MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #1 - 'The Terminator'

'The Terminator' (1984)

Welcome to my new article, “MIDDLE-AGE MATINEE”! In this article, I’m taking a look at films that came out during the year of my birth, 1984! I’m turning 40 this year and I’m deciding to celebrate some films that are also hitting the big four-oh.

I’m beginning this article with a film that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger into superstardom and made director James Cameron a household name. Of course, I’m talking about “The Terminator”!

The origins for “The Terminator” began when Cameron was sick in Rome during the release of his feature-film debut, “Piranha II: The Spawning”. He had a terrible fever dream and in the nightmare, he was being stalked by a terrible killing machine with a knife. When he woke up, he sketched it down and it looked not too dissimilar from the titular character.

The screenplay was done in collaboration with William Wisher Jr., though producer Gale Ann Hurd got a co-writer credit while Wisher only got an “additional dialogue” credit. In reality, Hurd only made suggestions for the script and according to Cameron, she didn’t write a single word of the finished screenplay.

Originally, Cameron wanted Schwarzenegger to play the role of Kyle Reese, the film’s hero. However, after reading the script, Schwarzenegger wanted to play the Terminator as he thought he was better suited for the role. Cameron originally envisioned an actor that looked like an average person that you would never assume would be a killing machine.

Kyle Reese must protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator!

Cameron even wanted his friend Lance Henrickson to play the part originally. However, after having a meeting with Schwarzenegger and befriending him, Cameron understood how he could make the concept work with someone the size of Schwarzenegger. Henrickson was given a smaller role in the film and eventually Michael Biehn was cast as Reese.

While several actresses were considered for the role of the movie’s heroine, Sarah Connor, Cameron chose Linda Hamilton after she had finished filming “Children of the Corn”. He liked that she had a more “girl next door” look rather than that of a glamorous star. Cameron also thought she could believably turn Sarah from a helpless victim to someone who could actually face off against the Terminator by the film’s climax.

The movie, for anyone who has lived under a rock these past 40 years, follows Sarah Connor, a young waitress without a care in the world beyond the usual mundane problems everyone else faces such as balancing her own checkbook. One night, though, she learns that two other women also named Sarah Connor have been murdered and that she’s being followed.

She ducks away into a club when another, bigger man comes in and tries to kill her. The man following her fends off the other person and tells her that she had better come with him if she wanted to live. While being chased by the seemingly unstoppable menace, the man who saves Sarah lets her in on a terrible truth.

In the future, there is a nuclear war where humans face off against deadly machines. One of these machines is a Terminator, made to look like a human and infiltrate human bases. However, the central AI system known as Skynet has lost the war thanks to the leadership of a man who united everyone together to fight the machines.

The Terminator coldly sets his sights on Sarah Connor.

That man’s name is John Connor, Sarah’s future son. As a last ditch effort to win the war, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah before John is born. The man who saved Sarah is Kyle Reese, a member of the Resistance who volunteered to travel back in time and protect Sarah.

From there on, it’s a non-stop chase as the Terminator doesn’t stop hunting Sarah. Even in a police station full of cops, Sarah learns that the Terminator cannot seemingly be stopped by conventional means. Eventually, both Kyle and Sarah will have to find a way to confront the deadly killing machine.

This movie is a bang-for-your-buck thrill ride. It’s a chase movie that, once started, never lets up until the end. Even Kyle’s exposition about the future and why Sarah is important is told while they are on the run. The chemistry between the two leads, Biehn and Hamilton, is definitely there and they are a part of why the movie works.

Another part that makes the movie work is that Cameron took what should have essentially been a low budget B sci-fi movie and made it look like a million bucks. This is only Cameron’s second film and his talents are already on full display. He has an eye that knows how to make any scene work no matter the budgetary constraints.

The music is also another piece of the puzzle that makes this movie’s success. Brad Fiedel’s synthesizer infused score adds to the mechanical tone of the movie and its titular character. The main theme is one of those classic themes that you recognize no matter where you hear it after you’ve seen the movie.

Of course, the biggest (and I do mean biggest) reason that this movie works is due to Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was the role that he was born to play. He also does a great job in the role, giving the Terminator unique and mechanical-like movements. 

For example, when he turns his head while looking for his target, he moves his eyes first before the head follows. When using weapons, he makes sure to have precise movements without using any excessive energy because a machine would want to be as precise as possible. Watching the movie time and time again, I can see why this was the film that solidified his status as a leading man, especially in action films.

“The Terminator” is a haunting sci-fi movie with plenty of fun action and a great villain at the center of it. Even after 40 years, the special-effects still hold up for the most part despite some unavoidable aging. The acting is solid and Cameron’s skill as a director are on full display here. If you haven’t seen it before, you need to rectify that and if you haven’t seen it in awhile, it’s time for a revisit!

I think this goes without saying, but 'The Terminator' is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made!