The Terminator

I am really excited for this month. Since the latest Terminator movie came out 2 days ago, I would like to finally give all of you my thoughts on the “Terminator” franchise. This is going to be great because I am finally going to get the chance to review this series, which is one of the best movie series out there, period. Instead of prolonging this, I will start off “Terminator Month” with the first “The Terminator” movie, released in 1984.

James Cameron came up with the story and co-wrote the story and screenplay with William Wisher Junior, who would go on to script doctor “Die Hard with a Vengeance” and “Live Free or Die Hard.” Gale Allen Hurd produced it and also did some script editing. Cameron was new in the business and needed to convince multiple studios to fund the script. He took some instructions on the script, but he none the less gave very detailed directions to the actors and cinematographers, and got to work with only a limited interference. He had to work on a 4 million dollar budget, but eventually it was raised to 6.5 million. Stan Winston provided the puppetry for the film and Brad Fiedel provided a wonderful score.

The film has a really interesting story. It deals with a complex cat and mouse game and a building mystery of why Kyle Reese and the Terminator are after Sarah Connor. It also seamlessly gives us all the needed exposition, explaining how the time travel works, which is very creative. It is a one way portal and only living tissue can pass through. It also gives us an interesting Terminator that is not indestructible, but still very strong. We see them create make shift weapons, and in a clever twist, the news plays an important part. It shows a future war scenario, where people were taken by surprise and most humans were killed, while the remaining ones were imprisoned. It builds a real mythology, showing people were captured and experimented on, and that John Connor led them to escape and unite and they lived in dire circumstances and constant fear. Many were traumatized. They created an infiltrator Terminator, and these had rubber skin, but the newer ones look and feel real. John Connor is nicely never shown and made a mysterious hero. The film has many deep thematic layers. It analyses how people are too superficial and quick to act violently, as The Terminator is confronted by bullies, Sarah is dumped, Kyle Reese chased by the police, and they easily steal weapons. It shows how unprepared we are for destruction and over reliant on technology. They also nicely show time travel while keeping it ambiguous whether we can change time, as John told Sarah that she could. However, it is a time paradox. 

Even the romance between Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor was destined. Or was it? Kyle loved her because John Connor gave him a picture of her and he could never really open his feelings, but he none the less really cares for him. Destiny is shown to have both good and bad sides and it is summed up well by Sarah saying that for the few hours they were together, they loved a lifetimes worth. 

The film has really strong characters. Kyle Reese is tough, professional, dark, brooding, violent, honest, yet also romantic, sweet and idealistic. He learned to disconnect himself due to all the pain he suffered and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Michael Biehn plays him very well with dimension, depth and sincerity. Sarah Connor is insecure, awkward, joyful, yet aimless, warm, motherly, scared, yet supportive, and sad, as well as naive. Linda Hamilton adds real tenderness while also making her strong and intense. The romance between them is great. Sarah is nervous, skeptical, average and whiney, but has a lot of inner strength Kyle brings out in her. He helps her fulfill her destiny, and although they don`t know each other for long, he got to care for her through a picture that was a symbol of hope, and by serving Sarah`s son, who is also his son. He believes he merely serves John and fate, but he ends up saving the world. Sarah, at first, thinks she is crazy, but comes to believe in him. He eventually helps her become calmer and they can even have moments of playfulness together. They come together for a time, and he gives his life for Sarah. She helps bring out his softer side. She was always looking for love and now found it in an unexpected place. Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfect as the Terminator. With few lines, he also makes for an interesting character. He is calculating, merciless, determined, rude, tough, cold, surprising and fast. The Terminator was described by James Rolfe as a slasher villain, which I can see where he is coming from. You could compare him to Michael Myers, the way he goes around killing everyone by the name of Sarah Conner the same way Michael Myers goes around the first “Halloween” movie killing all of the baby-sitters before he comes to Laurie Strode.

The dialogue is also really good. The deep conversations between Sarah and Kyle on how she feels she can`t handle everything, how Kyle sees more in her, and how they both feel alone were all great. The same goes for how Kyle Reese told Sarah about how he would die for John. Who can forget the famous Schwarzenegger line in this movie: “I’ll be back.” That’s like his signature catchphrase in a lot of his movies. Actually, all of the lines said by Schwarzenegger are actually top notch for this movie.

The film is very gritty and realistic, and has a very dark shadowy cinematography. It has really suspenseful atmosphere, very energetic direction, and very raw lighting. You could compare this movie to a horror film, and there are elements of horror in it, although it is a science fiction action film. The music is robotic, dark and emotional. The special effects are magnificent for both the time and the budget. It still holds up really well now. The car chases, shootouts, set destruction, spaceships, they all still look great. It delivers as both a thrilling action film, and a deep romance, and also as a sophisticated science fiction film. It also mixes in film noir and real horror elements. It totally deserves its 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. For a B movie, it was a huge hit, earning $78 million, and it did very well in rentals and VHS sales. Its reception was more mixed at the time, but its esteem grew with time. It is a masterpiece so go see it. I rate this movie with a plain 10/10.

With that said, I simply cannot do this film justice with my review. You should just simply go out and see the movie if you haven’t. This is one of the best movies ever made (possibly one of my favorites) and I definitely say that this movie gets a high recommendation. It is "that" good. I hope that I was able to bring some light into my review on this movie. Also, I want to credit reviewreviewer1 for sending these thoughts since he and I are both fans of "The Terminator Franchise."

What can be said about the sequels to this movie? There is only one way to find out. Stay tuned next week when I talk about the best sequel in this franchise. I’m really looking forward to reviewing that because it fits very well with “Terminator Month.”