The Terminator (1984)

The Terminator (1984)


The Terminator is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic science-fiction movies of all-time. It may not be my favorite (it’s still high up on my list), but there is no denying the influence the film had for filmmakers and moviegoers alike. The studio, Orion, originally saw this film as a flop, but it was moderately successful on a limited budget. It spawned a sequel that brought the property to a mass audience, which it turn created more sequels of varying degrees of success. Even in today’s world, this is a beloved film that has a wide audience.

The film brought forth the Hollywood careers of many people. The top of the list is director James Cameron. It took people time to see he was the real deal. With the tight budget given to him, Cameron was able to make most of what he had. His movie, which he also wrote, has some very dark themes. What will the world look like with the rapid acceleration of technology and what would happen if there was nuclear war? I think Cameron answers these questions very well, which may also be one of the reasons why the film resonates in the mind of viewers today.

I love the look and the design of the movie. Most of the filming took place at night hence the darkness. The special effects may be outdated in today’s terms, but keep in mind there was a small budget. Still, they are good enough to make the scenes believable. I still remember seeing The Terminator and Kyle Reese appear on screen, from the future, with those lightning bolts and Brad Fiedel’s amazing theme. This could have been cheesy in the hands of a lesser director, but Cameron made it work. Unlike subsequent sequels, he made an incredibly wise choice to shoot the film like a horror thriller. Yeah, there are very intense, horrific moments here to behold. Those robots look really intense and scary.

In the year 2029, the entire world has been conquered by manmade machines. These machines send a ruthless assassin, known as the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to 1984 Los Angeles, where his mission is to kill the person who holds the key to the future of mankind; Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). The human resistance sends one of their own, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) to 1984 to stop the cyborg from completing his mission. The Terminator will not stop until his mission is complete and he will destroy anyone and anything that stands in his way.

The acting can be clunky at times, but it works in everyone’s favor. Despite the success of Conan the Barbarian, Cameron was hesitant in hiring Schwarzenegger. The casting worked out in everyone’s favor though. He only had seventeen lines of dialogue and they were delivered in a robotic voice, which is, you know, perfect for a robot. His intimidation and presence are what makes his character so unique. When we are introduced to him, we see him go up against the dumb punk leader (played by a wonderful, young Bill Paxton) and give him a much-deserved beatdown. That is how we know Arnold was the right man. This is Michael Biehn’s first big role and he has some great moments of dialogue. I was on the fence with Linda Hamilton. On one hand, her character irked me in the beginning. But as the movie progresses, I warmed up to her character and was rooting for her by the film’s end. There are some solid supporting roles from Dick Miller and Lance Henriksen.

The music is another reason why we are enthralled and captivated. This is Fiedel’s first film score, and Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd almost passed on him due to his inexperience, but he was able to show them how talented he is. The synth score and those drums combine to create one of the most iconic scores of all time. Yep, it is something that you can easily hum.

The success of The Terminator surprised everyone in 1984. Should it really considering the talent of the people behind the film? Science fiction was not big on Hollywood’s mind despite the success of Alien and Star Wars. The genre will begin to make a comeback thanks to the aforementioned films and this one. James Cameron rose to the A-list director list and Schwarzenegger became a superstar and his line “I’ll be back” is the line that everyone loves to imitate including myself. I really, really enjoyed this sci-fi action/horror flick. It is violent, has many great lines, zips along at a fast pace, and one of those films you will remember as an instant classic.

My Grade: A

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