Movie Review – The Terminator (1984)
Imagine a near-future where computers have complete control of the country’s military power.
Then imagine those computers deciding that humans, all humans, are a threat to the computers. The computers declare war and a worldwide nuclear war wipes out most of the human population. The surviving humans are enslaved as an army of robots tries to take control of the world.
But the humans fight back and ultimately defeat the robots. Time travel has been developed, and to stop the humans the robots send a hunter-killer, a Terminator, back in time to kill the mother of the leader of the human Resistance.
Back in 1984, visionary director James Cameron presented the world with The Terminator, an action-adventure and science fiction film where a robotic Terminator is sent back in time to kill the mother of the human Resistance. To combat it, the human Resistance sends a soldier back in time to protect the mother from the Terminator.
The Terminator stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a hunter-killer cyborg sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, the future mother of the leader of the human Resistance. Michael Biehn plays the role of Kyle Reese, a human soldier from the Resistance who travels back in time to protect Sarah Connor. Linda Hamilton is Sarah Connor, future mother of John Connor, leader of the Resistance. Rounding out the cast are Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen and Earl Boen.
The Terminator begins with a quick telling of the future war between humans and the machines. It explains that while the war was fought in the near future, the ultimate battle for the future of the war will be fought tonight (remember that we’re back in 1984 in a modern day version of Los Angeles, California).
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
It’s night time as a massive power surge electrifies an area. Out of the blasts of electricity steps a naked man (Arnold Schwarzenegger). He walks naked to a group of street punks (one of them is played by Bill Paxton) and kills one of them for his clothing.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
In another part of town there’s a similar blast of electricity along with the sudden appearance of another naked man (Michael Biehn). He’s in the process of stealing a homeless man’s pants when a police officer arrives. He disarms the cop and steals his pistol, asking the officer the current date as he holds him at gunpoint. More cops arrive and the man is forced to flee. He evades the cops in a department store, picking up a shotgun and some clothes while doing so.
Outside in a phone booth, we see the man look up the address of a woman named Sarah Connor.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Later that day we see a waitress named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) as she arrives at work. It’s a frustrating and hectic job, but Sarah is able to handle the stress.
Meanwhile, the first guy who traveled through time steals a car and heads to a gun store. At the store he asks the sales clerk (Dick Miller) for several types of firearms and then shoots and kills the clerk. We then see the the guy arrive at the address of a Sarah Connor. Sarah answers the door and the man shoots and kills her right there in her home.
The waitress Sarah Connor is about to go on break when one of her co-workers shows her a news story on TV. Sarah is a bit uneasy seeing the report that a “Sarah Connor” was brutally shot and killed just recently.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The other man who traveled back through time also steals a car. He sees construction vehicles nearby and their movements spark a flashback. We see glimpses of the post-apocalyptic future as the Resistance is fighting the machines. One of the soldiers colleagues is shot and killed as they ambush one of the machines’ mighty tank-like vehicles.
Back at home, waitress Sarah Connor and her roommate, Ginger (Bess Motta), are getting ready to meet their boyfriends. After getting dressed to head out, Sarah receives a call from her date saying that he has to cancel their plans tonight. Ginger’s boyfriend, Matt (Ross Rossovich), arrives as a disheartened Sarah heads out alone to a restaurant.
At a police station, Detective Hal Vukovich (Lance Henriksen) informs his boss, Lieutenant Ed Traxler (Paul Winfield), that two women, both of them named Sarah Connor, were shot to death this afternoon. According to the telephone listing, there are only three “Sarah Connors” living in the area. Believing that the third Sarah Connor may be in danger of a psycho killer, Detective Vukovich tries to call her but there’s no answer on the phone.
Sarah Connor is eating dinner when she sees a news report on TV mention the killing of a second “Sarah Connor.” Scared, she checks the phone book and sees that there are only three of them listed, with her name being the last in the directory. The phone at the restaurant is out of order, so Sarah leaves and walks down the street. She sees a man following her, so Sarah goes into a nightclub and tries to call her roommate.
As Sarah was entering the club, the first man from the future is arriving at her apartment. He kills Matt and then shoots and kills Ginger thinking that it’s Sarah Connor. When Sarah calls the apartment she speaks to the answering machine, and the man learns that the real Sarah is still alive. He checks her apartment and finds a photo of the woman. Now knowing her current location and what she looks like, he heads to the nightclub to kill the woman.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Still scared of the man following her, Sarah Connor calls the police department and asks for help. Lt. Traxler talks to Sarah and advises her to stay visible in a public area, and that a police officer was on his way there right now. She tries to stay calm and do as he instructed.
The first man arrives in the club and points a pistol at Sarah Connor’s head. Just as he’s about to pull the trigger, the second man jumps into action, shooting the first man several times with a shotgun. People flee in panic during the minor gun battle. The second man grabs Sarah, and the two of them run from the first man. They make it into a car and are barely able to avoid the first man.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The first man steals a police officer’s car and pursues Sarah Connor and the other man. While they’re driving wildly through the night streets we learn that the man who saved Sarah is Reese, a soldier sent back through time by the Resistance. The man pursuing them is known as a Terminator, a cyborg with living human tissue on the outside. Sarah was targeted for termination and her survival is vital for the sake of the human race.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
When stopping to change cars, Reese tells Sarah more about the Terminator and why it’s such a deadly killing machine. Sarah doesn’t know what to believe as the idea of people being sent back through time, along with killer cyborgs, sounds a bit crazy. They’re able to ditch their car and steal a new one. As Reese continues telling his story and showing Sarah evidence, she becomes more and more of a believer.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Terminator spots Sarah and Reese in their new car, and another car chase begins. The Terminator and Reese exchange gunfire while driving like madman. The Terminator’s car ultimately crashes into a wall, but Sarah and Reese are trapped by the fleet of pursuing police officers. Reese wants to fight them to protect Sarah, but she convinces him to surrender. The police officers take both Sarah and Reese into custody and haul them down to the police station.
Meanwhile, the Terminator slips away into the night and returns to his hotel room. The cyborg slices open and makes repairs to his right arm. After that he has to remove his damaged left eyeball. We clearly see that it’s a highly advanced robot underneath the false “human” exterior. The Terminator wears a pair of sunglasses to cover the exposed eye socket, and then he arms himself and heads to the police station.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
At the police station, Lt. Traxler comforts Sarah Connor while police psychologist Dr. Silberman (Earl Boen) interrogates Reese. Naturally, Dr. Silberman and the rest of the police officers don’t believe a word of Reese’s story despite his enthusiasm and ability to talk about details. Sarah wants to believe the police officers despite witnessing the Terminator in action.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Terminator arrives at the police station and tries to talk his way into the building. When that fails he rams his car into the building and begins shooting all the cops. There’s a fierce gun battle as the Terminator roams the halls, hunting for Sarah while killing the police officers. Reese escapes from his handcuffs and finds Sarah hiding in an office. The two of them slip away in the darkness.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
After their getaway car runs out of gas, Sarah and Reese take shelter under an overpass. Sarah bandages Reese’s gunshot wound and he tells her about her future son, John. John Connor was the person responsible for the Resistance to fight back against the machines and ultimately win the war. Sarah later falls asleep and dreams of the future as the Resistance fights against killer cyborgs.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The next day Sarah and Reese catch a ride and make it to a hotel outside of town. Reese goes shopping for supplies while Sarah takes a shower and then calls her mother. Her mother is worried and convinces Sarah to tell her her location. While telling her mother about the hotel we see that her mother’s house is destroyed. Sarah’s “mother” is really the Terminator imitating her mother’s voice.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Reese arrives in the room and the two of them begin making explosives. Afterwards, Reese tells Sarah why he traveled back through time on a one-way trip. He’s loved Sarah since the first day John Connor showed him a photograph of her. Touched by his dedication and emotions, Sarah chooses to share a moment of passion with the soldier from the future.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
A barking dog warns Sarah and Reese of the Terminator’s arrival in the hotel. The two of them elude the Terminator and steal a pickup truck. The Terminator purses and fires at them from his motorcycle. Reese tries to throw explosives at the Terminator but only gets shot in the process. Sarah tries to ram into the Terminator and both the motorcycle and the pickup truck crash.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
A gasoline tanker truck stops at the wreckage, but the Terminator climbs into and steals the truck. He tries to run over Sarah Connor and the wounded soldier. Reese has Sarah run away as he dodges the truck and slips explosives into the back of the tanker. Sarah is able to stay far enough from the truck as the explosives detonate and ignite the tanker in a massive fireball, supposedly killing the Terminator.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Sarah and Reese reunite after the gasoline tanker explodes, thinking that all is well. They’re both horrified as the robotic remains of the Terminator walk out of the fire towards them. Sarah supports and helps Reese flee from the pursuing machine.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Sarah and Reese enter a factory, and Reese activates the machines. He claims that it’ll throw off the Terminator’s tracking system. The Terminator breaks open the factory’s door and continues walking towards Sarah and Reese. Reese tries to fight the killer machine with a crowbar, but the Terminator just slaps him to the side. As a last ditch effort, Reese ignites his last explosive and sticks it inside the Terminator’s frame. The explosives detonate, blowing apart the killer robot.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The explosion knocks down Sarah and Reese and sends shrapnel flying through the air. Sarah’s leg is wounded and she’s forced to remove a large piece of metal. She crawls over to Reese and is horrified that he’s dead. Her terror increase when the upper torso of the Terminator continues crawling towards her. She’s able to crawl away from the pursuing robot and traps it in a metal press. The factory machine squeezes and finally destroys what’s left of the Terminator.
The Terminator (1984) – (c) Orion Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
A few months later we see a pregnant Sarah Connor heading down to Mexico. She’s speaking into a voice recorder and making messages for her future son. We now know that Kyle Reese, the soldier sent back through time from the future, is really John Connor’s father. Sarah drives away as storm clouds gather on the horizon.
So is 1984′s The Terminator any good?
Definitely.
The Terminator is a fantastic science-fiction film that delivers plenty of action and suspense.
It’s interesting seeing a killing machine use its programming and abilities to locate and systematically try to kill Sarah Connor. The machine doesn’t know her looks, just that she’s a caucasian woman who lives in Los Angeles at the current point in time. So what does the machine do upon arrival? It finds appropriate clothing, arms itself, and then proceeds to go through a directory and execute each “Sarah Connor” it can locate.
As we see, the Terminator only kills specific threats to itself. Its primary objective is to eliminate Sarah Connor. That’s it. I wonder what the Terminator would have done if it succeeded and actually killed Sarah Connor. Would it just power down itself? Did it have any secondary objectives?
To me, the Terminator didn’t start looking creepy until the skin was removed and we saw just the robot’s steel frame. The killing machine looked extra sinister in its true form, especially with those red, unforgiving eyes. That isn’t to say that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role as the Terminator was bad. He did a great job as a cold-blooded killer, but the scenes with him looked more like a psycho hitman versus a cyborg from the future.
The movie’s special effects clearly look dated when watching the film today, even on standard definition. It’s easy to see the dummy head when the Terminator removes his eyeball, the miniatures during the scenes of the battles in the future, and the stop-motion animation during some scenes with the Terminator in its robotic form.
As cheesy as those effects may look today, it’s still part of The Terminator‘s charm as an early 1980s movie. The technology simply didn’t exist in that point in time to match James Cameron’s goals in the movie. Despite that the effects still work. The Terminator is still a creepy and sinister killing machine.
The overall success of The Terminator would lead to three movie sequels, a TV series, and an action-packed “Terminator 2: 3D – Battle Across Time” 4D show at the Universal Studios theme parks.
The Terminator (1984) – movie trailer
The Terminator is a classic film not to be missed by action and science-fiction movie fans. This film delivers from its introduction scenes of the future war to the final battle with the Terminator in the factory.
Kyle Reese – “Come with me if you want to live!”
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The Terminator – “I’ll be back.”