I’ve seen The Terminator many times over the years on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray and it’s soon to be released on 4K. I hope it is as exceptional in quality as the 40th anniversary theatrical rerelease as the picture and sound were incredible. I haven’t noticed surround sound that much these days as so many movies tend to just be a barrage of noise, but The Terminator sounded amazing.
What to say about this movie that we haven’t all said a million times before?
We all know that Arnold Schwarzenegger really became a household name after this film, and it remains one of his most iconic roles. His performance is chilling, and he portrays a relentless killing machine with ease. I do love the scene where he is at Sarah’s mother’s cabin, and he is mimicking her voice. It’s really unsettling and one of the many highlights of this near perfect movie.
Linda Hamilton is simply legendary as Sarah Connor and the way she transformers from meek waitress to warrior woman in the second movie is fantastic character development.
I don’t think Michael Biehn gets nearly enough praise as I think his character Kyle Reese is the best in the film. Biehn gives him such a desperation and intensity that none of the other actors who have played since have been able to capture. Reese has never experienced physical love and has only ever known war since he was born; his character is almost feral so when he first appears we can’t even tell if he’s the good guy or not.
One of the lesser discussed aspects of the film are the characters of Traxler (Paul Winfield) and Vukovich (Lance Henriksen). They both play jaded cops and I just adore their banter with each other. They’ve seen it all and are basically on a steady diet of caffeine and nicotine. They are believable, but also provide some levity in an otherwise nightmarish film.
The Terminator is more of a horror movie with action scenes, and I feel like none of the sequels (even the amazing T2) have quite been able to match. Part of me wishes that there were no more movies after part 2 as none of them really have anything new to say. We all know this movie is a warning about our reliance on technology which is arguably even more relevant today as we all carry mini computers with us everywhere.
Some have complained that the stop motion effects are dated, but I love them and wouldn’t change a thing as there is something about stop motion that just feels tangible.
Brad Fiedel’s score has never sounded better than it did in the theatre and it’s nearly as amazing as T2… although I doubt anything will come close that piece of musical perfection.
The pacing is faultless and there isn’t a single scene I would cut in terms of story or characters. I also enjoy the irony that the Terminator at the end is destroyed by another machine.
Overall, after 40 years The Terminator is still one of the all-time greats and if you get the opportunity you should try to see it on the big screen as it has never looked or sounded better.