My Review of The Terminator (1984) · 10:10pm May 7th, 2023
Rating Scale:
12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made
Greetings, everyone! This is Mr. J back with another movie review for today! This afternoon, I will be reviewing The Terminator from 1984! This is one of the most awesome 80s action films I’ve ever seen, and this is also something that I just find very appealing for some reason. I mean, the concept of a cyborg terminator sent from the future to kill someone from the past? That’s an interesting concept that would require some terrifying yet well-portrayed execution. But yeah, what do I think of this movie overall? Well, let’s take a closer look at it from my perspective, shall we?
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a cyborg robot sent from the future in which Skynet has determined to wipe out humanity. To eliminate any more resistance from the humans, Arnold is sent back to the past to kill a young woman named Sarah Connor before her son (John Connor) can be born to save humanity. Therefore, a valiant solider named Kyle Reese is likewise sent back to protect her from the Terminator.
The acting was just phenomenal in this movie. All the actors and actresses played their respective roles very well and conveyed the sense of terror, surprise, and fear in their body language and mannerisms—especially in Linda Hamilton who played Sarah Connor.
Her character was believable yet sad to look at because now her life has drastically been changed forever. Understanding her vital role for the future, she can no longer live her normal life. And I think the writers did a great job in developing her character and making her a heroine to ultimately defeat this terminator.
Micheal Biehn was also a terrific actor in this movie. His character was both strong, fierce, and serious as he realized that the future fully depended on Sarah being alive. That’s why he was so aggressive throughout most of his screen time because the Terminator was always seconds away from nearly killing her, and everyone else was too slow to see the truth. Again, amazing acting on his part.
And of course, Arnold was an absolute beast in this movie. His emotionless persona was both funny yet scary to look at; he showed zero hesitation in killing anyone who stood in his way and displaying zero remorse after killing an innocent person even when he killed the wrong Sarah Connors (more than one).
I believe this is the first time Arnold has played the main villain role, and I say this because I did not expect him to be the villain. When I first watched this, I thought he was gonna be an anti-hero or something but a villain?! I was very surprised! He was definitely the right person to play this horrifying role of being the terminator. I’m not sure if it will be the same if someone else played the character.
For a 1980s film, it has some decent-looking visuals and computer animation. Yeah, it really doesn’t hold up well in today’s world, but it still looks epic to some degree.
The only minor flaws I find is the causal 80s dialogue, humor, and the choice of soundtrack for this movie. It’s not that great in my opinion, but I do like the terminator’s theme though. It’s really good to listen to. Also, the chemistry between Sarah and Kyle felt rushed and somewhat underdeveloped. If they had spent more time together, I’m sure their relationship would have felt more natural and believable. But that’s just me.
The action is fantastic, the storytelling is well-written, and the sense of dread and fear was just awe-inducing even for a rated-R movie. James Cameron should be commended for his flawless direction and vision he provided for this movie.
Overall, I thoroughly love this film. I rate it a solid 10/10! If you want to watch a rated-R sci-fi movie filled with intense action and epicness, this is the one for you.
RIP Paul Winfield, Dick Miller, and Earl Boen.
The classic that started a franchise
Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the reasons why I love Terminator is that this movie started the robot apocalypse theme which is something that I really like.