Read with me if you want to live...

Rating: 7/10 (28 August 2003)

The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present.
Tonight...
With those words, the legend was born.
Then the words fade. There are bright flashes. Out of the smoke rises what looks like a human being. But this is no normal human. Before long he yanks the heart out of a punk who refuses to give him his clothes. He feels no pain, no fear, no pity or remorse. He exists for one purpose only. He is THE TERMINATOR.
A few miles away there are more flashes. From the smoke emerges Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a human warrior from the future sent to stop the Terminator from accomplishing his mission.
What is his mission? For forty minutes we are left in suspense, until the full story is told. In the future, an artificial intelligence is facing imminent defeat at the hands the humans, who it nearly drove to extinction. In a last ditch move, it sent the Terminator back to the year 1984.
Its Mission: Kill the future mother of John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. Wipe out his existence entirely so there will be no resistance.
Her name is Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). She is not rich, nor a genius. "I can't even balance my checkbook!" she says, "Do I look like the mother of the future?" But she is. And she is in great danger. Reese has to protect her at all costs, but he could not bring any weapons through the time warp. Nothing dead will travel back through time. How can you stop something that is indestructible?
That, my friends, is the crux of what makes this so great. Bits and pieces of information about the future of mankind are dropped in the film's first half. Eventually we can piece them together. Director James Cameron helps us out with flashbacks, as we see the horrifying battleground of 2029 through the eyes of Kyle Reese.
Once the exposition is done, the story refocuses on the troubles presently facing Connor and Reese. They can only hide so long before the tenacious machine tracks them down...and kills them.
The main element, besides the story, which makes the movie so effective is the way it is directed. Cameron is one of the most gifted directors in the industry, that much is certain, and one of his fortes is pacing. He also co-wrote the script, allowing him to mold the step-by-step action to his directing. The result is a tight, gripping atmosphere with air of mystery and horror mixed in. The story is sound, and builds carefully, with the audience staying involved for both the exposition and the action. There is never a dull moment.
The special effects are not very good, even for that day. The visions of the future are not too slick, and most shots of the Terminator's metal structure look fake at best. Still, Cameron finds a way to give his imagery impact and depth. The musical score is percussion heavy and synthesized, but what makes it work so well is that it's tenacious, subtly embodying the personality of the title character.
As for the acting...well, Cameron is a great director there, too. Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as the Terminator. His most haunting quality is the straight face he keeps while slaughtering anyone who stands in his way. Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn are wholly convincing, making us feel for their plight. The always likable Paul Winfield also gets in on the act as a police lieutenant.
In the end, this is Cameron's movie to win or lose, and he uses all of skills to the fullest. Despite its shortcomings, "The Terminator" is a winner. Perhaps I can finally forgive Cameron for "Titanic."