The Terminator is a great science fiction film that crosses into other genres as well

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2006)

The Terminator, one of James Cameron's greatest films, has everything that you could look for in a movie. It has romance, science fiction, horror, and action all rolled into one fantastic film. There isn't much let up, much like Aliens, a film made two years later and also one of his best.
Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton in one of her best roles) has no idea what's in store for her. She a waitress just trying to get by, but her life's about to be turned upside down. Unknown to her in the present she is, in the not too distant future, going to give birth to a son named John Connor who will be an influential leader in the year 2029 and help the rebels defeat the machines and the super computer Skynet.
Skynet knows this and sends one of it's virtually indestructible cyborgs (Arnold Swarzennegger in his greatest role) back to Sarah Connor's present to kill her before she can conceive. However the rebels have sent one of their own back to protect her, a man named Reese (Michael Biehn). What follows is one of the most creative concepts for a movie. This movie is filled with almost non-stop action, and on top of all that it is a romance as well as a science fiction or horror movie. Take your pick.
The acting in this film is great, and Cameron's pacing is perfect in that he knows when to slow down and when to pick it back up. My only problem with the movie was some of the special effects now seem dated. However, you got to realize that this movie was made back in 1984, so I can forgive it that much.
This is one of my favorite films, and it is probably Swarzennegger's best movie to date. Yes I like Terminator 2, but it wasn't quite as good as the original even though the special effects had, of course, improved.
Some of the concepts of time seem a little much. But you have to realize that this is, at its heart, mainly a science fiction film, and one of the best ever made. I loved it and would recommend it to anybody.