The Terminator

1984 • 107 minutes

About this movie

A cyborg is sent from the future on a deadly mission. He has to kill Sarah Connor, a young woman whose life will have a great significance in years to come. Sarah has only one protector - Kyle Reese - also sent from the future. The Terminator uses his exceptional intelligence and strength to find Sarah, but is there any way to stop the seemingly indestructible cyborg ?

Ratings and reviews

The premise stimulated me already, because the film's title character could represent any calamity in the future, and the storyline is a subtle parable that tells us that we have to be prepared for the calamity, figure out how to get out of it, and move on in the future. "The Terminator" is exactly what I could possibly desire in a movie like this, and I am satisfied indeed. James Cameron (director/writer) and Gale Anne Hurd (producer/co-writer) created an action/thriller/horror hybrid so intelligent and so satisfying, it compels me to wish that they must do a collaboration with this kind of genre more often. In spades, "The Terminator" is suspenseful; the suspenseful elements came in all shapes and sizes; mostly the former has instantaneous suspense, some are gripping with an atmospheric tone that intensifies slowly, and some have a gripping tone that lets my guard down for a while. When the movie offers the surprises, the results are absolutely shocking; most often, they strike an effective fusion between impactful action and shocking horror. "The Terminator" is loaded with action sequences that are exhilarating and harrowing; there are a lot of frantic shootouts and high-energy breakneck chases with all kinds of transportations on the road. There are even some witty unintentional humor as well. Adam Greenberg (cinematographer) shot some haunting imagery that has been supported by the slick screenplay. The screenplay emphasizes the action with lots of lightening-fast camera cuts to keep the energy going with incredible stamina, not to mention that the editing by Mark Goldblatt is thorough and slick. The brilliant writing has everything; quick-witted dialogue, tons of well-utilized ideas, and of course one intimidating quote (all be back). From one bracing scene after another, the filmmaking duo provided so much vitality to execution; the gripping craftsmanship is packed with moments that kept me breathless for every single second throughout the entire film. The score is composed by Brad Fiedel, and he performed the score on a synthesizer entirely. The sprightly synthesized score adds gravity to every element; the score sounds tender and affecting during the pathos and the romantic scenes. During the action sequences, the score sounds intense with swift driving force. And every time when the movie pans to the title character, the score sounds ominous with the sound of a bass drum with four beats at a time. The smartly-constructed characterizations are full of surprises, because of how vigorous, skilled, and intelligent they are; Michael Biehn plays Kyle Reese, a futuristic informative soldier who is exceedingly desperate to protect a nineteen-year-old waitress named Sarah Connor, because she has a son named John Conner in the future, so he goes back in time to protect her at all costs. The combination of his highly dramatic performance and sympathetic background, he is a persuasive protagonist that I strongly care for. And I must add that he also loves German Shepherds due to the fact that they are loyal guard dogs. Linda Hamilton plays Sarah Connor; she may be a damsel-in-distress, but she is smart, supportive, and brazen. These two protagonists add compelling charm as they grow into a likable sympathetic couple, and their chemistry is engaging; they support each other, they both have brains and brawn, and they talk to each other to eventually develop a romantic bond. Arnold Schwarzenegger is superb as the title character himself; He is on a murderous rampage, and he is on the hunt for Sarah Connor to assassinate her. This menacing powerhouse is a daunting opponent on so many levels: he is invincible, relentless, heavily armed, and has brilliant brains and brutal brawn with no soul, no pity, and no mercy at all. In his true form as a cyborg, he looks creepy. The cyborg is used by an astonishing use of practical effects, miniatures, and stop motion animation to bring the cyborg to life. In conclusion: fast and breathtaking, "The Terminator" is a miraculous masterpiece that is full of adrenaline.

This has to be one of my all time favourite sci fi films. I was a kid when I first saw this, and the endoskeleton reveal at the end gave me nightmares. I own the original dvd, the steel book remaster and the bluray... That's how much I love it. It's a moot point, but I think that T1 is a vastly superior film to its bloated and drawn out sequel, and for me, the stripped back and lean story, the dark visuals, the hunter and prey angle, and the terrifying robot finale just knock it out of the park.

I saw this first, in the 80s, before T2. This movie was and still is thrilling, terrifying and totally captivating. Arnold speaks very little and is a violent killing machine. Not the knee-cap only, thumbs up good guy of T2. This is the original story, with a truly 80s sensibility of an apocalyptic future war where you really feel the human exisistence is on the brink of extinction. Low-budget cinema artistry at its finest! Jim Cameron had 6 million dollars and made a 78 million $ masterpiece💯