A classic

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2015)

The modern classics of science fiction have been able to infuse crowd- pleasing action scenes with truly thought-provoking and clever concepts. From the chillingly violent social commentary of Paul Verhoeven's Robocop to the stylish and brainy conceits of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, few genres are able to balance the scales so well, yet depressingly so seldom. One such classic was unleashed in 1984 under the title The Terminator. It stars well-known action star Arnold Schwarzenegger and is directed by then-unknown James Cameron, and would soon become a world-wide sensation.
Sarah Connor is having a bad day. She's late for work, has tons of awful customers to contend with, and has just learned that two women have been murdered; women with the exact same name as her. If I told you that the murderer was a massive cyborg who was sent back through time to assassinate the eventual mother of humanity's last hero, you'd probably think I was describing something less than brilliant. You'd be wrong. The stunningly clever framework that Cameron provides (he also wrote the script) is only one of the many delightful aspects of The Terminator.
Sarah has a hero. Also sent from the future, Kyle Reese appears to thwart the Terminator's attempts and protect Sarah at all costs. Through a seemingly unending series of chases, Reese explains the truth to Sarah, and the two of them promptly set off to... avoid the homicidal robot at all costs. Throw in some unfortunate hooligans who unwisely mock the hulking beast, an oversexed roommate, a disco full of mid-'80s dancers and a barracks full of the most unlucky cops ever caught on film, and you have the ingredients for one dark and violent thrill ride.
As the Terminator, Schwarzenegger (Commando) shines. With very few lines of dialogue to worry about, Schwarzenegger can concentrate on that cold dark stare and a truly menacing presence. Though he's played a hero more times than I can count, Arnold delivers his most entertaining performance ever as the unstoppable beast. Linda Hamilton (Children of the Corn) is strong as Sarah, starting out rather ditzy and weak before displaying some real guts later on. As Reese, Michael Biehn (Aliens) hits the right "action-hero" buttons, and while he falters a bit in the movie's more tender moments, that's okay, because Biehn's a cool actor... and the "tender moments" last about three minutes in total.
With one of the more clever sci-fi screenplays of the last part of the 20th century, and some truly exciting action sequences, Terminatorevery bit as good as you might have heard. While many feel that the sequel is the better film, I'd contend that Terminator 2 was merely more expensive. If you're building yourself a digital sci-fi collection, this movie should definitely be on your Top Ten list.