The Terminator (1984) – J. Cameron
One of those
movies that I couldn’t remember whether I had actually watched it or not, with
T2 probably overshadowing any earlier memories. It turns out that this first
film in the series is a cracking good time, with raw gritty action that retains
a link to low budget masterworks like John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13
(1976), even as it points toward the big budget spectacles of the future (of
which director James Cameron would play a key role). This film took Arnold Schwarzenegger
from his previous beefcake roles (e.g., Conan the Barbarian, 1982) into
something even more iconic and weird – a futuristic cyborg time-travelling to
the past to kill the mother of the resistance hero fighting the A. I. machines
who have taken over the Earth. Suffice
it to say that Arnold’s Teutonic accent is perfect (and he does say “I’ll Be
Back”). Although the special effects do dominate before the film concludes
(whetting Cameron’s appetite, I guess), Linda Hamilton (as the target) and
Michael Biehn (as a futuristic human pursuing the Terminator) maintain their sense
of purpose, using every possible means to escape the unrelenting robot revealed
under Arnold’s skin. Having caught lightning in a bottle, I guess no one could
resist a sequel (or three).
