Update: Since this video was made, both True Lies and The Abyss have made their way to Blu-ray and 4K and can be ordered here: True Lies amzn.to/3T2ehwy The Abyss: amzn.to/49y5dGJ
I worked on Titanic for James Cameron. He is dedicated, he knows what he wants and what it should look like. If it isnt right he will stop it. I have the T2 4k blu ray. I don’t know, but imagine he was told the editing house did the scan and maybe he left it to others to review, and after that experience he put the breaks on so that nothing went out again without him seeing all of it. I don’t know anything-but my gut tells me it went down like that. Also he is always working harder than anyone I met 17 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even when he is taking time off for say diving, he is testing or creating camera gear or technology or writing or producing other peoples movies. So it’s not that he is ignoring it, he is working, just mostly what he wants to create, not rehash what he did 20-30 years before. :)
That's why I love my copies of these films on Laserdisc. True to the original picture and sound with no digital messed up rework of the two. Upscaled correctly with uncompressed digital pcm tracks gets it perfect for me.
It is SO annoying that Cameron doesn't care enough for his old movies to take a few hours for checking the transfer. The studio should give him a deadline and if he doesn't finish his work on the tranfer by then, they should just let someone else do it! I don't have 4k yet - and I am shocked to hear that Cameron screwed up the transfer of Terminator 2 !?! Maybe it is better if Cameron does NOT have the final word on the transfers? I still have True Lies and The Abyss on Laserdisc - if they didn't get laser rot in the meantime. I am frightened to check them... 😨
Laser rot is more prevalent on dvd than laserdiscs; most dvd were made poorly while vhs & blu-ray was going to start hitting shelves so a lot from that era rot more than my laserdiscs from the 80s that still look brand new
@@Thecatdrums3 Laserdiscs from the 80s? I believe most of them were made in the 90s, that's the time period where I started collecting them. And I had quite some cases of laser rot, which is annoying considering the high prices I had to pay to import them to Germany (I only have US releases).
The T2 is only bad because they "cleaned" the picture for the 3D release. You can see in the excellent Aliens and Titanic (and even T2) Blu Rays that Cameron movies normally aren't DNRd.
I DM’d Bill Hunt on this (he’s pretty cool to talk to & ask movie questions), & this is what he said about The Abyss: “So, my sources tell me it's definitely coming but Disney hasn't decided when yet. Could come at the very end of the year with the original Avatar 4K, or they may wait and release both in 4K with the 4K release of Avatar: Way of Water early next year.”
“It’s DVD or nothing.” Erm, the films both have decent quality HD transfers which were broadcast via SkyTV in Europe way back and someone, uh, grabbed them. So we DO have other choices besides DVD, but of course everyone wants a genuine copy from the studio.
So crazy this is still a reality. Just put them out! The Abyss, The Hitcher, and After Hours were 3 that seemed to never gonna come; at least Second Sight is doing The Hitcher.
There were rumours about After Hours coming to Criterion about a year and change ago. The fact that it's come to nothing infuriates me and I'm getting tired of waiting. Having said that, I saw a screening of it a couple of weeks ago at a rep cinema and it was definitely a fully restored HD digital print that looked terrific. So... a gorgeous version of the film is out there somewhere. Why we can't get it I don't know.
I find it criminal certain films still haven't had the hd treatment, especially when they regurgitate the same movies in different packaging on a regular basis. Disney are terrible on this! I would love to see Deadly Pursuit (Shoot to Kill) on Blu-ray too.
So true. I see some films being released over and over again with new artwork and postcards or mini posters and such, but no 4K HD. It’s a waste of time and money.
The latest rumor is The Abyss 4K will be released in August of this year. I’m not holding my breath though because the color grader made a IG post several years ago that the 4K scan and color grading had been done. Cameron just needs to finally approve everything for it to be released. He’s too damn obsessed with his Avatar sequels!!
I finally agree with a Cereal At Midnight video lol. You're absolutely correct. James Cameron does not care about his previous films. Any of them, even the first Avatar film hasn't been touched in 12 years. Even with Terminator 2's 4K release, he didn't care about that release. He was focused on the 3D theater release of that movie and that's what ended up on the disc. Visual effects altered, sound effects altered, and just a very poor representation of his film. We can go on down his whole catalog and it's completely lackluster on home video. Simply put, the man does not care about home video at all.
What is there to touch in Avatar? the movie was made in a digital envoironment using a technology ahead of its time. In 2010 a spectacular extended edition/director's cut came out (which is the only way to see the movie IMO). That's about it. I guess the only thing left is a 4K release, even though I'm not sure how urgent that is - the film was made digitally and looks stunning on Blu.
Believe it dude, the guy has spent the last part of his last fascinating over deep sea expedition and making avatar sequels which frankly was over hyped. I’d take a 4k release of true lies and abyss over any avatar sequel.
I totally own these on DVD!!! The Abyss is one of my faves!!! If it were to hit blu-ray, I would upgrade in a heartbeat but, for now, I have my DVDs! 😎
My DVD of The Abyss constantly screams at me from my DVD shelf. It's such a beautiful movie. It's so overdue for an upgrade. It could look amazing on 4k. I get that it would mainly be collectors like myself that would buy it so sales may not make the effort worth it, but it's so frustrating having to wait so long to upgrade great movies like this.
I also want my Alita Battle Angel sequel I already own the first one on Blu-ray. So Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron come on now you can't leave us like that.
The standard definition version of The Abyss to go with was probably the 4:3 laserdisc/DVD version anyway as Cameron filmed in Super35 with 4:3 transfers in mind and supervised the transfer himself. Now that widescreen and HD/4K are around he probably prefers widescreen but I bet there's a chance he did a 16:9 version instead of the theatrical 2.4:1.
UPDATE: James Cameron gave an interview to Space.com in December of 2021 and had this to say about the restoration of THE ABYSS: So I just recently finished the high-def transfer a couple of months ago so presumably there’ll be Blu-rays and it will stream with a proper transfer from now on. I appreciate what you said about the film. It didn't make much money in its day, but it does seem to be well-liked over time. Full Article: www.space.com/james-cameron-tech-noir-book-exclusive
@@deezee2965 it would be hard to imagine that he’d go for the theatrical and not the extended cut, since that was his vision and the widely-accepted as the preferred cut 🤞🤞
To my recollection, one of the reasons the T2 "4K transfer" looks the way it does it because it was based on the 3D transfer and was NOT a true 4K transfer! For the 3D version the DNR was barely noticeable, but you take away the 3D and it look like a waxy mess. I'm fairly confident the 4K transfers for these two movies wouldn't look like that. On your note about directors messing with the look of their films, we just have to look back at how William Friedkin utterly destroyed the look of "The French Connection" the first time through with BluRay (maybe that's a video topic someday), so we know film makers are sometimes their own worst enemy.
Every living director has to be consulted when their film is released onto home media it’s part of the DGA rules. Some directors just sign off there and then and don’t involve themselves while the likes of Cameron, Mann, Friedkin, Jackson are more hands on.
Great video. I love both of these movies, and really enjoyed your commentary on them. One correction though. DVD is not the only way to enjoy these movies. Both were released on LaserDisc. They were filmed in open matte. So both the wide-screen and 4:3 versions, offer a unique experience on their own, and the analogue nature of LD provides a much different feel than the DVD versions. I have both in 4:3 on LD. The transfers are great for the limits of the format, and are wonderful to watch.
An HD/Blu Ray print of The Abyss is out there for download. You just have to find it. It was obtained from streaming. It's the copy Cameron has been working on as mentioned.
I have a copy of The Abyss that was broadcasted on Starz. My god it looks breathtaking!!! I do hope we get a Blu-ray or 4K release at some point. This film is a masterpiece.
I'm not only waiting on True Lies and The Abyss on HD blu-ray (forget 4K, I'll never have a living room big enough to justify it), but also the THEATRICAL CUTS of both Amadeus and Dances With Wolves. None of these things will probably happen unless the studios release the rights to Criterion. I'm really surprised that the latter movies in particular haven't been given the Criterion treatment.
The Abyss (at least the special edition) and True Lies were produced by Lightstorm Entertainment. That is James Cameron's production company. So, yes, he would have final say over those transfers.
T2 “4K” was initially a 3D conversion-which is pretty good. I don’t know why they did a 4K version. And now I’d be happy with anamorphic DVDs. (Maybe True Lies is-I know The Abyss isn’t.)
Ive been asking this question for years now...Hell at this point I'd settle for just a release of an anamorphic DVD of each..both now have that crappy compressed wide-screen that u have to zoom on and looks terrible...but guess we have to make due
I also dislike "revisionist" stuff like you mentioned, but I think that there is nothing wrong with filmmakers DOING that and MAKING revisions or a revised version if they want to explore that, AS LONG AS the ORIGINAL unaltered version is ALSO INCLUDED so you can watch whichever version you prefer, which obviously is not what usually happens and I think THAT is the actual issue.
I am in the process of buying some old movies from Network (UK), none of which have a BluRay in sight. But, hey, were talking virtually unknown movies, mostly from the 1930's. I'll take what I can get. However, there's always hope, right? Right?
Piranha II certainly didn't have Cameron's approval. It's not even the cut he had from a video release long ago. Keep in mind, the original The Terminator has no 4K in sight. Even the boutique labels can't touch it and they got a hold of a lot of high-profile MGM titles recently. It's unlikely that a lot of his films will be updated during his lifetime. With DIsney involved with most of his films, that looks even more unlikely.
Piranha II was made before James Cameron was James Cameron. He was a young director for hire and the project was controlled by the producer. Cameron doesn't even consider it his movie. And I don't think he owns the rights to the Terminator movies, as evident by all the sequels being made without his involvement.
@@lior-h Terminator 2 was produced through Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. All of Cameron's subsequent films were produced through his company. Technically, all the preceding films are owned through their respective studios. Fox/Disney owns The Abyss and Aliens outright. The Terminator is MGM's outright due to their acquisition of Orion Pictures.
Also Strange Days (1995) which Cameron wrote and produced. It got a 1080p home release in Germany, but it absolutely deserves a UHD transfer as well as True Lies. All of these are under LightStorm Entertainment, maybe there's legal problems going on with the company we're not allowed to know about?
If I remember correctly, I think James Cameron said he finished the 4K restoration of The Abyss and said there should be blu-rays and stuff sometime, he didn't specify when though.
The Abyss has a lot of CGI and they would need to redo the CGI. My guess when the movie was made the CGI was rendered out in SD or maybe 720p but I don't think they even had HD at that time for computers to render out. Maybe rescan the film and use Topaz Video Enhance A.I. to upscale the special effects. This might be the same reason for True Lies?
Perhaps, but that should be a nonissue since those FX shots were printed on film for the final print that would be duped for distribution, so those CG shots, for all intents and purposes, are locked on film.
In addition to these (which do definitely need HD/4K releases), I think there is another thing that Cameron needs to address: Can we PLEASE get an actually GOOD 4K version of Terminator 2? :(
The problem with The Abyss dvd is that it is not even in anamorphic widescreen. When I put the dvd in my blu-ray it looks like a tiny box on a widescreen tv.
Cameron was recently interviewed & said he is working on the Blu-ray release of The Abyss. He has kinda been busy with the Avatar films. The Abyss is one of my fave films & I have been waiting for the Blu-ray release for so long.
Thanks for making this! I refuse to watch any new James Cameron projects until I get The Abyss on Blu Ray. I'm so sick and tired of him pushing his Avatar franchise and producing trash like Terminator Dark fate over paying respect to one of the most innovative special fx film in cinema history
I hope one day in James Cameron's really really busy schedule he will find time to put a really good transfer on Blu ray and 4k for us physical media collectors out there
Cameron is a producer on True Lies and Abyss ( as well as director ) so he most likely does have some clout with these movies as part of the contract when he made them. I'd say Abyss has more chance of seeing the light of day than True Lies , as when I was looking into the Spanish grey release blu ray of True Lies, there was some reports of Cameron having some concerns with his portrayal of Muslims in the movie. Especially now that Disney own fox. This is why there was talk of a reboot, of True lies. Keep in mind True lies is actually not an original IP, is an adaptation of a pre existing French (I think ) movie . So I think there is a better chance of Aybss than True lies. But maybe one day
I'm afraid Jim will change the color timing of the movies the way he did with Aliens and Titanic.. I just want my HD True Lies in bold 90's colors please!
I watched True Lies in its theatrical release in London’s Empire cinema who were using the THX sound system at the time. I still remember the loud intro at the start when the title True changed to Lies! Anyway there are two bootleg versions of this film sourced, full screen Matte and the widescreen version. These appear to be from TV broadcast sourced as they are in 1080p (HBO?) so possibly direct (digital)? copies, I have seen these copies and they are good but have slight color/frame rate flaws. I do wonder if James Cameron has sole rights to these films as it doesn’t make sense to delay a movie that a studio in a heartbeat would release regardless. Lets hope when a 4k release does comes it will retain the look and sound of the theatrical release.
I actually purchased True Lies on Blu-Ray recently as a "Grey Market" release (Non official release) off EBay I'm very impressed with the Quality of both the Video & Audio of this film, so much better than the official DVD version. It has both English Audio & English Subtitles. A little pricey but worth it for such a worthy & Epic Arnie / Action flick 📽🎞🍿👌👍
@Barry Unofficial releases are the way to go, its highly unlikely True Lies, The Abyss will make its way to Blu-Ray, James Cameron is more fussed with his Avatar Productions, Think Twentieth Century Fox should release both films without Camerons approval. Lets hope the special features from the DVD are included, if not a good quality unofficial bootleg is the way to go. Sorry but Hollywood is lazy and not fussed about films you cannot get on Blu-Ray. The pirates know what to do and how Hollywood does not seem fussed about titles you cannot get.
I gave up on waiting and got in touch with a movie seller that has both films on homemade Blu-ray with professional retro artwork and love them. This is just to hold me off until the official release. I'm also waiting for Dragonslayer on Blu-ray.
Like with Steven, Lucas, Jackson, mann, Lee, de Palma… the list can go on but every single director has changed their films. Hell so many 4ks & blu-rays are just essentially new cuts of the movies with how much has been altered. I think it’s good people are finally noticing and speaking but it’s a little too late. Psychical media isn’t streaming and sadly never will. People like cheap and easy no matter the costs. I hope we get these in 4K but like with pirates or so many others it looks like I’m stuck with my laserdisc or dvd copies since they will never figure it out. It’s a shame and sad but just the hell world we are stuck in. I mean we can’t even get Kino to include the Italian audio for spaghetti westerns in 4K than what can we even get done
There is a HD transfer of The Abyss. It was ripped from a stream some years back and uploaded onto pirate sites. I have seen it and whilst it is not great, it's miles better than the DVD release as well as not suffering from any heavy DNR that I saw. I do not have it anymore though but I am pretty sure it's still out there.
Well you can get True Lies on HD by Buying the old "HDDvd" ( aka Red Box). And there's also an Unofficial BluRay release of it offered in a few Countries ( which just convert/upscales the HD copy to BluRay standard)
Already been said, but at this stage I'll take a properly done DVD. Make it anamorphic, both cuts, forget the extras if need be. There's no justification for not even that basic level of availability in 2022. I actually bought the Special Edition on VHS when it came out here in the UK - widescreen, I might add, not the pan and scan version - so this one's way out in front now as the movie I most need on shiny disc.
The only issue is my true lies DVD on any player except for a DVD player, creates black bars around all four sides of the picture. I don’t mean letterboxing, I mean it’s like it’s literally inside of a black box. I’ve actually recorded it off of movie channel onto a blank DVD because that actually has better quality than the actual DVD release. We need these on Blu-ray or 4K!
Just in case no one else mentions this, there is a great bootleg version out there. Just look up on youtube The Abyss SEHD 2.0 and dig in the comments to find a way to get a copy free.
Someone in a comment section (yeah, very reliable source) claimed that the changes for T2 were all to accommodate 3D. They focused on the 3D working as well as possible, not the overall look. If that's the case they should've approved two transfers: one for 3D and one regular for home media. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but I feel like Cameron wouldn't butcher the movie that bad unless he's.. turning blind or something. It's bizarre.
I just saw on the MidLevelMedia YT channel that the rumor mill is churning again that True Lies may finally see the HD/4K light of day. As before I am skeptical, but Disney has gone through some rough patches financially in the last couple of years. Obviously the latest Avatar release is doing well and bringing home the bacon. This would make sense for Disney to capitalize on that success, especially since folks love James Cameron's films. To not finally get True Lies (and The Abyss) is leaving a lot of money on the table. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to shoot @JimCameron a tweet asking, right?
The ONLY legal physical HD version of True Lies released in the US currently is the D-VHS D-Theater in the early 2000s when JVC created D-Theater encryption. This was a 1080i format and is currently the best it can be for physical media. It still holds up well despite being interlaced.and has a full but rate DTS Digital Surround soundtrack at 1.5 mbs.
I managed to find a used DVD copy on eBay. Can't stream it anywhere or buy it digitally. It's ridiculous. I would love a 4k release ... I'll settle for Blu Ray
These films kinda exist in HD, they get broadcast in the UK on channels that are in 1080, and if channel flipping happens to the same channel in SD, there is a noticeable difference.
True lies was released on dvhs which is hd so that’s why that has an hd scan and the abyss was suppose to get a dvd which is why it has an hd scan since at that time many dvds were mastered in hd to future proff like how many blu-rays are 4K mastered
I suspect with the new True Lies tv show it’s going to bring out the film again? I saw True Lies in HD once on Sky Movies. I wonder who made that edition and where it was from?
Thanks for this update. I too love these films. I am still hoping for a Blu-ray 3D release of The Abyss. Those underwater scenes would look amazing in stereoscopic 3D. One can still hope.
Variety just published and an article saying The Abyss 4k was given a sneak preview in Los Angeles. Cameron said it should drop in a few months or so. Could be an exciting Christmas 👍🏻😊
He's been saying the same thing for years now, so I'll keep my fingers crossed until we actually have an announcement. Right now, all the studio and distributor announcements for December are being sent out, so a 2023 release seems unlikely. But when it happens, it will be great news!
To think of the disgrace that the Terminator franchise has become (under JC's) control, and to think of the great movies he could have returned to (think Aliens), instead we have him making a sequel to The Smurfs. No serious movie buff wants or cares about 4 sequels to Avatar. It's sad...
Also waiting for Aliens; hopefully Cameron will have something ready by the end of the year. Rumours mention Abyss & TL should appear in UHD mid 2023. Fyi: I bought the real Bluray of True lies.. it's rare and it's real. The Oficial Spanish Release with original ENGLISH audio option. It's Region Free with a red box. It is not a bootleg. It's a beautiful hd remaster. Menus and Cover are in Spanish. And it was SHIPPED FROM SPAIN & cost a fair penny. Yes. JLC's dance scene scene melted my me
Heath, honestly that True Lies DVD looks bad on newer flat screens. I have a 50-inch 4K TV and since it was an early widescreen DVD release, the picture was literally half filled with the movie. Half-way through the movie the DVD froze up. It had laser rot. Something I’d never ever encountered on a DVD. So, I was terrified about encountering the same issue buying a replacement DVD. I wound up buying the Spanish BD legal bootleg off Amazon which is not quite 4K but a definite improvement over the DVD. Sure, the cover and disc artwork is all in Spanish, but it has a decent English audio track. It’ll have to do until it gets an official 4K release. The price was a little steep at around $27. It was either that or risk throwing away $10 on an inferior quality DVD copy that could also have laser rot.
True Lies was broadcast in HD on Channel 4 in the UK a few years back now and it looked great yes there is also the Spanish blu-ray but I will hold out for the 4K now
The T2 transfer was scrubbed of all grain because it was made for the 3D version. Film grain interferes with the 3D effect. It's not that Cameron specifically wanted that look for a 2D release. I happen to think this transfer's non-filmic, digital look suits the film very well. Also, a while back I heard that Cameron now disagrees with the politics of True Lies and has semi-disavowed the film. Apparently, that's why he hasn't worked on a hi-def release for that one, but who knows? If that's true, we may never see a hi-def release while Cameron is still around....
Cameron's vision for the T2 release was 3D. That was the reason for its existence. Not 4K so much. One might also speculate part of the reason for delay is that he could possibly also be doing a 3D transfer for one or both. Not saying that is so but would make sense given the pending AVATAR 2 and his love of the format.
If he's that busy, he must have someone in the business that he trust can oversee the transfer as he would like it. The last thing I heard in January 23, he said the two movies would be released by the end of March, zzzzzzzzzz
Exactly! Just give it to me the way it was in theater. Then titally do a second disc with some new twist if you want. Yes, I am scared of what Cameron would do to these movues after seeing his T2 4K. Maybe he's gun shy after the terrible reactions to T2.
Yeah, I'm glad that I have the early Blu-Rays of the first two Terminators. Not the greatest transfers but at least those Blu-Rays make the Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day still look like movies shot on film.
