Those men and their killing machines.

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2008)

My Take: Revolutionary for its storytelling and influences to the genre.
Highly regarded as one of the best sci-fi films of all time, James Cameron's brainchild THE TERMINATOR, released in 1984, has severely suffered a sort of dated feel. Suffering in comparison to the ever-advancing technology, the special effects and make-up have dated real badly from the low-tech technology available at the 80's to today. But in its heart, THE TERMINATOR still holds true with its story and anti-war message that still holds truth and never is too preachy, in fact not at all. THE TERMINATOR may not be the place to locate revolutionary special effects and action scenes, but it's in the writing department where the true heart of the film lies, as is its success. Arnold Schwarzenegger is still one of the creepiest bad guys around as the cold, emotionless cyborg from the violent future sen back to modern 1984 to kill a woman (Linda Hamilton) who will spawn a son who will lead humanity against a rebellion against war-machines in a futuristic war. Michael Biehn has gone surprisingly out of steam as a hero, so is Hamilton's character who rarely does anything more than play second-bananas. But THE TERMINATOR still holds a story and some key moments to hold its audiences. In other words, it still is a classic remnant of its age, an age where writing goes first above effects and star players.
Rating: **** out of 5.