EXTERMINATOR 2 From Shout Factory

      

     In a sort of surprising announcement Shout Factory is going to release this 1984 sequel to director James Glickenhaus' 1980 urban revenge classic on Blu-ray. Directed and produced by the original films producer Mark Buntzman, its while admittedly not as entertaining as the first, it is on the other hand not as bad as its reputation would warrant.
    It features some solid work by the always reliable Ginty (whose even more stoic here then in the first one) and he does get to break out the flamethrower and helmet attire that was featured on the 1980 poster art - but never in the actual movie
   Returning as Vietnam vet John Eastman (seemingly free & clear of the CIA plot from the previous film), Ginty fires up the flamethrower to help out a soldier buddy who has a run in with a gang led by Mario Van Pebbles. A troubled production, Cannon was unhappy with Buntzman's initial cut and re-shot a good chuck of the movie in Los Angeles with William Sachs directing the new footage. The budget ballooned to $3,000,000 as a NYC garbage truck had to be brought in to match existing footage and the studio began a protracted job of editing everything together with the initial cut garnering an "X" rating before the violence was toned down a bit for an "R".  
    As to be expected the finished product has a definite "Frankenseined" feel to it, but is helped by the presence of Ginty and the violence while trimmed still packs a wallop.
    Shout had previously released this as part of their DVD "4 Packs" and will drop this new Blu-ray on  April 25. Aside from a p[previously released commentary by Buntzman and Van Peebles, no word yet on any more on extras or restored footage. The trailer makes extensive use of footage that does not appear in the released version.