The Terminator was written and directed by James Cameron, and stars Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, a waitress who is being hunted by a killer cyborg from the future, and her only hope for survival is the time traveling soldier, Kyle Reese. With the release of Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), marking the first time since the second film that Cameron and Hamilton worked on the series together, I wanted to take this time to look back on the film that started the Judgement Day crisis from the start.
Being influenced by John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and tv shows like The Outer Limits, James Cameron set out to create his own influential slasher film, after working on the infamous Z-grade film, Piranha II: The Spawning. With collaboration help from William Wisher, the two were able to get a proper story going; problem was, their work lead to the outline for Terminator 2, which was too advanced for early-80’s Hollywood. Enter: Gale Ann Hurd, an assistant to Roger Corman, who with a little help in some script edits, helped get the film secured by Orion Pictures, and the rest is history.
Since its release in October of ‘84, The Terminator has been cited as one of the most influential movies of all time, and rightfully so. Much like Spielberg with Jaws (1975), Cameron was able to prove with a minimal budget of $6.4 million (nearly $16 million today) and the right strategy, you can make a big success out of something little. The practical effects are still jaw dropping and gruesome (especially with the eyeball scene), and the stop-motion at the end still gets my heart racing. The themes about the dangers of technology advancing, our trust in reality, as well as questioning what makes us truly human. The action scenes still nail biting to this day, especially in the era where stuntmen were still used to help make things more convincing.
One of the major traits that James Cameron has is that he always has great female leads, especially one that has the greatest evolving arc: Sarah Connor. While starting out like the typical waitress damsel, Sarah is capable of standing her own, going from being hunted to a warrior not afraid to shoot you, considering she accepts her fate as conceiving the next protector; even after sustaining a broken leg, she can still find the strength to crawl away as best she can. This kind of female empowerment is what likely got Cameron the job to work on Aliens, considering the dynamics between Ellen Ripley and Sarah. Linda Hamilton was perfectly cast, making it one of her signature roles to this day; even with recastings like Lena Headly or Emilia Clarke, there’s only one true Sarah Connor.
Michael Beihn as Kyle Reese, greatly resembles a soldier who has been through hell and back. His determination, his quick and panicked talk, and his patience for the worst; he gets it nailed down pretty nicely. After rewatching it, knowing what happens in the ending, it makes the conversations he has with Linda about her future son (Reese’s boss) all the more bittersweet. Paul Winfield Lance Henrickson also has a great part as the police officers tracking the case, the late-Bill Paxton has a cameo as a thug in the opening, and even Dick Miller makes an appearance as a gun store owner.
The T-800, played by Arnold Schrwarzenegger, is the pure definition of “career defining performance”. Coming off of Conan the Barbarian, this was the next role to truly define Arnold’s career, as the indestructible action man. His size, his accent, his limited and careful use of words, while we joke about today, ended up being perfect for this role; his actions in this movie are simple, direct, and to the point, which can be very scary considering we’re talking about a killer robot. It’s interesting, because he didn’t really have high hopes for the film, until after it was released. Even the famous “I’ll be back” line was originally a struggle, yet now it’s become HIS catchphrase. He was originally asked to play Kyle Reese, but was recast due to the studios being unable to find an actor to size against him as the T-800. Mel Gibson was considered, and even Sylvester Stallone was approached, but both declined; the third actor who failed to earn the role was O.J. Simpson, but unlike the prior two, he was turned down because Cameron didn’t think Simpson would be convincincing as a killer (I can only imagine how awkward THAT would have been).
The only thing that does seem a little problematic is the ending and how the time travel plays ahead, but considering this is a film that illustrates that the inevitable is coming and there has to be a purpose for everything in history, I let it go. Plus, there are hints that do point to a follow-up, but I also love how conclusive it feels overall.
The Terminator still has every reason to be called one of the best science fiction films of all time, and definitely deserves recognition as a great indie horror flick.
With the efforts put into the effects, the performances from rising stars, and the limitless potential that James Cameron showed as a director, it’s no wonder this has been one of the most influential works released.
Rating: A+
So with that said, you’re probably asking what are my thoughts on Terminator: Dark Fate? Well, considering we haven’t had a good Terminator film since the second film, my expectations are low. Sure, you have Linda finally returning after nearly 30 years, along with James Cameron producing, but after T3: Rise of the Machines and Genisys, along with the bombardment of advertising, I’m kind of over the hype this franchise held; sure, Salvation was okay (and I did like having a film set in the future war), but it wasn’t enough to truly warrant going further with. If the new film’s good, then I’ll eat my words with dignity; but until then, I’m not holding my breath.
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