True Lies

“Arnold Schwarzenegger is special agent Harry Tasker, a top spy in the ultra-secret omega sector who also dances a mean tango – although to his neglected wife, Helen, (Jamie Lee Curtis) he’s just a dull computer salesman. But while Harry’s been busy fighting terrorists, Helen’s been gathering secrets of her own. And when their two secret lives unexpectedly collide, Harry and Helen find themselves in the clutches of international terrorists, fighting to save not only their marriage but their lives as well.”

I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking this day would never come. The promise of having several of James Cameron films on HD has been a fleeting dream since the 1080p format was released for home consumption. According to the director himself, questions about these releases were the most asked questions he ever received, and after years of insistence, it’s finally happened.

True Lies may not be the best collaboration between Cameron and Schwarzenegger, but it ranks up there in Schwarzenegger action flicks, providing a great blend of comedy and action, a style he excels at. The story isn’t as intertwined or as deep as Terminator 2, but the film can be just as fun with the over-the-top action sequences like the opening where a mission of espionage turns into a gigantic, carnage and explosion-filled shootout. This type of 90s action film just doesn’t exist anymore, the type that are just fun one-offs, not seeking to build a franchise or universe, but exist solely for the fun and enjoyment of audiences who want and need the opportunity to have some mindless fun once and awhile.

The performances still hold up, with the witty side-kick type role of Tom Arnold a good match to Schwarzenegger’s brute force and cheesy one-liners. Jamie Lee Curtis is probably my favorite, as her character changes drastically throughout the film: the housewife bored with her life seeking a bit of adventure, only to find out she was closer than ever to more than she could ever ask for. While looking at Schwarzenegger and believing he’s a boring computer salesman is a bit of a stretch, her character is probably the most believable out of them all, making her performance one of the more organic as she learns the truth about her husband and her reactions to the adventure they are about to embark upon.

The aspect I never particularly enjoyed was the antagonist. Art Malik’s character of Aziz is painfully one-dimensional, and despite them having several nuclear bombs at their disposal, never even seemed like a real threat or menace in any way. This part of the film just doesn’t have priority, which is hard to believe in a 2:21 minute action film. B-story elements drag on way too long and not enough time dedicated to any real connected plotline of the bad guy. Tia Carrere’s character came close to providing a more interesting choice, but is quickly benched during sequences that would be better served with more involvement from her character. Still, I don’t suppose we need the life stories of all the baddies that Arnold sends to an early grave, but some kind of backstory would have been more enjoyable than a bland threat of nuclear terrorist attack.

While we still have several months before the March release of the official 4k release, those who cannot wait to see these have been given the option to purchase them digitally. Released on Tuesday, the digital version of True Lies features a UHD 4k 2160p transfer, with Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Dolby Atmos support. Since the unfortunately release of Terminator 2 on 4k, what’s on most people’s minds is the transfer. While I’m much more comfortable rating specific video transfers on physical discs, since streaming is by no means a measure of anything technical, I will give a few thoughts as to what we’ve been presented with so far. The picture overall can look very good at times, sharp and clear. Purists will note the reduction of film grain, which does hurt some sequences and the amount of detail that we see. In fact, there are some sequences that look blurry because of this, very much like the American Graffiti 4k transfer. There are reports that the remaster used AI to digitally touch up the film while removing film grain. I won’t pretend to know the extent in how the process was completed, or even the truth to the claims, but it seems that True Lies won’t be spared the controversy of Cameron’s Terminator 2 release. That being said, this is by no means anywhere close to that debacle, with waxy figures and all grain scrubbed from existence. In fact, there are a few shots in the film that surprised me because the stunt double was so obviously not Arnold, I thought the film had cut to a random baddie. The transfer isn’t the be-all and end-all of all transfers, maybe not what a lot of people hoped for, but for me, the overall experience was still a positive one and something I will definitely be picking up on physical when the 4k disc is released in March.