The Terminator (1984) Orion/Action-Sci-Fi RT: 107 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, gruesome and disturbing images, brief nudity and sexuality) Director: James Cameron Screenplay: James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd Music: Brad Fiedel Cinematography: Adam Greenberg Release date: October 26, 1984 (US) Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich, Bess Motta, Dick Miller, Earl Boen, Franco Columbu, Bill Paxton, Brian Thompson, Brad Rearden. Box Office: $38.3M (US)/$78.3M (World)
Rating: ****
If Conan the Barbarian established Arnold Schwarzenegger as a reliable action hero, the sci-fi-actioner The Terminator made him a bona fide movie star. Made for only $6.4 million and directed by a newcomer named James Cameron whose only previous credit was Piranha II: The Spawning, it came out of nowhere to be one of the year’s biggest hits. It went on to be the mother of five sequels and a TV series.
Schwarzenegger, in a rare bad guy turn, plays a cyborg sent to 1984 from a post-apocalyptic future to kill the mother, Sarah Connor (Hamilton, Children of the Corn), of a future resistance leader. At the same time, resistance soldier Kyle Reese (Biehn, The Fan) arrives to protect Sarah from the cyborg, known in 2029 as a “Terminator”. His sole function is to kill humans. We’re informed in the opening titles that humanity is all but extinct, the result of a nuclear holocaust triggered by an AI defense network created by humans called Skynet. Machines like Terminators were created by Skynet to finish the job.
It takes a little while for the two time travelers to find Sarah in L.A. Arnie goes though all the Sarah Connors in the phone book, prompting a police investigation into the brutal slayings. Luckily, Reese finds her around the same time as the T-101 and saves her in the nick of time. The rest of The Terminator is a killer game of cat-and-mouse with Reese and Sarah constantly on the run as the murderous cyborg hunts his prey. The future must be protected or else.
Simply put, The Terminator is one of the greatest action movies ever made. This is mainly due to its indestructible villain. Reese puts it best when he explains to Sarah what they’re up against: “It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.” He’s not kidding. Nothing stops this thing, NOTHING! He takes out an entire police station’s worth of cops like it’s nothing. This scene contains an important historical moment. It’s the first time Ah-nuld utters the line that would become his calling card, “I’ll be back.” Speaking of trademark lines, The Terminator is also the first time he says “f*** you, a**hole.” It’s actually a funny scene.
Arnie is AWESOME in the title role; that’s all that needs to be said. Hamilton is similarly awesome as a potential victim who finds her inner bad ass. Biehn does solid work as the hero of the tale, one with a personal stake in the outcome of the present situation. His relationship with Sarah gives The Terminator its human element.
An already solid cast is made better by Paul Winfield (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) and Lance Henriksen (Damien: Omen II) as the cops looking into the “Phone Book Murders”. Both of them are great character actors. Look also for Bill Paxton (Aliens) and Brian Thompson (Cobra) as punks who have the misfortune of crossing paths with the Terminator when he first arrives in ’84. He’s fully naked and in need of clothes. You can see where this is going, right? Roger Corman regular Dick Miller cameos as a gun shop owner.
The special effects are very good, top-notch for the time. The futuristic scenes are relentlessly grim and ugly with frightened people hiding in underground strongholds, weeping and moaning as they hunt down rats for food. Above ground, soldiers do battle with big flying machines called HKs (Hunter-Killers). SPOILER ALERT! My favorite effect in The Terminator is the metallic endoskeleton beneath the cyborg’s “flesh”. Cameron employs stop-motion for scenes of it coming after our heroes. Looking at it now, it confirms what I’ve long said about old school effects looking better than CGI. It’s amazing what Cameron accomplished with only $6 million.
While Conan the Barbarian is still my favorite Schwarzenegger movie (as well as favorite all-time movie), The Terminator is pure excellence. It’s as close to perfection as an action movie can get. It has a ton of action and violence. The cinematography by Adam Greenberg is just right for the material. I like that it’s set in the L.A. punk scene. Brad Fiedel’s score is brilliant. The songs on the soundtrack- e.g. “Burnin’ in the Third Degree”- are a perfect fit. The Terminator is that rare movie that doesn’t make a single misstep. It’s fun, intelligent, funny and thrilling in equal measures. Man, it ROCKS!
