The Terminator (1984)

 

He will be back. Oh, yes he will. But everyone has to start somewhere and for one of the most iconic machines and roles ever, we get this absolute gem. 

Considering the budget this was made with, it is damn near poetry. 

In the future, mankind is all but wiped out because a sentient computer program saw humanity as a threat. So it launched a nuclear strike and the stragglers are being sent to extermination camps. Those few that escape, are hunted down by robots. But because humanity is about to win, they send an infiltration unit back through time to kill the mother of the later leader of the human resistance. In his wake, the resistance sends a warrior of their own, a humble soldier, who has to protect Sarah Connor at all costs. Who will come out on top? 

Seeing as this one's lore is so firmly known throughout, I know the question is moot, but back in the day, this was some tense and occasionally heady stuff. 

Director James Cameron honed his craft working for Roger Corman, so he knew how to make the best out of a tight budget. It is never more obvious than here, where everything (well, almost everything) looks just as good (and sometimes better) than big budget blockbusters. This is also not yet a grand action film, but more of a science fiction thriller/horror, with the terminator as the unstoppable foe. In that respect he fits into the category with the likes of Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, who are also silent and seemingly indestructible. Okay, the terminator does speak on occasion, but it's more out of necessity than choice. 

The casting is good, with some roles being better picked than others. Linda Hamilton does an excellent job at playing Sarah Connor. You can see her character grow from a scared teenager to a woman who is almost ready to take her fate into her own hands. Michael Biehn, a Cameron staple in the 80s, is also very good als future soldier Kyle Reese. But to be fair, it often feels as though he plays the same character several times, so whether you like him or not depends on how much you appreciate the man himself. As for me, I always like him in whatever role he's in. (even though I feel Coffey from 'The Abyss' is my favourite)

The look of the film is also wonderfully depressing, even if that sounds like an oxymoron. It's funny, but the ashes of Los Angeles look almost better than modern day Los Angeles (even if the film wasn't shot there). The editing as well is snappy and it's obvious from the start that James Cameron has always been a director with a firm vision and an eye for detail. He may not be the easiest guy to work with (according to several sources), but he does get shit done and the results are always on point. 

But of course, the star of the show is Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. At the time, he was pretty much an unknown, but his imposing physique, square jaw and slightly stilted delivery work wonderfully as the portrayal of a ruthless unthinking kiling machine. It is so iconic, that this is probably the role he will always be best remembered for, which is no mean feat. And every line he says, is now so often used in pop culture, it's almost ridiculous.

The special effects are also very well done. Sure, some of the close-ups of the terminator's face when he is missing an eye are a little wonky, but because he is supposed to be a machine, it's easily glossed over due to the nature of the beast. The stop motion at the end is awesome, by the way, and the endoskeleton is a thing of beauty in all its creepy glory. 

Just one silly thing I always have noticed while watching this, is that the terminator always blinks when he fires a weapon. I know that this is a normal human reaction (soldiers and police officers train to get over this reflex, as otherwise you can't see what you shoot), but I always thought it strange for a machine to want to blink when it discharges a firearm. 

And now I have ruined this film for you. 

But in all seriousness: this is a brilliant science fiction thriller and it is often forgotten how tense and scary this one can get. The only downside is that it often gets overshadowed by its gloriously wonderful sequel, but in its own right, this is top of its class. 

Must see!