One of the best fils of the 1980s

Rating: 10/10 (6 July 2003)

Science fiction succeeds when it combines technical achievements with a human dimension. THE TERMINATOR is one of the greatest films ever to hit the big screen, mainly for this reason. The hero is ostensibly John Connor, a man who will later becoem the savior of mankind. But in this story, he isn't even born yet - machines rule the world in 2029, and are fighting a losing battle against human rebels, led by Connor. They hatch a plot to send a killing machine back in time, to kill Sarah Connor, John's mother.
The human rebels manage to send a human hero back (his name is Kyle Reese), to stop the machine known as "The Terminator" - and what follows is a powerful action film, and a poignant love story, as Sarah and her savior fall in love.
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In the original casting of the film, the hero's role was supposed to go to Arnold Schwarzenegger, while the "Terminator" itself was supposed to be played by Lance Henriksen, an excellent character actor who has appeared in films like ALIEN and THE HUNTED.
The Terminator was originally conceived to be more an "infiltration unit," one that would not stand out in common society. (In fact, reference is made to this in the film itself - Kyle Reese cannot identify the Terminator until it actually attempted to assassinate Sarah.)
Cameron and Schwarzenegger eventually decided to put Arnold int othe role of the Terminator, and Michael Biehn was broguht in to play Reese.
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Schwarzenegger's greatest successes as a movie star have come in roles where his physical and vocal characteristics are consistent with the character. (Think CONAN, TRUE LIES and TOTAL RECALL.) Here, he is perfectly cast as a brutal, remorseless, emotion-less killing machine - the straight man in a human drama.
Schwarzenegger is chilling as the futuristic cyborg who kills without fear, without love, without mercy, and this roel cemented him as the pre-eminent action star of our time.