The Terminator ***** (1984, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn) – Classic Movie Review 105

Arnold Schwarzenegger finds the role he was born for as The Terminator (T-800 Model 101), a cyborg (part man, part machine) despatched from a post-apocalyptic 21st century to Los Angeles circa 1984.

In that future, the machines have taken over control of Earth, but there’s one man who is destined to stop their relentless rise and defeat them. Unless… Arnie’s mission is to terminate an apparently innocuous mother, young waitress Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose child if born would have that key role to play in the future.

Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is a relentless killing machine that looks unstoppable. But The Terminator finds he has a devilishly resourceful nemesis when he’s required to do battle with the one man who can perhaps save Sarah Connor, Sergeant Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). He’s a rebel soldier also sent from the future and hot on The Terminator’s trail with a mission to terminate The Terminator.

Despite, or maybe because of, this simple premise of a clash between good and bad, director James Cameron’s sci-fi action thriller is astounding and awesome. Inventively written by James Cameron with producer Gale Anne Hurd and William Wisher Jr (additional dialogue), the movie is high-energy and poundingly dynamic throughout, with a scary, violent atmosphere and heart-stopping moments.

After all the heartaches over the casting choices, all three main stars turn out to be absolutely ideal, with Arnie a fantastic presence in a no-acting required action role that has only 16 lines (including ‘I’ll be back’), turning him into a major movie star. Hamilton and Biehn are both first class, tough but warm and appealing, and they really involve you in their story.

The noirish high-tech look of the production paints it all in a stylish gloss, with notable cinematography by Adam Greenberg. The special effects by Fantasy II Film Effect and the Stan Winston Studio are at their most impressive for the time. They have of course dated but they still look great, with the 2029 sequences looking retro quaint.

Brad Fiedel’s urgent, pounding synthesiser-style techno-industrial score is a major factor in the movie’s dynamism and success. And this non-stop thrill ride is incredibly forcefully and brilliantly handled by the then little-known Cameron, turning him into a star director name to conjure with.

Cameron and Hurd were husband and wife from 1985 till their divorce in 1989. She married Brian De Palma in 1991. Hurd bought the script’s first draft for a dollar. Arnie’s debut line ‘I’ll be back’ to the desk sergeant at the police station was originally written as ‘I’ll come back’ but Arnie preferred ‘I will be back’ because he thought it was more masculine! Arnie’s sunglasses are Gargoyles.

Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen are quirkily effective as the bantering cops on the case of the dead Sarah Connors, Dick Miller has a brief part as the pawn shop clerk selling Arnie big guns and Bill Paxton has a tiny role as the punk leader the naked Arnie wants some clothes from. Wisher Jr has a cameo as a cop who tries to help Arnie.

Debra Winger auditioned for and won the role of Sarah Connor, then turned it down. Mel Gibson and Tom Selleck turned down the role of The Terminator.

The cleaned-up print of the Special Edition DVD is a revelation, as is the digitally re-mastered Dolby 5.1 soundtrack. Both picture and sound are of a quality that belie the movie’s age.

Arguably the 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day was going to be even better, in a rare example of this, but the original is tighter, faster and shorter. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines followed in 2003 with Arnie. Terminator Salvation followed in 2009 without Arnie. And on July 1 2015, Arnie will be back in Terminator: Genisys.

The Terminator is re-released in nearly 1,000 cinemas in over 30 territories worldwide on June 29 2015, ahead of Terminator: Genisys.

Cameron prefers to regard The Terminator (1984) as his first feature-length film but he previously directed Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981), which he has named ‘the best flying piranha film ever made’, also co-starring Lance Henriksen.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 105

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