The Terminator Review

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2017)

I'm going to preface this review by saying that The Terminator is one of my favourite films of all-time. And a film i consider to be a near faultless action/horror masterpiece!
I think by now pop culture and anyone who considers themselves a film buff knows what this story is about. So i'm not going to go into a long winded jaunt into the finer plot elements as they've been done to death already. However I wanted too highlight one area of the film that I don't think gets enough credit. And that would be the phenomenal pacing and editing. In my opinion The Terminator has the best pacing in a film that I've seen, and perhaps one of the best of all-time.
The film starts with a small amount of exposition which is needed. But as soon as the film shifts to the present day the film moves at a thunderous pace and never slows down. Even in the quieter character building scenes the plot is constantly being propelled towards the films endgame.
From the assault on the Police precinct onward the film maintains a constant fluidity of pure action intertwined with deep character motivations. There's not a single dull frame in this film, even after my thirtieth odd watch i'm constantly engaged and sucked into the film, and a-lot of this down to brilliant editing.
The action scenes are also expertly shot and choreographed. The transitions from one set piece to other flow smoothly, never feeling out of place. It's a truly remarkable achievement James Cameron was able to accomplish on such a small budget.
With exception to Mad Max: The Road Warrior I can't think of another action film that's paced to perfection. There are very few films that are able to balance action, character development and world building with as much depth as The Terminator. Editor Mark Goldblatt deserves just as much credit as Cameron got for crafting a flawless action masterpiece.