In recent months, James Cameron, who’s undertaken a major effort to restore many of his classics in 4K, has come under fire from fans for the way these movies now look. One of the common complaints is that the transfers, which were done in conjunction with Peter Jackson’s Park Row Post, may (or may not) have used AI technology to somewhat change how the movies look. One of the biggest complaints is that the movies look too pristine, with all grain structure being scrubbed. Noted film preservationist Robert Harris, in an email to us, called the transfers “revisualizations” rather than restorations, although he generally seemed to appreciate what Cameron was going for (read more about his comments here).
Fans, however, have been divided, as seen in the reaction to a story we posted a few months back on the 4K transfer of True Lies, which is the one that is the most controversial. Recently, Cameron was asked about their reception, and he didn’t mince words, bluntly saying:
“When people start reviewing your grain structure, they need to move out of mom’s basement and meet somebody. Right? I’m serious. I mean, are you f*cking kidding me? I’ve got a great team that does the transfers. I do all the color and density work. I look at every shot, every frame, and then the final transfer is done by a guy who has been with me [for years]. All the Avatar films are done that way. Everything is done that way. Get a life, people, seriously.”
With The Terminator now being re-released in 4K, we were able to speak to the legendary Gale Anne Hurd, who produced and co-wrote the original film with her former husband, Cameron, before going on to produce The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (as well as No Escape, The Ghost and the Darkness, the entire Walking Dead franchise and much more). While she acknowledged that fans have a right to their opinion, she vehemently defended Cameron’s right to restore the films as he sees fit:
“Let all those critics make their own movies, and they can restore them as they see fit. That’s my opinion. Jim, in every possible meaning of the word auteur, is an auteur. And whatever version he wants to release, everyone should be fine with. You know, it’s his film!
When asked about how many fans who grew up with these films do feel a certain degree of ownership over them, she admitted, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Absolutely. We made the movie for the fans, not for the critics, even though we did get some lovely reviews. And so, they’re absolutely entitled to their opinion. But, you know, Jim’s entitled, creatively, to do it absolutely how he sees fit. You know, it’s his creation.”
Check out more from our interview with Hurd here, and next week, we’ll have even more from her, including her memories of making No Escape, Dante’s Peak and more!