The Terminator (1984)

Poster from Pakistan. Notice the typos!

The Terminator

Director: James Cameron

USA 1984

108 min

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn and Paul Winfield, among others.

This post will probably be more popular among my male readers than the females. But I've said it before, and I say it again - "a classic" is a diffuse expression, and I do want to include classic movies from all different genres and eras in this blog. The Terminator sure is a typical example of a "modern classic". Well, it's a quarter of a century old... But it's anyway just four years older than I am - so if I'm considered young and fresh (I certainly hope so), so should The Terminator be in classic movie terms (and relatively speaking, of course).

So here it is: 1980's science fiction!

It was ages ago since I saw this movie, and I remember it as being totally ridiculous. However, my opinion has completely changed. I don't know if I perhaps never saw the entire movie then, but only about the last third of it. In that case I can't blame myself for thinking that half a robot crawling around on the floor seemed laughable. But maybe I just wasn't mature enough to appreciate The Terminator's cinematic strengths.

So, what are the strengths of the film? For one thing, we almost immediately get to see Schwarzenegger's naked butt. It's really cute. But it doesn't really look proportional in comparison to his Belgian Blue upper body. (Just a trifle.) Luckily enough, the movie is filmed in widescreen, so all his muscles fit on the screen. Phuh.

More seriously, though:

• The film is obviously well planned - the more you analyze the facts and try to figure out the time travelling and the other technical stuff, the more they makes sense. You get the feeling that there lies a lot of hard work behind the script.
• The camera work is great. The most impressive angles and compositions are interestingly enough often of the more unimportant details - like the aerial view of a little barking dog, or an iguana climbing around on kitchen shelves. In short, I felt pleased with the cinematography - and that is quite admirable when we consider the fact that this is one of those dark, dirty 1980's action movies.
• The actors are convincing, even when delivering embarrassing clichés. If they at all were clichés back then, it's possible that the actors didn't need to force themselves to keep from laughter.
• Even Scharzenegger is immaculate. This is that kind of a role that fits him like a glove. How the hell can he look so blank, so... without any facial expression at all? And his Austrian accent is awesome. But I do wonder: If Ricardo Cortez could arrive to Hollywood from Austria and eliminate his foreign accent, why couldn't Scharzenegger? Does it need mental efforts, perhaps? (Oh, that was just low. Sorry.)

Well, I can at least offer a quick explanation about the plot (even though it's probably not necessary):

In the future, 2029, the world is ruled by machines who want to eliminate the human race. (Anyone making a connection to the Holocaust? Anyone..?) The humans do however start to fight back, lead and inspired by a man with the name of John Connor.

The Terminator (Schwarzenegger) arrives in present time, 1984, with the mission to kill Sarah Connor (Hamilton), who will become the mother of the future leader of the human revolt. If she dies before giving birth to him, he will never exist. Like that last sentence was necessary.

Also going back to 1984 from the future is Kyle Reese (Biehn), who belongs to the revolutionists. He needs to save Sarah Connor from the Terminator.

The comic relief is brought in the form of the cynical, tired but substantial Lieutenant Ed Traxler (Winfield), the head of the investigation of several murder victims by the name of Sarah Connor. Oh, and that horrible psychiatrist Dr. Silberman (Earl Boen), who must be the most unsympathetic jackass of a doctor I've seen since The Snake Pit (1948) [post]! Was the psychiatric ward that unprofessional still, in the 1980's? He makes me want to strangle someone. Slowly.

Linda Hamilton with director James Cameron.

All in all, this is a really decent action and science fiction. It's far from mindless and idiotic (which many movies in this genre tend to be), and I have few things to complain about. We even have a damn cool heroine, who doesn't whine and bitch like the typical 1980's female leads. And she's not overdoing the I-can-manage-myself-thing neither, like Hilary Swank does. (Yuck.)

Another interesting thing is that I, for once, felt like this movie would do good with a sequel. I want to know more about the fate of the Connors, not to mention how the future will turn out. (Parallel dimensions and all that jazz.) And this opinion comes from one of the most skeptical persons there is when talking about sequels and, God help me, re-makes.

So, what did I not like about The Terminator?

• Some of the special effects. I know it isn't fair to judge a 25 year old film too harsh on that point, but that is actually one of the very few things about the film that hasn't aged well. When the Terminator fixes himself up after getting smashed up in a car crash, they should have just faked his eye with make up. That rubber head looks ridiculous. But I did like the stop motion in the climax scene - old-fashioned and timeless.
• That f*cking 1980's pop music! Gaah!
• And of course, the rest of the over-all horrible taste of that decade.

So that's about it. One thought that struck me while watching one of the future sequences though:

Did anyone else feel like the whole thing with Reese falling in love with a photograph of Sarah Connor was a tribute to Laura (1944)? He gets almost obsessed by the idea of a perfect, admirable woman in a picture - change the photograph to a painting, and there you have it. Tinkling piano music included.

Since I have mostly male friends, I will soon see the rest of The Terminator series. (That's why I saw this one today, by the way.) I will probably not write about them, though. I have high expectations on re-watching T2 (1991), but very low (if even existing) expectations on the other two.

In any case - I'll be back! (Blame my lame sense of humor on me not going to bed early enough...)

Now, a Polish film poster! What would the world do without Poland?