Um, Excuse, Mr Terminator, Sir. Let Your Head And Your Rifle Move Together To Meet The Target. You Won't Miss So Much  Sorry'.

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2004)

Master storyteller James Cameron, brings to the big screen one of its most memorable characters. Although not his original intention for the role, we are all thankful that an agreement was reached to have Arnold play the role of the Terminator rather than the protector, Kyle Reese. This casting proved to be the crucial element that ultimately gave the franchise the ability to continue for many years to come. No disrespect to Lance Henrikson who eventually found a role almost tailor made for him, that of the man with a dubious gift in Millennium'. The movie is also testimony to the art of screenwriting giving us rich characters, an original story and insurmountable obstacles for our heroes.
The task of commenting on The Terminator' is hardly a grinding task. Besides the fact that it is such an enjoyable movie, there is not much to complain about in terms of its craft. Many successful movies are a product of having the writer and director as being one and the same. The writer is able to create a visual form of his own text and the end product is his own vision. There would have been few problems here of scenes not adding value to the story or the image not bringing the character fully to life. These skills are not always endowed to the moviemaker, but it is heaped on in Cameron's case.
Right from the first scene, we start to realise that this is more than an above average action movie. The inciting scene indeed gives momentum to the story. We see the apocalyptic future and fully grasp the dark, foreboding threat of the machines. The genocidal machines crush the skeletal remains as they advance relentlessly without emotion, doing only want they were programmed to do  wipe out the resistance. The narrator voice has a tone of impending doom thus heightening the sense of tragedy. The story is set in motion for the battle to continue back in time, our time. This phenomenal piece of writing is also included in the tagline. Almost bordering on cheesiness, but it is so well done, it gets away with it.
The characters are all of purpose each with defining characteristics that bring the character to life. Sarah Conner is the sweet, innocent waitress battling to cope with life in general. Hardly a sterling foundation for the mother of the future! This does succeed in making her more vulnerable to the Terminator and the vast differences in their character help to set the story of our unwilling heroine against the seemingly indestructible machine. As the character develops and the final confrontation is at hand, she realises her destiny and rises to the challenge. Linda Hamilton is also well cast here, in fact, superbly. She has a look of innocence about her that changes to one of menacing determination, a switch done with believability  a trait necessary for the translation of the character of the story. Indeed her presence was missed in the third movie, no matter how charismatic Arnie is.
Then we have Arnold as the Terminator. If ever there was a role suited to an actor, we have the prime example here. Arnold has the name that shouts action. He has a thick Austrian accent that sounds distinctly robotic whenever he uses it. Arnold does not speak much here. He didn't need to since we were all ears whenever a line exited his lips. Remember I'll be back'. His massive frame served to accentuate the indestructible nature of the character. If ever Sarah had a worst nightmare, it would seem a cakewalk next to this guy. In summary, Arnold had all the necessary traits for this character and it has quite rightly become his signature role.
Michael Biehn is a regular in a Cameron production and plays the role of Reese very well. We can see that this is a man who has suffered and his determination not only stems from a deep  set hatred of the machines, but from his love for the woman who will be one of the leaders of the resistance. Being slight of frame making him look more like a lean soccer player makes him less of a challenge for the Terminator. In fact, even though he knows he has to ultimately face the machine, the best he can do is run. He always seems to be clawing onto survival and in the end he dies in the final stand against the machine.
It would of course be impossible to say that I had satisfactorily completed my comments without a mention of the scene at the police station. This scene is the Terminator's defining scene. It is here that we see him for the cold, heartless, single  minded killer that he is. It all starts with Arnold's most memorable line and then the doors crash in as the Terminator careens into the station with his stolen car. The machine sets about his task with ruthless intent. He shoots anything that gets in his way as he searches for his prime objective. This is all he exists for and it is all he is programmed for. Like personal computers that process its input commands, he follows his input command regardless of all that stand in his way. After all, he is a Terminator so it is as they said in the sequel  nothing personal.
The story is uncomplicated, but nonetheless stimulating. Several science fiction concepts are used here, namely, time travel and machine dominance. This blend ensures sufficient obstacles for our heroes and it is also interesting to note that the Mcguffin is not Sarah, but her unborn child. This also creates a sound opening for the second movie that picks up on this in the future where another chase is on, not for the mother but for the young John Conner. The story ensures that the violence is meaningful  a machine programmed to kill would relentlessly pursue its target vanquishing all before it. Nothing to tease the brain, but the craft and intent in the story ensures that the audience is fully engrossed in the movie.

As man advances with computer technology, the more relevant this story will become. That is why the story was able to continue and audience demand grew. Science fiction takes a known scientific concept and dramatises it. The concept of machine autonomy has now graced our screens in two monster productions  The Terminator' and The Matrix'. The reality of machines in our lives today goes beyond our conscious and ignites our unconscious fears, that is, the fear of losing control of our world and of ourselves. These deep-rooted fears manifest themselves as inspiration for movies such as this. This is not such a bad thing since master storytellers are able to exploit these ancient fears and deliver sublime entertainment that will continue to provide enjoyment across the generations.