James Cameron's Cybernetic Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2010)

Cyborg - part human and part machine. Living tissue over metal inter-skeleton. Virtually indestructible. Unlimited memory capacity. And stronger than anything on earth.
These are the specs of the Terminator - a cyborg sent from the future to the past - Year: 1984 ,Location: Los Angeles.
Mission: to kill Sarah Connor, mother of John Connor: a leader of a resistance movement in the future and a main threat to Skynet.
Skynet: an artificially intelligent system, a defense computer network built by the developed by the defense firm Cyberdyne Systems for the United States armed forces, which became self-aware and revolted against its creators.
Under John Connor, the human resistance turned the tide on the machines and eventually destroyed Skynet's defense grid. In a last ditch effort, Skynet sent a cyborg, called a "Terminator", back in time to 1984 to kill Connor's mother Sarah before she would give birth to John.
Protector for Sarah against the terminator: John Connor sent back his own operative, a young man named Kyle Reese, to save Sarah.
Question is which one will reach Sarah first: The Terminator or Kyle?
Schwarzenegger (who plays the cyborg) was not as excited by the film; during an interview on the set of Conan the Barbarian, an interviewer asked him about a pair of shoes he had (which were for The Terminator). Schwarzenegger responded, "Oh some sh*t movie I'm doing, take a couple weeks."
In preparation for the role, Schwarzenegger spent three months training with weapons to be able to use them and feel comfortable around them.
For the role of Reese, various other suggestions were made for the role including rock musician Sting. Cameron chose Michael Biehn for the role. Biehn was originally skeptical about the part, feeling that the movie was silly. After meeting with Cameron, Biehn stated his "feelings about the project changed". Hurd stated that "almost everyone else who came in from the audition was so tough that you just never believed that there was gonna be this human connection between (Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese). They have very little time to fall in love. A lot of people came in and just could not pull it off."
On its opening week, The Terminator played at 1,005 theaters and grossed $4,020,663 making it number one in the box office. The film remained at number one in its second week. It lost its number one spot in the third week to Oh, God! You Devil.
After writer Harlan Ellison saw the film, he stated that he "loved the movie, was just blown away by it". Ellison believed that the screenplay for the film was based on the episodes "Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand" which he wrote for the television series The Outer Limits. Orion gave Ellison an undisclosed amount of money and gave him an acknowledgement credit in later prints of the film. Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that that if he did not agree with the settlement, they would have Cameron pay for any damages if Orion lost Ellison's suit. Cameron replied that he "had no choice but to agree with the settlement. Of course there was a gag order as well, so I couldn't tell this story, but now I frankly don't care. It's the truth. Harlan Ellison is a parasite who can kiss my *ss."
Films similar to The Terminator: D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), The Vindicator (1986),Assassin (TV 1986), Robocop (1987),Programmed to Kill (1987), Cy Warrior (1989), Eve Of Destruction (1991), Steel and Lace (1991),Nemesis (1992), Shadowchaser (1992), Cyborg Cop (1993), Bicentennial Man (1999).
Whew! Not easy to compile a good list! I have seen all the above films except Steel and Lace. I recommend Assassin, Eve Of Destruction, Programmed To Kill, Cy Warrior among the rare films.
Email me Vivekmaru45@yahoo.com for more movies lists.
Thanks for reading.