The Terminator - A Movie Review

We have to hide. It said that it was coming back.

The Terminator landed in theaters in 1984. An indestructible killing cyborg from the future is sent to earth. A human soldier time travels from the year 2029 to 1984 to protect a woman whose future son is the key to humanity's future salvation.

As I have said and continue to learn, always give films outside of your genre a chance. I enjoyed The Terminator more than I thought I would. Now I know where the famous quote, “I’ll be back,” transpired. The Terminator opened the door to a new definition of sci-fi action when first released.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ultimately transformed into a villainous cyborg in human form. He had the opportunity to develop most of his character. To prepare for the role, he worked with operating guns for a month to find the right state of mind.

The way his eyes examined a scene or his stiff body mannerisms were eerily authentic. Based on his character's behavior, Schwarzenegger avoided his castmates. Mastering his motions, his role has become iconic. And he thought it would fail!

Linda Hamilton’s role was not intended to transform women’s roles in action movies. That’s what I like about this film. We need more women action heroes! Sarah is not afraid to fight battles. Hamilton did a great job in all of her scenes, even ignoring an injury she sustained to film the climax.

Michael Biehn was engrossing. I like how he delivered monologues. To think he almost didn’t get this role at his audition! I had mixed feelings about Hamilton and Biehn’s relationship. Their interactions were sweet and studied well, but the relationship just felt out of the blue to me for story purposes.

Every actor studied the script closely, analyzing the depths of their characters. No part is small in this film. Credits include the talents of Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich, Bess Motta, Earl Boen, and a short appearance by the late Bill Paxton.

The Terminator was James Cameron’s first vision into his intrusive imagination. The shooting schedule was sporadic. Often, Cameron would take his crew to a location, shoot a quick scene, and then leave because the area required a permit. The script changed several times to accommodate the atmosphere Cameron was going for.

I was floored by the practical effects. Be cautious as some of the effects may be squeamish for some viewers. The makeup effects were fantastic. One specific model took six months to create. Some CGI effects are noticeable but still hold up today. Schwarzenegger actually forgot to remove his makeup when he went out to a restaurant!

Working on The Terminator was a physical exercise. Did you know that the car chase scenes were filmed at normal speed and then sped up in post-production? Most stunts had the be choreographed in specific scenes so that they’d look real.

There were small moments of comedy. It has time to give characters a chance in the limelight. It’s not just an action film which is what I previously thought.

The Terminator is an intense film which I was not expecting. I gasped at the end at the revelation of the appearance of the terminator. Sci-fi has always been a unique genre in film. What changes can you make in the film world?

Nobody thought that The Terminator would be a big hit when it was released. It changed the world of sci-fi. Watch The Terminator if you have not seen it. It’s an exciting action film that I would watch again.