Review of The Terminator (1984) by Ethan J — 11 Jul 2017

'THE TERMINATOR' was directed by James Cameron and stars Arnold Schwartzeneger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. ?In the not too distant future, the machine have taken over out world and set out to exterminate the human race. The machines send back The Terminator(Arnold Schwartzenger), a cyborg killing machine with one objective: Eliminate Sarah Connor(Linda Hamilton). Rebellion leader, John Connor, sends back Kyle Reese(Michael Biehn) to protect Sarah and defeat The Terminator once and for all!

This movie is awesome. Do I think it's the greatest action or science-fiction movie of all time? God no. It's fantastic for what it is but I don't believe that it is a masterpiece. Needless to say, the acting and action is superb. I mean it is pretty close to perfect in some areas. Cameron's world building is incredible and he is a master at drawing the audience into his world. This movie is fantastic and I highly recommend you see it.

The story is great and very well written. Cameron is seriously a genius at world building and is very in depth at describing this world. That is also one of the movie's downfalls. This in depth world building required a lot of exposition and that doesn't work towards the movie's favour. Obviously a lot of exposition was needed for a new IP of this scale but everything can be toned down a bit and condensed and that is what I wish happened here. The climax is fantastic and possibly one of the best ever put to film. I wont spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched it but I can assure you it is awesome. I wasn't too impressed by the ending because I predicted it but if you were, I wont take that away from you. It's a good ending I just saw it coming.

Schwarzenegger is cold, calculating and ruthless. I love it. The Terminator is one of the greatest antagonists in movie history and nothing can take that title away from him. The fact that he is relentless is terrifying and Schwarzenegger really sells that side of the character. Truly a masterclass of character creation.

Linda Hamilton was great as Sarah Connor and I really bought her arc from the beginning of the movie to the end. She starts as a bumbling waitress with a lot to live up to but slowly evolves into that legend and that is mostly down to Hamilton's awesome performance. She was the 80s Ripley. That is probably the best way of putting it.

Michael Biehn was surprisingly great as Kyle Reese. The point of his character was primarily to deliver exposition to the audience which isn't exactly great character work but aside from that he's an interesting human being that has a fascinating background that isn't really explained but is clear through Biehn's brilliant performance.

Technically speaking, this is a very well done movie. Aside from one messy semi-action sequence in the middle, I was very pleased with how the movie was shot and edited. The lighting is fantastic. Costume design is great. Set design is fantastic. The visual effects in this movie are mind-blowing and all effects used on The Terminator should be retroactively awarded an Oscar.

It is also one of the most quotable movies in history. 'Come with me if you want to live' and 'I'll be back' are arguably two of the greatest lines of dialogue ever uttered on screen. The quote 'Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there, it cant be bargained with, it cant be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop...EVER, until you are dead!' is one of my favourite lines of dialogue in film history and is truly the definition of perfection. It gives me chills whenever I hear it and is a work of art as far as writing goes.

Brad Fiedel's score for this movie is awesome and I absolutely treasure the score that signals impending doom from The Terminator. It is fantastic and I cannot praise that score any more. It is brilliant and I absolutely adore it.

The action is awesome in this movie. The car chase scene, the police station sequence, the masterpiece that is the climax; these are all truly great scenes that elevate this movie above the rest. They lack the fun aspect that most other action movie's possess but that doesn't make it any less awesome.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. Comparing the tone of this review and the rating may imply that my rating was too harsh but the flaws I mentioned earlier on are my only genuine flaws with this movie. I cannot flaw this movie any more and it is truly excellent. I highly recommend you see this movie. I'll rate it 8 'I'LL BE BACKS' out of 10.