Dark, fascinating and pretty much brilliant

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2010)

James Cameron's first full stint as a director, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's first time in his most famous role, is still definitely a worthwhile watch, though not without its flaws. Thanks to its cinematography and particularly good soundtrack, this movie has a great atmosphere, dark and frightening and not for the faint-hearted. The action scenes are good for the 1980s at least, but some of the special effects for the Terminator look a bit dated these days: for example, in one scene, the use of an obvious animatronic head that doesn't even really look like Arnold.
While it's occasionally slow, the story is well-written and generally gripping, backed up well by the actors: Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton are excellent as the human heroes, but of course it's Arnold who steals the show as the Terminator, bringing real menace to it simply by his presence and expressions, since he doesn't have much dialogue in this film.
The Terminator is definitely a film to check out - and if you enjoy it, make sure you find time for the sequel too.