With the upcoming release of Terminator Genisys just around the corner, I decided to revisit James Cameron's 1984 original that started the iconic science fiction series. I've lost count of how many times I've seen this film over the years, spanning different home video formats that include VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and even a theatrical screening to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary. Needless to say, I am a pretty big fan of the film and consider it to be one of the highlights in Cameron's long and successful career in Hollywood.
Made on a relatively low budget at $6.4 million, the film's story is fairly simple: In the year 2029, a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back to Los Angeles in the year 1984 in order to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will become the leader of the resistance in the future war against the machines. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is a member of that resistance who is also sent back from the year 2029 in order to protect Sarah Connor from the cyborg assassin known as the Terminator. As Sarah eventually learns from Reese, the Terminator is an unstoppable force that cannot be dealt or bargained with in any conventional terms, which results in a relentless chase that puts the two protagonists in the cross-hairs of Schwarzenegger's unstoppable antagonist throughout the duration of the film's 107 run time.
One of the things that becomes only more noticeable with each viewing of this film is the tone. Unlike in the other films, with the exception of parts of 2009's Terminator Salvation, this is by far the darkest entry in the series and the only one that really gets across an atmosphere that could be labeled as sinister. The film's gritty and violent aesthetic is something that is largely associated with this era of action filmmaking, which likely signifies a key difference between this film and it's 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which, despite the R-rating and James Cameron back behind the camera once again, feels like a family-friendly film compared to this one. This darker and more violent tone is likely what divided some critics upon the film's initial release, with Sid Smith's review in the Chicago Tribune calling the film "at times horrifyingly violent and suspenseful; at others it giggles at itself."
What is perhaps most remarkable about the film, three decades removed from its initial theatrical release, is how it so easily combines several genres into one story. Borrowing elements from the action, horror, science fiction and even romance genres, it's easy to see several of the cinematic influences that helped shape the film as it was being developed. The grim depiction of the future and tightly-edited action sequences are reminiscent of those in George Miller's 1981 post-apocalyptic film The Road Warrior; the sense of dread and paranoia similarly evokes Ridley Scott's 1979 science fiction-horror film Alien; and there's even a bit of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic Halloween thrown in the mix with the way the seemingly unkillable Terminator relentlessly pursues Sarah Connor through the nocturnal streets of Los Angeles. The tragic romance between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese also marks a trait that would continue to be featured in many of the director's future works, particularly Titanic and Avatar.
The Terminator is the go-to example of Cameron at his most taut and economical, never allowing the special effects or action spectacle to take over the film's central story. This is something the director has been good at throughout (most of) his filmography, despite the increasingly larger budgets and often groundbreaking use of visual effects in each of his films. Considering the film's fairly low budget for a story that would usually demand to be told with a much larger one, it was necessary for Cameron to rely on a good story in order to make up for some of the admittedly very dated special effects on display. When I saw the film at a screening a couple of years ago, the opening scene with the miniature HK-Aerial in the post-apocalyptic landscape hovering above induced laughs from the audience, as did the stop motion work for the skeletal Terminator towards the end. It's easy to see why, but at the same time the story is strong enough that these things can be easily overlooked.
Aside from the visual effects, which are often the main focus point of any film in the science fiction genre, the performances generally hold up quite well. This film essentially made Arnold Schwarzenegger a household name, and is still the movie series he is best associated with (he was often nicknamed 'the Governator' during his time in office as Governor of California). This is also the film where he utters his most famous line ("I'll be back") and his dominating physical presence makes it easy to see why casting him for the role of the Terminator, rather than Kyle Reese as he initially auditioned for, was the right call to make. It's almost hard to imagine anyone else possibly playing this role. Linda Hamilton is also quite good as Sarah Connor, introduced as a hard-working woman with a lousy day job as a diner waitress. She is a much more vulnerable character in this film than she will turn out to be in the 1991 sequel, where she essentially becomes identical to Reese in her determination and militaristic attitude toward the oncoming apocalyptic scenario that is brought up in this film. Michael Biehn's performance as Kyle Reese has always been the one part of the film I've been a little conflicted on, as he's believable but to a point where it's almost playing like a sort of parody of his character. It's not a bad performance at all, and Biehn generally sells the character and his paranoia quite well, but there are other times where he is so sincere in his line delivery that you almost wish the focus would get back to either Sarah Connor or the Terminator instead. The fact that some of the dialogue is rather hokey, particularly in scenes that are meant to be romantic, doesn't exactly help matters.
All of which comes down to the question: does the film have any drawbacks? Well, as someone who thinks viewing experiences are subjective and that there isn't such a thing as a 'flawless film', the answer would be: of course it does. This is a film that is very much of its time, with some very dated-looking 1980s fashion styles abound in nearly every frame (although, to be fair, this can be leveled at just about any action movie from that decade). The same goes for the music, despite a generally strong and memorable score by Brad Friedel that often works to enhance the tension and dread in individual scenes. Certain tracks off the score sound almost out of place, as if they really belong in a Mortal Kombat video game instead of a motion picture. There is also the final sequence that, despite it's intention of creating a sense of dread at how unstoppable the T-800 machine is, goes arguably one step too far in bringing the machine back to life for a third time before it is finally killed. This was perhaps inspired by the climax of John Carpenter's Halloween, but has since been used (and parodied) so many times that it's a gimmick which more often induces snickers rather than scares from the audience when viewed today.
Still, these are mostly nitpicks rather than actual flaws that disrupt the narrative in any way. As with any movie that deals with time travel, the logic doesn't always hold up that well when put up under close scrutiny, but that's not necessarily the point here. This is a film that's really about the man vs. machine scenario, depicted very literally here in the form of a fast paced sci-fi action thriller. Cameron's screenplay doesn't necessarily dive deep into these kinds of themes, but whatever logic or depth that may not always be evident, the film more than makes up for its relentless pacing and entertainment value. At a brisk 107 minutes, this is perhaps James Cameron's shortest film and it's straightforward, stripped-down simplicity is what continues to give it such replay value all these years later.
Rating: 3.5/4
One of the things that becomes only more noticeable with each viewing of this film is the tone. Unlike in the other films, with the exception of parts of 2009's Terminator Salvation, this is by far the darkest entry in the series and the only one that really gets across an atmosphere that could be labeled as sinister. The film's gritty and violent aesthetic is something that is largely associated with this era of action filmmaking, which likely signifies a key difference between this film and it's 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which, despite the R-rating and James Cameron back behind the camera once again, feels like a family-friendly film compared to this one. This darker and more violent tone is likely what divided some critics upon the film's initial release, with Sid Smith's review in the Chicago Tribune calling the film "at times horrifyingly violent and suspenseful; at others it giggles at itself."
What is perhaps most remarkable about the film, three decades removed from its initial theatrical release, is how it so easily combines several genres into one story. Borrowing elements from the action, horror, science fiction and even romance genres, it's easy to see several of the cinematic influences that helped shape the film as it was being developed. The grim depiction of the future and tightly-edited action sequences are reminiscent of those in George Miller's 1981 post-apocalyptic film The Road Warrior; the sense of dread and paranoia similarly evokes Ridley Scott's 1979 science fiction-horror film Alien; and there's even a bit of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic Halloween thrown in the mix with the way the seemingly unkillable Terminator relentlessly pursues Sarah Connor through the nocturnal streets of Los Angeles. The tragic romance between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese also marks a trait that would continue to be featured in many of the director's future works, particularly Titanic and Avatar.
Still, these are mostly nitpicks rather than actual flaws that disrupt the narrative in any way. As with any movie that deals with time travel, the logic doesn't always hold up that well when put up under close scrutiny, but that's not necessarily the point here. This is a film that's really about the man vs. machine scenario, depicted very literally here in the form of a fast paced sci-fi action thriller. Cameron's screenplay doesn't necessarily dive deep into these kinds of themes, but whatever logic or depth that may not always be evident, the film more than makes up for its relentless pacing and entertainment value. At a brisk 107 minutes, this is perhaps James Cameron's shortest film and it's straightforward, stripped-down simplicity is what continues to give it such replay value all these years later.
Rating: 3.5/4
