The Terminator (1984) Movie Review
The Terminator (1984)
The Terminator brings together a mixed bag of movie elements. It is fast-paced, smart, exciting, scary, action-packed, and very, very cool. The idea is so unbelievably awesome: A “Terminator” from the future (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes back in time to assassinate the mother of the leader of the human resistance in the future. The Terminator does not have mercy on humanity, as can be seen when he ruthlessly guns down tons of people. His mission, to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), is endless. He will never stop, until Sarah is dead. Which brings me to one of my questions. If the Terminator did kill Sarah, then what the heck would he do when she was dead? Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) explains that once you go back in time, you cannot go forward again. So what was Arnie going to do? Work night shift at McDonald’s or something? But with all of his facial scarring, I don’t think he would get the job. So would he just keep killing humans? The less, the merrier, right?
Luckily, Kyle goes back in time to protect Sarah from the Terminator’s violent killing spree. But “It (the Terminator) can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will never stop, ever. Unless you are DEAD.” -Kyle Reese, 1984. Parents, be warned. Younger kids should approach this terrific film with caution. The Terminator is probably fine for kids 12 and older. Some mature 10 and 11 year olds should be allowed as well. It contains lots of violence, and even a non-graphic sex scene. There are also some minor jump scares.
But mostly, this is an amazing movie for action fans and movie fans to watch. It is a must-see. The Terminator is extremely hard to kill. It explodes, gets crushed by metal pieces, gets shot about 50 times, crashes into a wall in a truck, gets its arm broken, and still manages to go after Sarah Connor. What the heck? Can this guy even be stopped? Is it a hopeless task to try and terminate the Terminator? But I’m glad they all tried. Because without Kyle, some of the best scenes in the movie wouldn’t have happened. Here are my top 5:
5. Garage scene- This is the scene where Kyle and Sarah are hiding in the car from the Terminator and the police.
4. Gun shop scene- The Terminator walks into a gun shop, looking for some ferocious firearms. And he gets them. When he has to pay for them, Arnold simply shoots the cashier.
3. Bar/Club scene- Sarah is trying to stay hidden from the vicious killer she knows is after her. But both Kyle and the Terminator have tracked her down. They have a small shoot-out.
2. Factory scene- The second-to-last scene, where Sarah and Kyle are in a factory, and the Terminator is desperately trying to murder Sarah. Eventually, both the Terminator and Kyle die.
1. Police Station- This scene is where the Terminator says his famous line, “I’ll be back,” and then drives a car right into the building just a few moments later. He then proceeds to terminate about 90% of the human beings in the station.
Although Arnold portrays the Terminator like a butt-kicking, machine-gunning, cyborg fighting machine, The Terminator, in a strange way, could also be seen as a horror movie. Doubting me? Let’s look at the plot. A very durable murderer is intent on gunning down an older teenager. The killer chases her throughout the city, also killing boatloads of other humans. It kind of sounds like a weird, cool, sci-fi slasher movie. But not in a bad way. The Terminator promises a thrill ride, full of guns, robots, and James Cameron coolness. The screenplay is also handled very well. When Kyle comes to 1984 in the start of the movie, he finds himself in a warehouse. So, of course, he gets clothes from there. But he doesn’t battle the police or the homeless man he took pants from too brutally, so we know automatically Kyle is on the good guys team. As an audience, though, we can figure out easily that the Terminator is not as friendly, as we watch him rip someone’s heart out, break someone’s hand, and shoot a gun store worker (Dick Miller) at point-blank range. So when the two future-people collide, we know who to root for.
This also sets up the suspense for the beginning of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick are both after John Connor (Edward Furlong) himself, and you have no idea who is good and who is bad, because Patrick looks like such a good guy and Schwarzenegger was the villain last time. But back to 1984. I wondered, for a few minutes, if Kyle Reese is actually nuts. But I don’t think he is. But if he was slightly insane, that would have made the movie all the better. When I was watching it, I made up a possible ending in my head. When you think the Terminator is finally dead, and he is laying there in that burning pile of metal, and then he stand up in his Endoskeleton form, with that nasty skeleton grin, and starts walking toward Sarah and Kyle, the movie would end there. Across the screen, big white words would say: “IT WILL NEVER STOP, EVER.” But honestly, that would kind of take away the fun, and bring the series into a madhouse of cheesy sequels no one wanted.
Safety Chart:
Violence: 8/10- The Terminator rips a punk’s heart out, and it can be seen beating in his bloody hand. Kyle and the Terminator throw each other out of glass windows. A high body count; many cops are shot to death by the Terminator. Bloody bullet holes can be seen in their shirts. Deaths at point-blank range. Huge guns are brandished. Giant explosions. The Terminator breaks people's limbs. The Terminator is, in the end, defeated when it gets crushed in the factory. Bloody wounds are seen on several people’s bodies. A violent future with lots of death and poverty is present. Lasers fly through the air. The Terminator shoots innocents without mercy. There are also some gross parts, like when the Terminator fixes his arm by slicing it open, or when he removes his eyeball with a metal tool.
Language: 6/10- Several uses of the f-word, even by the Terminator, some more stuff.
Drinking/Smoking: 6/10- Some people drink. Sarah’s friends smoke, and so does a person at the bar/club.
There are also some minor sexual points.
After watching The Terminator, it seems like a great action movie and an incredible film in general. But while you are watching it, the situation looks much more dangerous, scary, and unbelievable. I watched it during the late evening, and by the time I was done, it was almost 9:00. By then, the outside light was almost entirely black, and I relied completely on artificial light. Then I had the idea: What if a Terminator came after me, tonight? I could picture a dark figure smashing smashing down my back door, shotgun in hand. He would go up the stairs, and open the door to my bedroom. All I would be able to see was the evil red glow of his mechanical eyes before darkness swept over me. I was terminated. But I quickly dismissed any idea of the scary robots and decided that The Terminator remained a mind-blowing, awesome science fiction action film. James Cameron brought out his best in this one. I would give it a 95%. Now I want a pair of Gargoyle sunglasses to watch Terminator 2 with.
