Classic science fiction movie

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2019)

This review contains spoilers.
'The Terminator' is a science fiction movie that premiered in 1984. The movie is directed by James Cameron and written by James Cameron, and Gale Anne Hurd. The movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The movie is about a cyborg assassin sent back in time to kill a mother before she gives birth to a son that will win the war against the machines.
The Terminator is a solid science fiction action movie. There are many great action scenes across its 107 minutes of running time. The movie uses the action scenes to great effect by tying it in with the plot. The action is not loud and dumb but makes sense for what the movie is trying to convey. None of the action scenes are too over the top as they make sense for a resistance fighter in Kyle Reese played by Michael Biehn to be trying to stop a futuristic cyborg. The movie has the characters utilize commonly available transportation and weapons to battle the cyborg. Likewise, the terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, utilizes everything it can to track down and terminate Sarah Connor. The cyborg has a logical pattern to track down and kill the mother. The plan made sense and it was interesting to watch scenes from the cyborg's point of view.
The performances by the main cast in Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn are excellent. Arnold plays the robotic cyborg incredibly well. There is not much range to be expected but he is able to convey the action scenes well. Linda Hamilton is great as Sarah Connor. She starts as a waitress that must ascend to protecting the future. This arc is a classic one in storytelling and it makes for an interesting shift in the formula by making the entire journey a self-fulfilling prophecy. Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese does an excellent job attempting to protect and save Sarah Connor. As a futuristic resistance fighter, he is portrayed on the screen as a fish out of water when he is in the past.
The action in the movie is great in both the visual and audio effects. There are many practical effects that the movie uses and it adds much to the overall movie. I enjoyed that the movie was produced with a rather grounded use of props and vehicles. Nothing felt out of place in this movie. The action set pieces are incredibly solid.
The movie does have interesting questions that it asks. The movie utilizes time travel as a plot device. In many cases, time travel can ruin the plot. In this movie, the time travel is a centerpiece of this story. The entire reason why the future happens is because of the time traveling cyborg and resistance fighter. The events in the future simply would not have happened if both of these characters did not time travel. The movie likes to ask this question about the time paradox and does not present an answer. It makes the movie stronger as a result as it appeared the world was in a loop.
I highly recommend 'The Terminator.'
Grade: A