The Terminator (1984) – Film Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

“There’s a storm coming.”

the_terminator-poster

Overview

Considering that “Terminator” has become an incredibly popular and influential franchise, it’s interesting to look back on the movie that started it all. As a film, The Terminator is, essentially, a low-budget chase film. Its success is thanks to the rather inspired sci-fi angle of having a futuristic cyborg play the part of the unstoppable predator, immediately lending a palpable aura of invincibility to “The Terminator.” This also allows the film to explore such themes as the dangers of over-reliance on technology as well as the conflict of fate and free will. Admittedly, these explorations are hardly profound or fully addressed in the film, but they are enough to turn what is otherwise a fairly middling plot into a full-blown multi-media franchise.

The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..

Review & Analysis

By now, just about everyone knows about how The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) was sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future resistance leader John Connor. A human agent, named Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is sent to be Sarah’s protectorate and the film chronicles the desperate attempts of Sarah and Kyle to elude The Terminator, as well as the police who, despite the best of intentions, seem merely to do more to get in the way than anything else.

Toss in a few shootouts, car chases and explosions and that’s pretty much the meat of the plot right there. On a technical level, it’s hard to fault the film for these sequences as director James Cameron makes effective use out of these fairly typical Hollywood-action-clichés. But as competently filmed as it is, really, if you’re into chase movies, there’s almost nothing to The Terminator to distinguish it from any other chase film you can watch …

… almost nothing.

But there is that not so small backstory about the future fate of humanity – to be nearly annihilated at the hands of the technology we created as a means of defense. This, too, is not an entirely new or groundbreaking concept. But the merger between the clichés – of sci-fi and action-chases – produces a film that is indelible. It doesn’t hurt that Schwarzenegger’s Terminator performance is riveting and haunting – if not particularly nuanced. There are plenty of iconic moments that have risen to pop-culture status simply through the sheer force of the performance itself.

The character interactions between Sarah and Kyle also add a strong layer of emotion – of humanity – to the film. In a sense, theirs is a journey about finding one’s true purpose and then following that purpose with dedication and conviction. Though a bit hollow, both characters are believable in their roles. And, afterall, this is an action film, not a character sketch. Put simply, rather than being a hindrance, their relationship is part of what elevates the film.

Overall Grade: B

The Terminator gets its mystique from the conceptualization surrounding its plot. What this futuristic idea does is to create a variety of textures and layers to the film that allow audiences to enjoy much more than mindless action. In truth, the film is rather dated. The visual effects, particularly that of the stop-motion robotic Terminator at the end just don’t hold up particularly well. But the value in this film isn’t in its visual effects. Rather, it’s a fun ride of near-misses, shootouts and chases, with enough sci-fi pulp to spark the imagination … and a multi-million-dollar franchise.

Topics: Film Review, Sci-Fi
Filed under: Terminator