“In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created ‘THE TERMINATOR’“
Pithy.
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Conan the Barbarian, Terminator: Genisys), Michael Biehn (Abyss), Linda Hamilton (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen (seriously, have I really not reviewed a single movie with Lance Henriksen in?)
In the unimaginably far-flung future of 2029, with humanity on the verge of victory against a remorseless, mechanical foe, the Machines send an assassin back in time to destroy the leader of the human resistance. That leader is the unborn son of LA waitress Sarah Connor (Hamilton), and the assassin is the unrelenting engine of death known as the Terminator (Schwarzenegger).
John Connor (Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film) sends one of his soldiers, Kyle Reese (Biehn), back in time to protect his mother. While LA cops Traxler (Winfield) and Vukovich (Henriksen) believe the deaths of women named Sarah Connor is the work of an ordinary serial killer, but Sarah soon finds herself on the run with only the traumatised Reese for protection and company, as the Terminator tears apart her world and hounds her to a final, fatal confrontation.
What’s wrong with it?
As a note, that’s the late Bill Paxton and Brian Thompson, bad movie superstars in their own rights.
Made on an absolute shoestring (about $7 million, as compared to about $30 million for the original Ghostbusters and $40 million for Dune,) the effects are a bit clunky, although in all fairness, they hold up better on the big screen than some more recent movies, especially ones that rely more heavily on CGI than on practical work.
The acting – not so much from the featured players, but from the speaking extras – is atrocious.
It’s just so… 80s.
What’s right with it?
No-one was going to win any Oscars for this, but there’s a reason that this is the movie that the three leads are still known for. Hamilton’s fear, desperation and ultimate resilience are a palpable screen presence, even if her line delivery isn’t always perfect. This role – and that line – have basically defined Schwarzenegger’s career for the past thirty-five years.
Biehn was never better than as the beautiful, fractured boy-soldier Reese, a role which once looked to propel him to the A-list before a decade of hit-and-miss parts left him as a reliable supporting veteran.
The conceptual conceits of the film seem kind of old hat now, but the twisty time travel plot, the limitations on the technology which tie into Reese’s credibility, and even casting Schwarzenegger – established in Conan the Barbarian as pretty much the ur-example of the 80s unstoppable hero – as a villain, transforming a reassuringly relentless figure into an image of remorseless menace, were pretty inventive in 1984.
And seriously, this film was made in 1984, and holds up as well as most films made in the 90s and 2000s. I saw this on the big screen in the lead up to the release of Dark Fate, and it’s astonishing how good it looks on a screen that is probably larger than any it was ever made for.
It’s just so… 80s.
How bad is it really?
The Terminator is widely regarded as a classic, and with good reason. It’s flawed, but the fact that a movie made for so little money looks like a flawed blockbuster rather than some Asylum direct to video hack job is a testament to the skill and artistry put into its creation. Watching it as an older viewer, I have to say that I had never appreciated the nuances of the relationship between Connor and Reese before now. Neither Hamilton nor Biehn is quite on the money with their lines – probably a result of budgetary constraints to the shooting schedule, which you might expect from a filmmaker of the Roger Corman school, as Cameron was before he started making massive blockbusters like Titanic and Avatar – but their raw emotions carry the performances and their relationship.
Best bit (if such there is)?
The Terminator contains many classic moments, but the sight of the Terminator’s denuded endoskeleton rising from the flames, signalling the shift from action movie to pure horror for the final sequence is still pretty chilling.
What’s up with…?
I really don’t have much to say here, given how much this film has been deconstructed over the years.
Ratings
Production values – Seriously, this is the power of efficient filmmaking and practical effects. Yes, it looks a bit shaky, yes, most of the dialogue looked like it was filmed in one take, but the fact that a low budget movie from 1984 can still cut it on a 2019 cinema screen is damned impressive. 7
Dialogue and performances – The script is strong, and the core players at least are all competent, but it does feel like they weren’t getting many takes. 11
Plot and execution – Aside from a brief preamble, the film is basically a single, extended chase scene, with just enough breaks in the tension that the audience doesn’t become exhausted or jaded. 2
Randomness – I don’t think the names in the phone book are quite the names of the victims. That’s about it. 4
Waste of potential – The Terminator is a strong movie by most standards, and given its budget and the relative inexperience of most of those involved, it’s nothing short of extraordinary. 2
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