Review of The Terminator (1984) by Matt C — 21 Jun 2015

An absolute masterpiece of science fiction cinema that took risks and pulled no punches in giving us a brutal, inventive, and groundbreaking film that still holds up amazingly today! I was lucky enough to revisit this film on the big screen and it is an experience I will cherish forever as I grew up with this film on home video and never got the chance to see it any other way.

James Cameron blew everyone away with his apocalyptic story of man vs. machines and this being only his second film with a modest budget of $6 million; he convinces you he's been making films for years! The plot is brilliant; the enemy using time travel to kill the mother of their foe before he is born is pure perfection and the use of flashbacks to show glimpses of the future war were handled expertly.

The actors too really give it their all with star-making performances from Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, and of course, my favourite, Arnold Schwarzenegger who made cinema history with three little words, "I'll be back"! Arnold embodies the Terminator convincingly and his brute stature help sell him as an opposing threat, his limited range at the time worked in his favour! The special effects are also a marvel to look at with some truly gross scenes of the Terminator performing self-surgery and some great uses of puppets, animatronics, and stop-motion in the climax.

The Terminator is an iconic film that everyone should see; especially with a fifth entry in the franchise on the horizon.