The Terminator (1984) - Film Review

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton & Michael Biehn

Screenplay: James Cameron & Gale Anne Hurd

Directed By: James Cameron

Certificate: 15

James Cameron had worked in the film industry for several years before 'The Terminator' was released, and had already made his directorial debut. However Cameron's first feature film, 'Piranha II: The Spawning', was critically mauled and Cameron himself seems to do his best to forget all about it. Many would regard his first proper film, and certainly the one that launched his career, to be 'The Terminator'. With a largely inexperienced director at the helm and a low budget too, 'The Terminator' defied all odds and to this day is remembered as one of the best films of the 1980s. So why do so many people, myself included, hold it in such high regard?

In 1984 Los Angeles, a cyborg assassin from the future, known as the Terminator, arrives from 2029 with a target he'll stop at nothing to kill. The target is Sarah Connor, who soon finds herself in incredible danger. Soon after the Terminator's arrival, they are joined by Kyle Reese, a human soldier from the same time period sent to protect Sarah. On the run and fighting for their lives, Kyle explains to Sarah why the Terminator is intent on killing her, whilst doing his best to protect her.

The majority of Cameron's films are known for being special effects-heavy spectacles, and frequently push the boundaries in advancing film technology. 'The Abyss' is remembered for its then-cutting edge water FX, 'Titanic' is a special effects extravaganza, and 'Avatar' is famed for its pioneering motion capture technology. Using the last available technology in his films is probably the single biggest consistent feature across Cameron's filmography. It's his forte. However, the lack of budget here in one of his earliest films means the production crew have to make do with what they're limited to. The result is a raw, effective style of filmmaking that really works. There's little polish to 'The Terminator' and that works incredibly well in its favour. There's no CGI landscapes, there's just the hazy, disorientating nightclub, the back alleys and the industrial factory in the finale. It places the film in the everyday world, and helps it to feel real and believable.

Even with the limitations of a film like this being made with just $6.4m, 'The Terminator' overcomes this with some impressive effects work that largely still hold up today. Without the prior knowledge, there's no way you'd believe this film could've been made on such a small budget. It impresses from the outset with some fantastic model work used to bring to life the dystopian future. The prosthetics work is also impressive, with the most overt example being the damaged Terminator. The exposure of its metal eye, and watching him peel back the flesh of his forearm to reveal the mechanics underneath is a nasty bit of body horror, and always has me squirming in my seat. Towards the end, the film also uses stop-motion animation as the Terminator's metal skeleton chases Sarah and Reese through the factory. I'm in two minds about the skeleton. On the one hand, it is a fantastic effect for its time and I love the detail in its design. On the other hand, the effect is a bit shaky to the modern eye. In fairness, the Terminator had just been run over and blown up by a gas tanker - maybe I should cut it some slack. It's bound to be a bit sluggish. The 80s sci-fi feel is acknowledged in Brad Fiedel's score too which relies heavily on the synthesizer. At times it becomes a little repetitive, but on the whole, it like the rest of the production work is more than solid.

To anyone who's familiar with the 'Terminator' franchise, you'll know that it has a great deal in common with the similarly popular 'Alien' films. I always like to think of them as cousins to one another. Not only have both properties had at least one instalment directed by Cameron, it's also the unanimous consensus that both the first two 'Terminator' and 'Alien' films are by far the best in each of their respective series'. Both have also been inundated with numerous sequels, which at best have never been able to even come close to the quality of those first two films. And as with the first 'Alien' film, 'The Terminator' is the comparatively quieter sci-fi film with some genuinely dark, scary moments that take it into horror territory as well. Although yes I do appreciate that I'm being very liberal in describing 'The Terminator' as quiet - blame it on the louder and more epic 'Terminator 2'. While this film does fall largely under the label of science-fiction, the graphic detail and the emotionless kills and terror inflicted by the Terminator does give it some ground in the horror genre too. It's also never a bad idea to revisit and enjoy the 'Terminator' films in their early days. After the first two films, the timeline becomes notoriously complex (like anything involving time travel when it gets out of hand), but here it's still simple enough to follow. 

I've spent a lot of this review heaping praise on James Cameron, but it would be unfair not to commend the film's small but effective cast too. Obviously it's Arnold Schwarzenegger that steals the show as the titular Terminator - his most famous role. Schwarzenegger's casting is absolutely spot on. The cyborg's limited vocabulary, stiff calculated movements but ultimately imposing physical figure make it the perfect role for him, and play well to his strengths as an actor. Having him in an antagonist role is also a nice bit of subversion from the hyper-masculine action heroes that dominated Hollywood in the 80s. Along with the male buddy cop movie, ridiculously exaggerated macho action films such as 'Rambo' or 'Commando' became prevalent as a result of increasing feminist sentiments in film and television. While counter-intuitive to masculine and feminine representation, that isn't to say these films are necessarily all bad ('Predator' for instance is a great film). However Schwarzenegger can be considered the face of this movement, and to cast him as an antagonist instead of the hero, then have the Terminator go one-on-one with Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in the finale - that's no accident. It's symbolic of the representation struggle, as well as a continuation of Cameron's tradition of casting women in more active roles. Linda Hamilton is also brilliant as Connor. She does a great job portraying the crippling fear that someone in Sarah's position would feel, as well as her gradual build-up of strength to face off against her assassin. Like Schwarzenegger, Hamilton has become synonymous with the franchise, and her portrayal of Sarah Connor would only get better in the following film.

Overall, 'The Terminator' is a cocktail of unlikely elements that came together to make something special. For a long it was touch and go as to whether it would turn out to be the massive success we now regard it as today. Cameron's first proper film remains one of his best, and I'll always be grateful for it. Not only were we treated to one great film here, it's success gave Cameron the opportunity to reach even greater heights and direct films like 'Aliens' and 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day'. 'The Terminator' is a testament to raw, low-budget filmmaking and still makes for fantastic viewing more than thirty-five years on.

The Terminator

9/10