An 80's Classic

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2018)

The Terminator (1984) Review
Starring Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sarah Connor (Hamilton) is a push over waitress who gets through her days like every other normal person. A cyborg disguised as a man is sent through time to kill her. He searches through phone books to locate every Sarah Connor he can find ruthlessly killing all of them. Kyle Reese (Biehn) is sent through time to protect her eventually finding her just in time before the cyborg gets to her.
There is great chemistry between the two leads but Arnold steals the show. He was originally going to be the hero but decided to go out of the box by convincing James Cameron to make him the villain. It was a great move because he is considered one of the best villains of all time. With his thick Austrian accent he plays a perfect robot.
Sci-Fi films of the 80s never really took themselves seriously. They were often cheesy and dumb with lousy special effects but The Terminator was a game changer. It took the genre very seriously and it results in a very grounded film. Full of great dramatic moments and some brilliant performances, it really plays around with different genres. It's a relentless neo-noir, chase thriller filled with breathtaking action sequences and eye popping special effects.
Beneath all of this there's drama, suspense and horror. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a scary bastard playing an efficient cold blooded killer who will stop at nothing to complete his mission. There are so many intense action scenes from a nightclub shootout, a car chase through the streets of LA, a police station slaughter and a tense climactic pursuit. All of them are well executed never going on for too long and they never outstay their welcome.
Writer/director James Cameron wrote a superb screenplay with fully fleshed out characters who have great story arcs. Kyle Reese is a seasoned warrior who is put in a fish out of water type scenario. He's a conflicted man who's seen some nasty crap and clearly suffers from PTSD. He's been in some sticky situations before and he's a character we can really root for. Sarah Connor starts out as the damsel in distress who by the end becomes a hardened strong woman prepared for the grim future that awaits.
The music score by Brad Fiedel is tense, emotional, exciting and memorable. The special effects look incredible from the scene where the Terminator is repairing himself to the future war scenes. Everything just looks and sounds great and though a few shots look a little bit dated today they still hold up very well. It's a timeless film that will be enjoyed for decades to come because it's just so different in its approach the genre.