Terminator

Many people look back at the films of James Cameron and suggest that the smaller, the budget, the tighter the limitations, the better the end product. Films like Avatar, Titanic and True Lies had huge budgets and drew in even bigger box office but many still yearn for the Cameron that gave us The Terminator and Aliens which were huge movies but packed a far bigger punch artistically. My feelings all these years on are that Cameron has earned the right to make those huge movies but i have to admit to preferring his earlier body of work. The Terminator is a nightmarish, time travelling science fiction film told at a breakneck pace and delivered with confidence and style. The film has a very gritty, underground look to it and does a great job of telling its story amid the frenetic action. There is also a huge slice of horror and suspense thrown in, an impression that has diminished in the years since it's release due to inferior sequels. Viewed as a standalone piece however, The Terminator is fine piece of work from a director with a very clear vision.Everyone knows that The Terminator is the film that gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger but when i look back at the film, it has heart and its the Michael Biehn character, Kyle Reese, that provides it Artistically speaking,Cameron might be well advised that less is more.

The Terminator, created after another one of James Cameron's reaccuring dreams (Abyss was another one.) A true beginning in sci-fi movies. As Schwarzenegger said to his friend when he was picked to play the part as the Terminator, "they want me to play as some robot from the future in this weird sci-fi movie." His friend said, "take it." Schwarzenegger is perfect as the Terminator, merciless, no fear, no love, no pity, no remorse, no emotions. None could have pulled it off as well as he did. Even his eyes showed no emotion with still showing true evil. Michael Beign is just the opposite. A man sent from the future to stop this machine. He plays his part as perfect as Schwarzenegger plays his. A perfect cast of characters for an all star movie! Plenty of action, story line, plot, character interaction, love story, and romance. Everything is tied into this movie that possibly could be, making it a 3 star movie. Only drawback is it's a little dragged out at parts and gets slightly boring from time to time but it's so minor that one would have to think about it to care. A truly awesome movie.

There are actors,and there are movie stars.Arnold Schwarzenegger is without question a movie star,because every time he is on screen, he is,well,Arnold.There is a different Arnold in this film,and this is what I like about it.He,for once,is playing the villain,and to perfection,I might add.He makes for one of the best screen villains ever in cinema history.It's a pity that his "good guy" image won't allow him to play the bad seed more often,but that's Hollywood, I guess.Aside from the thrilling sequel,this is perhaps Arnold's best work.

Is there a better person to play a cyborg than Arnold? For this movie he was a massively built oak tree of a man. His strange accent makes for a perfect callous robotic sounding killing machine. It's almost like his voice is a computer read out ( which I guess it is in one sense ). Terminator is one of those films that started something huge. People didn't realize it at the time, but the careers of Arnold, Cameron and perhaps even guys like Micahel Biehn, Lance Henriksen and even Bill Paxton were substantially started because of this film. And Cameron must have liked working with them so much that he gave all of them substantial roles in his next film ( Aliens ).

As we all know what the story is, I'll just tell you a bit about what is so fascinating about it. First I have to mention Michael Biehn. He has the real starring role. He is the character that has to explain everything to the audience. He has to explain this complicated story so that we know what is happening and why. It is not an easy job to do something like that and still come off looking all right. But Biehn is simply awesome in this film. A microcosm of his performance can be seen when Sara bites him. Biehn ( Kyle Reese ) replies " Terminator's don't feel pain. I do. Don't do that again. " That is such a great line delivered with the perfect expression, the perfect tone and the perfect timing. Biehn is perfect for the role.

This is also the first film that I saw as a youngster that ever warned me of the dangers of nuclear war and of the rapid advancements of machinery. Perhaps I was too young and naive to fully understand all that James Cameron was trying to say, but now that I am older, I can honestly say that the two Terminators are perfect anti nuke films. And they are so passionate with what they have to say. I like it when a film has something to say. I enjoy being entertained in the process but if you can manage both then you have a masterpiece. This is a masterpiece.

Finally. there are two other reasons to enjoy this film. One, this is the first film where "I'll be back" was spoken. Now it is part of Arnolds vernacular. Secondly, Bill Paxton is in it. And he adds spark to any film that he's in. Especially here, as the idiot punk leader that really gets the hell beat out of him, he has some great lines.

A great film.

This movie is a solid action movie. Not all of the dialogue is great and some of the effects are a bit dated - but this movie is still effective. The acting is great. The plot is great. This movie is well-shot and worth watching. I can't really come up with many things that are bad about it that don't have to do with it being old. This is just a fun movie with good action, time travel, and robots. I'd definitely recommend this movie. Its worth watching if you're looking for a good time.