Jon Monsarrat review: Perfect SF, plenty of action & intelligent

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2002)

I'm an action film buff, and since a lot of things have blown up since 1984, you'd think that "The Terminator", like "48 Hrs", would now be a little dated. No.
The Terminator takes an interesting science fiction premise and takes it to intelligent, deep heights. While the film won't exactly change your life ("Contact", "Dead Poets Society", "Smoke Signals"), it's a fast-paced trip with wonderful realism.
The plot is incredibly tight (like "Memento" and "Back to the Future"). Every second counts and each character in the film is always doing something that's in character and meaningful. You can also view the film as a pure action film, but there's a lot of depth here. Notice, for example, that The Terminator is always running -- that's how a machine gets its most efficient movement. The acting is terrific, especially by Linda Hamilton, and the story is sort-of really about her character (the "everyman") rises to the challenge.
Buoyed even more by its classic sequel, "The Terminator" is sure to endure and is the best SF film on the 1980s.
Who should see this film:
-- SF fans: a must-see, but it's too scary for young kids
-- action film fans: a must-see, even if you don't like Arnold
-- drama film fans who like to go slumming once in a while.
This film is quite intelligent and I suggest you try it.
I'll give "The Terminator" a 10 out of 10.