A cultural touchstone and terrific plot that wears itself thin after some time has passed

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2014)

The Terminator (1984)
I just saw this first Terminator movie in 2014 for the third time, and I expected something more, and different from it. Naturally, the surprise is gone, and I think the plot idea is maybe the strongest point to the whole movie. The movie is directed with panache, for sureâ€”the effects, the action, the deliberate lack of depth, the epic glossy wow of it all. But it's not a rich movie, it doesn't have depths, it frankly lacks enough to make a second or third viewing worth the trouble. Unless, of course, you are already invested and committed to it for personal reasons.
The first shot, very early in the movie, when the naked Schwarzenegger appears crouched in the urban night, is archetypal and terrific. And then he moves and interacts (still naked, though you don't see that) and the comic element is in place. And here we have the movie, both profound to the point of being moved, and kitschy and puerile, too. It's sort of meant to be a accessible and direct, and that makes it a great first viewing. The plot is certainly loaded with big (huge) twists and mind-bending ideas. And we want so much for right to triumph over evil.
You have to ask eventually about the acting. Maybe we need a stiff automaton in the role of the robotic machine that is known as the "terminator" (a cyborg). So the future governor of California is off the hook. But the other main lead, the woman known so well as Sarah Connor, is a so-so actress. No way around the plain approach she has to being a regular girl caught up in the largest story possible. The other time-traveller, a human played by Michael Biehn, is pure nuts and bolts stuff, too. In fact, it's hard to really love any of the performances, except maybe the police chief.
All of this boils down to a movie that scores very high on concept and on the basic effects. This is what drives it to stardom. But leave it at that. Love it for what it is, plain and simple. James Cameron, the lauded and wealthy director in charge, is no genius here, but is very very able. That's a back-handed compliment, for sure. But lovers of Kubrick or Ridley Scott know what I mean.
A re-alignment of the stars for this one. Over time.