Necessity is the mother of invention

Rating: 9/10 (7 February 2020)

Yes, T2 is one of the greatest sequels of all time. Yes, the Terminator franchise has more garbage thrown in it than even Cameron thought was possible back in 1984. Yes, Arnie never looked better on screen than when he was playing an emotionless robot. None of that detracts from the masterpiece that is The Terminator though.
This was a time when James Cameron was trying to make it in Hollywood. This was a guy who, to make ends meet during filming, would go to Macdonalds with a 2 for 1 voucher, eat one Big Mac that day and save the other Big Mac for the next day. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. Cameron needed to create a masterpiece to solidify his place in Hollywood and in making The Terminator he did just that.
Everyone puts in a stellar performance here and though the special effects leave a lot to be desired today it's safe to say that it doesn't detract from the relentless mercilessness of the killing machine that Arnie portrays. T2 came close to beating this film but for me The Terminator will always be the quintessential film in the series.