Arnold Schwarzenegger

Michael Biehn

Linda Hamilton

Paul Winfield

Lance Henriksen

Rick Rossovich

Bess Motta

Earl Boen

Dick Miller

Shawn Schepps

Bruce M. Kerner

Franco Columbu

Bill Paxton

Brad Rearden

Brian Thompson

William Wisher

Ken Fritz

Tom Oberhaus

Ed Dogans

Joe Farago

Hettie Lynne Hurtes

Tony Mirelez

Philip Gordon

Anthony Trujillo

Stan Yale

Al Kahn

Leslie Morris

Hugh Farrington

Harriet Medin

Loree Frazier

James Ralston

Norman Friedman

Barbara Powers

Wayne Stone

David Michels

John E. Bristol

Webster Williams

Patrick Pinney

Bill W. Richmond

Chino 'Fats' Williams

Greg Robbins

Marianne Muellerleile

John Durban

Marian Green

J. Randolph Harrison

David Kristin

Darrell Mapson

John Stuart West

Gale Anne Hurd

Brad Fiedel

Adam Greenberg

James Cameron

Mark Goldblatt

John Daly

Stanzi Stokes

Derek Gibson

Deborah Everton

Maria Caso

George Costello

Jeff Dawn

Terry Porter

Mel Metcalfe

David Campling

Amy McGary

Gary Schoeneck

Ernest D. Farino

Hilary Wright

Kristen McGary

Shay Austin

Tommy Estridge

John Post

Ken Brocious

Gordon Daniel

David J. Hudson

Dennis Bishop

Wayne Nelson

Emilie Robertson

Joseph A. Liuzzi

Joyce Rudolph

Tim Morton

Horace Manzanares

Greg Dillon

Gary Shepherd

Karola Storr

James Fritch

James J. Klinger

Mike Le Mare

Donna Smith

Kyle Sweet

Peter Tothpal

Robert Randles

Harlan Ellison

Lorna Anderson

Glenn R. Wilder

Gilbert D. Marchant

Bob Williams

Gabriel Guy

Frank Orsatti

Darcee F. Olson

Sean McLin

Mark Peterson

Chuck Colwell

Gene Warren Jr.

Brenda Weisman

Mark Morton

Betsy Magruder

Gary McLarty

Jeffrey J. Dashnaw

Eddy Donno

Anthony Cecere

Monty Jordan

Pete Turner

Peter Kent

Diamond Farnsworth

Tom Hart

Rob King

Jeff Habberstad

Brian Wade

J. Suzanne Fish

Gene Hartline

Roger George

Lee Waddell

Jean Malahni

Frank DeMarco

Vance Piper

Anne S. Coffey

Julia Gombert

Marilyn Tasso

Spike Allison Hooper

Kathy Breen

Mary Nelson-Duerrstein

Michael Bloecher

Robert Roda

Thomas A. Irvine

The Terminator Collection

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I can't. Nobody goes home. Nobody else comes through. It's just him - and me.

It's funny really, writing a review for The Terminator these days just feels a little pointless, I mean anyone who wanted to see it would have done so already. In truth the effects work is a little creaky now but that doesn't matter, they were awesome in 1984. It's a ripper of a story awash with high energy action, rip-snorting characterisations and tech-noir atmospherics. It's place in the pantheon of science fiction films is assured, its influence on the genre undoubted, while the lead cast members cemented themselves in the sci-fi hall of fame.

No more needs to be said really, The Terminator is a kinetic live action comic book of a movie, classy movie making, paced to precision and featuring a story that's brilliantly complex and utterly compelling. 9/10

Jodie

Writing a review for a movie this old does indeed seem pointless, but since this is one of my favorite films I thought I would review it anyway. 

In my opinion The Terminator is a beautiful, yet tragic love story set in the back drop of the future and the past. A soldier from the future is sent to the 80's to save the leader of the resistance (John Connor) mother from a High Tech Cybernetic Killing Machine. We all know that. What I loved was that this soldier, Kyle Reese volunteers for this suicide mission. He volunteers for one reason because, he had fallen in love with this woman, Sarah Connor. Though they were separated by several decades of time and Judgement Day, her son tells him these tales of his mother Sarah and gives him a single picture of her, purposefully pushing Reese to fall for his mother and this is the reason for him traveling through time to do the nearly impossible. Save and protect Sarah Connor to save the human race in the future and kill a super bad ass T-800 with low tech weaponry and a reluctant Damsel.

Bullets flying and bombs booming make this movie highly entertaining. The storyline, ridiculous as it is, is fantastic and had everyone in the 80's and 90's quoting this SciFi film. It's always a good watch. It holds up nicely overtime.

Gimly

I know saying this puts me in the minority, but the first _Terminator_ movie is actually my favourite of the franchise. That's not a knock on the second movie, _Judgment Day_ is **awesome**. But I really dig the lower down, dark, sci-fi horror vibe of the original (it **is** a knock on every movie in the series that came after _T2_ though).

Schwarzenegger as the titular Terminator is inspired casting. Firstly, any restrictions he had in acting ability back in the 80s are brushed aside by the fact that he's playing a cold, unfeeling machine. And can you imagine someone who looks like that coming after you? Forget the fact he's got an arsenal in his back pocket, forget the fact that he's got a near unstoppable metal exoskeleton, Arnie is already a machine! Being hunted by that man would be terrifying, and you feel that in the performance of the leads.

_The Terminator_ is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I have seen - a lot.

_Final rating:★★★★½ - Ridiculously strong appeal. I can’t stop thinking about it._

Kamurai

Good watch, might watch again, and can recommend.

I have no idea what just happened, I just watched the 2020 version, and it doesn't even look better, and there doesn't seem be a lot of info on the situation.

It has decent practical effects, it's a got plenty of action in a machine chasing a woman aided by a soldier from the future.

Arnold carries an odd amount of weight as an emotionless cyborg, but Linda Hamilton shores up the rest.  I don't think it is Michael Biehn's fault, but Kyle Reese is kind of a forgettable character in this.

The depth of this action movie is just on the concept of time travel, and whether or not you can truly change the future.

This is a good movie, but it lacks something really special for the time of 2020, it's more important as a precursor to the sequel.

Here we go, the movie that started it all and wasn't Arnold believable as a robot? He came across as threatening and creepy as all get out, and the thick accent really played for the role.

And then, of course, the plot was so unbelievable that it sucked everyone right in, from the start you suspended your disbelief because you knew it was going to be one heck of a ride.

The cinematography was absolutely brilliant, everything seemed to fall into place perfectly for the first outing of the Terminator franchise and we got to see Sarah Connor transform from a frightened waitress at the start of the film, to someone that would become on of science-fiction's best known heroes by the end of it.

It was a truly fantastic film.

The Movie Mob

**James Cameron’s first film immediately showcases his unparalleled mastery of sci-fi action films and world building making The Terminator the gold standard of sci-fi thrillers.**

The Terminator franchise has its ups and downs, but it’s hard to deny its iconic status and significant impact on pop culture. Many would pick Terminator 2 as the pinnacle of the franchise, but for me, it’s the first one. While T2 made considerable upgrades to the original in every way, The Terminator was the directorial debut of James Cameron and in his first time in the director’s chair, made a groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece that has spawned five sequels, a tv show, video games, merchandise and so much more. The story and world established by this film are so rich and vast and a real credit to Cameron’s writing ability. However, my favorite part and the reason The Terminator holds its place as the best in the franchise for me is the character of Kyle Reese. A war-hardened marine for the future who has suffered and fought to survive his entire life travels to the past or protect Sarah Conner, the mother to the savior of humanity in the coming war. Michael Biehn’s performance is tough and heroic but carries the terror and suffering of all the years resisting the machines. He was my hero as a kid and every the namesake for my son! As important as John and Sarah Conner are to the Terminator story, Kyle Reese is its heart. The first film has dated effects (although incredible for its day) and a lower budget than its sequels, but the horror tones and fascinating characters will always make it one of my favorite films.

CinemaSerf

Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives in 1984 Los Angeles, in his birthday suit, and on a mission. Firstly, to get some clothes then to eliminate all the "Sarah Connor" folks listed in the phone book. Moments later "Kyle" (Michael Biehn) arrives with the aim of thwarting this dastardly plan - and soon the race is on. Meanwhile, "Sarah" (Linda Hamilton) is blissfully unaware that she is a target until the news bulletins start reporting the brutal slaying of her namesakes. She is spooked, and takes refuge in a night club while the city's finest head to her rescue. Thing is, Arnie is not just a big muscly bloke, he's a big muscly killing machine - and a nigh-on immortal one at that. "Kyle" and "Sarah" now have their work cut out just to stay alive while they try to concoct a plan that will destroy her nemesis before it destroys them - and pretty much everyone else it comes into contact with! Aside from the synthesiser music - which has dated quite badly - this film still holds up as a solid and entertaining sci-fi horror film. True, the script is never top of James Cameron's priorities, and here is no different, but the pace of the film and the sparing but effective use of the special effects build to quite an exciting crush-endo that is good to watch with a surprising degree of jeopardy right until the very end. Hamilton is not a very good actress, but as the momentum builds she gels well with Biehn making the whole thing well a worth a watch on a big screen even now, almost forty years on.

The Terminator( 1984)

Your future is in its hands.

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A review by John Chard

Written by John Chard on Thu May 07 2015

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