Critic Rating
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Director
James Cameron
Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Michael Biehn,
Linda Hamilton,
Paul Winfield,
Lance Henriksen,
Rick Rossovich
Genre
Action,
Thriller,
Science Fiction
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century machines. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
While not at all subtle about its fear of AI, this film plays on many of the same fears people have as AI becomes relevant today. Because it was made in the 1980s, it is interesting to see the way that fears about robots and artificial intelligence have both changed and stayed the same.
A quintessential '80s action flick, The Terminator helped turn Arnold Schwarzenegger into one of the most bankable stars of the decade, and spawned a rich sci-fi movie universe that, unfortunately, hasn't been well utilized since. Playing on mankind's fear of being replaced by machines, The Terminator flirts with philosophical undertones, but is ultimately a thrill ride more focussed on horror and action than anything else. The effects don't hold up well by today's standards, but considering what it accomplished for the time, The Terminator remains a classic.
Variety
A blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story.
Dallas Observer by Luke Y. Thompson
The movie's scares are intense, but the notion that the Terminator would move on to politics is even more frightening.
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
Director James Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd (both of whom co-wrote the script) demonstrate their storytelling virtuosity.
Variety by Staff (Not Credited)
A blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story.
Time Out by Tom Huddleston
From the slam-bang direction to the relentless pace to the not-a-word-wasted dialogue and even the driving synth score, everything else about The Terminator just works.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
Getting the extraordinary physical specimen of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the lead was a stroke of genius and a stroke of fortune. Each of his pecs is the size of a bull’s flank. It is a tremendous black-comic performance and, without Schwarzenegger, the movie is of course unthinkable.
Entertainment Weekly
Kineticism and suspense, combined with strongly conceived characters....Made Cameron a talent to watch. [13 Jan 1995, p. 67]
Entertainment Weekly by Glenn Kenny
Kineticism and suspense, combined with strongly conceived characters....Made Cameron a talent to watch. [13 Jan 1995, p. 67]
Time by Richard Corliss
Plenty of tech-noir savvy to keep infidels and action fans satisfied.[26 Nov 1984, p. 105]
Newsweek by Jack Kroll
The Terminator is a splendid meta-monster, Frankensteined for the computer age. And Cameron devises not one, not two but, well, let's call it X climaxes that will melt the hinges of your jaws. [19 Nov 1984, p.132]
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Ellis
The havoc makes for a genuine steel metal trap of a movie that may very well be the best picture of its kind since The Road Warrior.
Empire by Mark Dinning
A tense, slickly executed thriller.
Premiere
A model of economic storytelling....It raised the bar for movie action to a bionic level. [1 Dec 2003, p.13]
TV Guide Magazine
An amazingly effective picture that becomes doubly impressive when one considers its small budget.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Jay Scott
An efficient, cold-blooded sci-fi splatter movie that never makes the mistake of forgetting that on some level it is deeply ridiculous.
Chicago Reader by Dave Kehr
Schwarzenegger is presented as a lumbering slab of dumb, destructive strength--the image is more geological than human--and Cameron plays his crushing weightiness against the strangely light, almost graceful violence of the gunplay directed against him. The results have the air of a demented ballet.
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
A B-movie with flair.
The New York Times by Elvis Mitchell
A B-movie with flair.
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