Rent The Terminator on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd (written by), William Wisher (additional dialogue)
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Two soldiers from the future are sent back to the past to find Sarah Connor, one to kill her and one to protect her.
Verdict
It's a classic. You can tell a lot of thought went into the plot, and you can't find a better villain than the Terminator portrayed by Arnold. The movie is a relentless chase where the protagonists are completely outmatched. The simple plot, mood of this movie, and attention to detail is the reason it spawned a franchise. That's something sequels have neglected. We don't just want Reese and Sarah to escape, we empathize with them. Why they face an impossible battle, the movie doesn't resort to them making stupid mistakes to fake the drama.
Watch it.
Review
This is one of my favorites. I love the simple concept. It's one of those movies I wish I could delete from my memory and watch fresh. At the start you don't know what Arnold is. The Terminator has become iconic, just like the main theme song. Any time an unstoppable enemy is chasing someone down in a movie, you call the villain a Terminator. This movie created many imitators, but it can't be matched.
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| Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator. |
Mel Gibson and Sly Stallone were offered the Terminator part, but declined. OJ Simpson was discussed but Cameron didn't think anyone would believe he was a killer. The studio wanted Arnold for the Kyle Reese part. Cameron was planning to create drama as an excuse to dismiss him, but realized Arnold would be perfect as the Terminator.
If you had never seen or heard of this movie you'd wonder what's going on. Two men appear out of thin air in a sphere of electricity. They are both looking for Sarah Connor. One of the men brute forces his way through the world, the other resorts to evasion. We don't know the why of the tactics but we will soon enough.
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| Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton play Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor. |
Having seen this once, you could see some of the tells you wouldn't know the first time through, though part of that is the general style of action movies where the hero seems invincible. This is a blueprint for thriller movies. We know both of these men are looking for Sarah and the movie teases that out as we wait for something to jump into the scene. The movie is menacing, creating a sense of dread. It's a great experience. The club scene is awesome in so many ways. I can't say more just in case you haven't seen it, or don't quite remember it.
It would be easy to run with the concept and skip the details, but the script is well developed. The way Sarah and Kyle react to the situation works. The script and Cameron are confident enough that the movie doesn't have to spell everything out. That also keeps the movie at a quick pace.
Once thing that stands out is how the cops explain away Arnold being superhuman and Reese as crazy, but how did Reese know Sarah would be attacked? At least part of his story lends credence to what he says. If he's crazy, that's quite the stroke of luck. Sarah thinks Reese is crazy but when the police station is attacked he comes back for her. She doesn't know what's going on, but she knows he's the only one that can protect her.
The final showdown is epic, and this movie includes a great post script that gives the photograph Reese had a lot more meaning. I also like how bleak this ends. The future downfall is inevitable.
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