Interesting to see Arnold as the villain!

Rating: 9/10 (16 February 2015)

This is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature movies, where he stars as a cyborg sent from 2029 to 1984 by the machines to assassinate waitress Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) so she would not give birth do John Connor. John will eventually lead humanity against the machines in a nuclear war.
This is an exhilarating movie from start to finish, gaining steam right from the beginning when the Terminator appears almost immediately, wreaking havoc in the city, followed by the appearance of Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), who begins his mission to protect Sarah Connor. From the human chases to Arnold's catchy one-liners, and from the mysterious war to the explosions, this film has a suspenseful story by James Cameron, solid direction by James Cameron and an amazing, believable display of sci-fi effects by the Special and Visual Effects teams.
The dreary atmosphere of the war-torn world under the hands of the machines gives you an eerie feeling of what might happen in a futuristic world and the mysterious plot line/mission as described by Kyle Reese gives the film its dramatic and intriguing element. And, Biehn and Hamilton had some good on-screen chemistry and Schwarzenegger is hilarious with his one-liners and proves he is a destructive force to be reckon with; after seeing Arnold as the butt-kicking action hero in many films, it is interesting and almost out-of-this-world to see him play the villain!
The acting was good for the most part, though I thought Hamilton was a little too reserved at times. Brad Fiedel's music score needed a more mysterious and sci-fi feel, though I did like the Terminator theme, and some of the action scenes were a little overkill. But overall, this is a one of the most iconic films in cinema history and and is a must-see for any action and sci-fi movie fans.
Grade A-