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Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Terminator (1984) in Movies
Jan 27, 2021
A classic
Film #12 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: The Terminator
The Terminator is a sci-fi classic and is responsible not only for helping propel Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron to the household names they are now, but also for creating a movie franchise that is still going nearly 40 years later. Although admittedly the majority of the sequels are better off never spoken about again.
Released in 1984 and bringing director James Cameron into recognition, The Terminator follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), to prevent her son John Connor from saving humanity in the future. Also sent back in time to try and save Sarah is human soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).
This is a story that must be familiar to most, having spawned a further 5 sequels (and counting) in the past 30+ years. And as sci-fi stories go, this is a damn good one – time travel, murder, even romance – it has it all. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, and watching it back now I never realised how 80s it was. Aside from the memorable title music from Brad Fiedel, the rest of the score and soundtrack screams 80s and with the clothing and hairstyles, it’d be difficult to miss when this was released. There are a lot of horror aspects and tones to this original too that makes it a lot darker and sometimes scary, which is not something we see in any of the sequels. The gore, especially the wonderfully icky scene when the T-800 patches himself up in the bathroom mirror, is great and another aspect sadly lacking from the sequels. Admittedly some of the effects and props in this do look a little dated (the T-800 point of view and the animatronic Arnie are noticeably dodgy), but considering this was made in 1984 it’s actually incredibly impressive. The final scenes with the metal skeleton of the T-800 are especially noteworthy.
This is the film that made Linda Hamilton into the kick ass heroine we know and love, Arnie into the cyborg we love and hate (depending on which film you’re watching), and made the name John Connor into something that is completely unforgettable. With limited lines and a requirement to look menacing and imposing, this film is perfect for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He isn’t required to do much and personally I think his role as the T-800 in any of the Terminator films are undoubtedly his best performances to date. And with supporting performances from the likes of future Aliens alum Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and a blink and you’ll miss him Bill Paxton, the cast is faultless. And let’s be honest, who didn’t have a crush on Michael Biehn after watching this?
What I like the most about The Terminator is its simplicity. It might be a sci-fi, but it’s relatively low budget with a small cast of main characters and a large amount of practical effects and action scenes. It has a fairly B movie look about it, and coming from the James Cameron we know now, something this simple is actually very refreshing. While I like a lot of Cameron’s work (who doesn’t love Aliens?), his more recent efforts are a little too over the top and overwhelming. This is nothing of the sort.
The Terminator is absolutely a classic and deserving of its place on this list. I will admit that I still think the first sequel T2 is superior, especially as it doesn’t have the outdated and overwhelmingly 80s feel that makes this original slightly flawed.
The Terminator is a sci-fi classic and is responsible not only for helping propel Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron to the household names they are now, but also for creating a movie franchise that is still going nearly 40 years later. Although admittedly the majority of the sequels are better off never spoken about again.
Released in 1984 and bringing director James Cameron into recognition, The Terminator follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), to prevent her son John Connor from saving humanity in the future. Also sent back in time to try and save Sarah is human soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn).
This is a story that must be familiar to most, having spawned a further 5 sequels (and counting) in the past 30+ years. And as sci-fi stories go, this is a damn good one – time travel, murder, even romance – it has it all. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, and watching it back now I never realised how 80s it was. Aside from the memorable title music from Brad Fiedel, the rest of the score and soundtrack screams 80s and with the clothing and hairstyles, it’d be difficult to miss when this was released. There are a lot of horror aspects and tones to this original too that makes it a lot darker and sometimes scary, which is not something we see in any of the sequels. The gore, especially the wonderfully icky scene when the T-800 patches himself up in the bathroom mirror, is great and another aspect sadly lacking from the sequels. Admittedly some of the effects and props in this do look a little dated (the T-800 point of view and the animatronic Arnie are noticeably dodgy), but considering this was made in 1984 it’s actually incredibly impressive. The final scenes with the metal skeleton of the T-800 are especially noteworthy.
This is the film that made Linda Hamilton into the kick ass heroine we know and love, Arnie into the cyborg we love and hate (depending on which film you’re watching), and made the name John Connor into something that is completely unforgettable. With limited lines and a requirement to look menacing and imposing, this film is perfect for Arnold Schwarzenegger. He isn’t required to do much and personally I think his role as the T-800 in any of the Terminator films are undoubtedly his best performances to date. And with supporting performances from the likes of future Aliens alum Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and a blink and you’ll miss him Bill Paxton, the cast is faultless. And let’s be honest, who didn’t have a crush on Michael Biehn after watching this?
What I like the most about The Terminator is its simplicity. It might be a sci-fi, but it’s relatively low budget with a small cast of main characters and a large amount of practical effects and action scenes. It has a fairly B movie look about it, and coming from the James Cameron we know now, something this simple is actually very refreshing. While I like a lot of Cameron’s work (who doesn’t love Aliens?), his more recent efforts are a little too over the top and overwhelming. This is nothing of the sort.
The Terminator is absolutely a classic and deserving of its place on this list. I will admit that I still think the first sequel T2 is superior, especially as it doesn’t have the outdated and overwhelmingly 80s feel that makes this original slightly flawed.
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Lindsay (1706 KP) rated The Root To Murder in Books
Oct 29, 2019
The Roots of Murder is better then I expected. Though Lauren books are done well and gripping at every turn, there is not surprised that I loved it. It was amazing and so had me guessing. You would not believe who killer turns out to be.
The plot is entertaining as it is keeping you guessing until you make to end. Find out how Madison and Heather find out they are half sisters? But who killed their father and why? There seems to be another murder they did not seem to solve that come up with Lindsay's death.
We see the family jump in and help with the investigation of Cameron Gates case. We also see JJ Thornton join in as well. We are reading JJ and his love Poppy getting ready for their wedding as well. What ever is the case, this pulls in Joshua Thornton as it his friend from school. It deals with JJ and Murphy friends as well when they find the victim is John Davis. Which is by the way Heather's dad.
Elisabeth seems strange and clingy. Why is she being the why she is. If you want to find out happens and why? You will need to pick up the book to read. How Lauren Carr comes up with these plots and still has more is beyond me. These stories are so deep and emotional that they make you want even more. You can be pulled in as if you are member and be heartfelt.
The plot is entertaining as it is keeping you guessing until you make to end. Find out how Madison and Heather find out they are half sisters? But who killed their father and why? There seems to be another murder they did not seem to solve that come up with Lindsay's death.
We see the family jump in and help with the investigation of Cameron Gates case. We also see JJ Thornton join in as well. We are reading JJ and his love Poppy getting ready for their wedding as well. What ever is the case, this pulls in Joshua Thornton as it his friend from school. It deals with JJ and Murphy friends as well when they find the victim is John Davis. Which is by the way Heather's dad.
Elisabeth seems strange and clingy. Why is she being the why she is. If you want to find out happens and why? You will need to pick up the book to read. How Lauren Carr comes up with these plots and still has more is beyond me. These stories are so deep and emotional that they make you want even more. You can be pulled in as if you are member and be heartfelt.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Terminator Salvation (2009) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Following up the legendary first two Terminator films was no easy task. Without series creator, James Cameron. many fans found “Terminator: Rise of the Machines” to be lacking the depth, action, and character of the earlier films. When Director McG was announced to continue the war between humanity and the machines in “Terminator Salvation” fans feared that the series might become a campy action film in the vein of the directors “Charlie’s Angels” films. Thankfully for fans, the film more than delivers and continues the dark and intensely human story about the battle for humanities’ survival against the ruthless computer network, Skynet.
The film opens in 2018 where John Connor (Christian Bale), is involved in a raid on a Skynet facility with a group of fellow soldiers. The team is attempting to gain sensitive information from the main servers about Skynet. Along the way, they discover many human prisoners are being kept by the machines and learn what they believe is a weakness in the network that will allow them to defeat Skynet once and for all.
In the aftermath of the mission, John is debriefed by the human leadership and learns that their names are on a Skynet kill list and ironically John is #2 on the list behind someone named Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). While the name does not ring any bells with the command staff, John knows the name all too well and how his future, and all of humanity, hinges on this person staying alive.
At the same time, a man emerges named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who meets up with Reese. Together they flee from a an array of deadly machines intent on capturing Reese. In a spectacular action sequence, Reese and Marcus battle a giant machine as well as Hunter Killers and cycle-like assassins that are as relentless as their terminator counterparts. Separated from Reese by the enemy, Marcus meets a resistance pilot named Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood), who convinces him to return to the resistance camp where John Connor can help him locate Reese.
Fates collide and a shocking secret is revealed that causes division in the resistance and places Connor at odds with his chain of command. As a pending strike on Skynet looms, Connor is forced to undertake a desperate mission to save the future, one that challenges much of what he believes and rocks the very foundation of the resistance. What follows is an intense series of events and an explosive series of action scenes that should delight fans of the series and sets the stage well for future films.
Bale brings his signature intensity to Connor, smoothly moving between the action and dramatic scenes well, something he’s had practice with as Batman. Worthington was a very pleasant surprise. His character not only has an interesting back-story but provides a great compass for the storyline. I did have some questions about how, in a post-Apocalypse setting, things like water were free from fallout, as were blasted out cities, and how military planes and ships survived without having their chips scrambled by a nuclear pulse. That being said, the film works very well. A strong cast and good action were well blended with great effects to create a winning formula. I did wonder where the plasma rifles that were shown in the earlier films were, but did remember that those were shown in a time 11 years in the future from this film.
Of great significance in James Cameron’s earlier films was the way he deftly combined action and real characters with a complex storyline. “Terminator Salvation” is not as deep as the first two films but it also does not rely on explosions of CGI effects to carry the story. At the core of the film is a bleak but human drama about love, sacrifice, survival, and determination. While some may have issues with the dark tone of the film, it is important to remember that this is about humanities’ struggle against extinction. McG keeps things moving at a brisk pace and has crafted a slick and enjoyable film that has many clever nods to the source material without ever being disrespectful to the franchise. I am looking forward to see what future films in the story will offer, as truly the battle for humanity has just begun.
The film opens in 2018 where John Connor (Christian Bale), is involved in a raid on a Skynet facility with a group of fellow soldiers. The team is attempting to gain sensitive information from the main servers about Skynet. Along the way, they discover many human prisoners are being kept by the machines and learn what they believe is a weakness in the network that will allow them to defeat Skynet once and for all.
In the aftermath of the mission, John is debriefed by the human leadership and learns that their names are on a Skynet kill list and ironically John is #2 on the list behind someone named Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin). While the name does not ring any bells with the command staff, John knows the name all too well and how his future, and all of humanity, hinges on this person staying alive.
At the same time, a man emerges named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who meets up with Reese. Together they flee from a an array of deadly machines intent on capturing Reese. In a spectacular action sequence, Reese and Marcus battle a giant machine as well as Hunter Killers and cycle-like assassins that are as relentless as their terminator counterparts. Separated from Reese by the enemy, Marcus meets a resistance pilot named Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood), who convinces him to return to the resistance camp where John Connor can help him locate Reese.
Fates collide and a shocking secret is revealed that causes division in the resistance and places Connor at odds with his chain of command. As a pending strike on Skynet looms, Connor is forced to undertake a desperate mission to save the future, one that challenges much of what he believes and rocks the very foundation of the resistance. What follows is an intense series of events and an explosive series of action scenes that should delight fans of the series and sets the stage well for future films.
Bale brings his signature intensity to Connor, smoothly moving between the action and dramatic scenes well, something he’s had practice with as Batman. Worthington was a very pleasant surprise. His character not only has an interesting back-story but provides a great compass for the storyline. I did have some questions about how, in a post-Apocalypse setting, things like water were free from fallout, as were blasted out cities, and how military planes and ships survived without having their chips scrambled by a nuclear pulse. That being said, the film works very well. A strong cast and good action were well blended with great effects to create a winning formula. I did wonder where the plasma rifles that were shown in the earlier films were, but did remember that those were shown in a time 11 years in the future from this film.
Of great significance in James Cameron’s earlier films was the way he deftly combined action and real characters with a complex storyline. “Terminator Salvation” is not as deep as the first two films but it also does not rely on explosions of CGI effects to carry the story. At the core of the film is a bleak but human drama about love, sacrifice, survival, and determination. While some may have issues with the dark tone of the film, it is important to remember that this is about humanities’ struggle against extinction. McG keeps things moving at a brisk pace and has crafted a slick and enjoyable film that has many clever nods to the source material without ever being disrespectful to the franchise. I am looking forward to see what future films in the story will offer, as truly the battle for humanity has just begun.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) in Movies
Nov 6, 2019
Good (enough) conclusion to the Franchise
After a few attempts at resurrecting this franchise, James Cameron has (wisely) decided to bury the franchise with one last TERMINATOR film starring the original Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. TERMINATOR: DARK FATE is a direct sequel to T2: JUDGEMENT DAY (or so says Producer/Writer Cameron) as it ignores the 3rd and 4th movies in this series (as well as the television show THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES).
And that is a wise move as it simplifies things and just lets us get on to what a Terminator movie does best - fantastic action sequences, state of the art CGI, a killer robot that will stop at nothing to accomplish it's mission, and a plucky hero or 2 to battle said killer robot.
Oh...did I mention that they recruit a Terminator to help them stop the Terminator?
And it all works well...enough. Set in this year (2019), TERMINATOR: DARK FATE tells the tale of what happens next after Sarah and John Connor stopped Judgement Day in the 2nd Terminator film. A deadly - even more dangerous - Terminator (version 9!) returns to 2019 to kill a single woman (Natalie Reyes). This time she is helped by an augmented human from the future (Mackenzie Davis) and...Sarah Connor! Returning to this film, all buffed up and aging, is a craggy voiced Linda Hamilton as Sarah, who brings an adequate amount of world-weary, "been there, done that" attitude to the proceedings that pretty much carry the first half of the film.
And...just as the film was beginning to sag in the middle, along comes Arnold.
Playing an aging Terminator (which is explained, well enough, in the plot), Arnold plays the Terminator (who has been living with humans for over 20 years) with a wink in his eye and a sense of humor about him. Yep...this is a Terminator with a funny bone. And - I'll be darned - it works! Thanks to the performance of Mr. Schwarzenegger. He knows exactly what kind of film he is in and brings the right amount of energy, muscle and humor to the proceedings. He pretty much carries this film on his broad shoulders for the 2nd half - and he carries it with ease.
Credit Director Tim Miller (DEADPOOL) for keeping things light, simple and moving along crisply. He, too, understands the type of film he is making (and the audience that will go see this type of film) so he keeps the dialogue light and snappy, the plot at it's simplest and the action as high as he can go - blowing things up at a moment's notice. It's not sublte art by any stretch of the imagination, but it is art - in a way - and art that he does well.
If this is the last Terminator film (and I hope it is), then it is going out on a high (enough) note. I was surprisingly entertained (and not preached to) and, I think that is all I could have hoped for in a Terminator flick.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And that is a wise move as it simplifies things and just lets us get on to what a Terminator movie does best - fantastic action sequences, state of the art CGI, a killer robot that will stop at nothing to accomplish it's mission, and a plucky hero or 2 to battle said killer robot.
Oh...did I mention that they recruit a Terminator to help them stop the Terminator?
And it all works well...enough. Set in this year (2019), TERMINATOR: DARK FATE tells the tale of what happens next after Sarah and John Connor stopped Judgement Day in the 2nd Terminator film. A deadly - even more dangerous - Terminator (version 9!) returns to 2019 to kill a single woman (Natalie Reyes). This time she is helped by an augmented human from the future (Mackenzie Davis) and...Sarah Connor! Returning to this film, all buffed up and aging, is a craggy voiced Linda Hamilton as Sarah, who brings an adequate amount of world-weary, "been there, done that" attitude to the proceedings that pretty much carry the first half of the film.
And...just as the film was beginning to sag in the middle, along comes Arnold.
Playing an aging Terminator (which is explained, well enough, in the plot), Arnold plays the Terminator (who has been living with humans for over 20 years) with a wink in his eye and a sense of humor about him. Yep...this is a Terminator with a funny bone. And - I'll be darned - it works! Thanks to the performance of Mr. Schwarzenegger. He knows exactly what kind of film he is in and brings the right amount of energy, muscle and humor to the proceedings. He pretty much carries this film on his broad shoulders for the 2nd half - and he carries it with ease.
Credit Director Tim Miller (DEADPOOL) for keeping things light, simple and moving along crisply. He, too, understands the type of film he is making (and the audience that will go see this type of film) so he keeps the dialogue light and snappy, the plot at it's simplest and the action as high as he can go - blowing things up at a moment's notice. It's not sublte art by any stretch of the imagination, but it is art - in a way - and art that he does well.
If this is the last Terminator film (and I hope it is), then it is going out on a high (enough) note. I was surprisingly entertained (and not preached to) and, I think that is all I could have hoped for in a Terminator flick.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
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