most of it is with the two cops. None of it is "in the way", or interferes with pacing, it's just "there". If it was included in the original we'd take it for granted. Most of these scenes are less than a minute long and inconsequential. The dying Traxler giving it up for Reese is interesting - probably the most interesting moment of the first part of the film.

There are 2 or 3 big additions that, for me, make this edit my all-time go-to for this film. A quick breakdown of the good stuff in order of importance:

3) The "tickle" - if for no other reason than to see Reese further "loosen up" and to establish just that much more rapport between Sarah and Kyle.

2) The Cyberdyne revelation with the guys who find the chip. More on this w/ #1

1) There are a number of additions at the motel scene that forever change the arc of the story. First off, mom at the cabin has some context, as Sarah is established to getting her mom to go there before the 2nd phone call in the motel. Secondly, there's the big moment (which also serves to illustrate Hamilton & Biehn's actng chops) where Reese and Sarah find themselves at each other's throats, and Reese has a sort of breakdown when confronted with the beauty of the natural world. This is a totally different, and needed, dimension for the character, establishing him as vulnerable, after all, but locked into a life of strict military adherence. There is a beautiful dynamic here in the scene where Reese holds a flower and can't bear its fragility (believe it when you see it!); there is now more context for Sarah's eventual falling for Reese in the motel.

More importantly, Sarah suggests to Reese er...basically the entire plot of T2! Let's blow up Cyberdyne! Now we know why they go and get their mothballs to make the pipe bombs. Beforehand we took it for granted they were going to use the bombs against Arnie, but now it makes a LOT more sense. In retrospect it seems weird without the Cyberdyne arc. That moment in the truck when Sarah shows Reese the bomb and his eyes dart around ("Oh yeah, the bombs! Let's use these!") makes so much more sense now than if their plan was to use them in the first place.

It also makes sense that Cyberdyne was an established, somewhat creepy and ethically shaky business venture which got lucky with the finding of the CPU, as opposed to the idea that Cyberdyne as an IDEA was established by that CPU. They were on their way there to blow the thing up, so it makes sense the final battle is fought in the very lab they were going for.

In the end, Sarah has failed the mission. What's interesting now, as she drives off to the desert, is wondering that knowing now the destiny of the world is DUE TO HER FAILURE and, more telling, getting the terminator into Cyberdyne in the first place. She, in essence, is indirectly responsible for the nuclear war! Does she make this connection? Is she fleeing from her own conscience as well as from the mainland? These are fascinating questions the original, minus these scenes, left us curious about.

So, definitely check this one out. The scenes that are deleted are easy to pick out due to audio problems, but those aren't *too* distracting. Still, given their lack of remastering as opposed to how the rest of the (updated) soundtrack sounds, it sometimes pulls us out of the action when we stop to think, "oh yeah, deleted scene". Maybe after repeated viewings this will start to all blend in. I've seen this edit twice now, and consider it a total treasure. The Terminator was the only fully-realized film Cameron ever did, in my opinion, but seeing how much better it could have been with the Cyberdyne arc makes me wonder just how talented the "king of the world" really is. He should have absolutely left all that in.

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10.0
Having loved the original Terminator without ever seeing the Special Edition DVD, and subsequently the deleted scenes, I'd always wondered when James Cameron would get off his ass and release a true-to-form Extended Cut of this movie. Oddly enough, I remember finding a copy Terminator: The Extended Edition ADM Edit on a DVD as a rental at a Hastings here where I live, believing it to be a genuine product, I rented it and was thoroughly impressed. I would love to be able to create a copy for myself now, with DVD Menu, Cover, etc... so I can add it to my collection.

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Overall rating
 
8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
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8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
Taking into account that only a total of eight minutes were added, it is incredible how much a movie can be improved.

It is not that Terminator was a bad movie to begin with, but with this new scenes, we get a better development of the story we are told.

I recommend this fanedit and I am waiting to see the rest of the Terminator ADM editions.

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