The Terminator
1984
* * * *
Awesome. Dark. Creepy.
All those words describe James Cameron's extraordinary debut film. (Pirahna 2 doesn't count) This is a truly great film.
A cyborg from the future (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time to kill a woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who will apparently give birth to the man who, forty years later, will save the human race from the robots. She has one chance: a soldier named Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), sent back in time to protect her. But The Terminator may truly be an unstoppable killing machine.
I realize many people will disagree with what I am about to say. However, I would like to nominate the original "The Terminator" as the single greatest action flick ever committed to celuloid. Here are my reasons:
1. First, the action scenes: each of the scenes is stylish and exciting, but any action scene can manage that. But these moments are memorable. Especially today, it is rare for any action scene to stand out. They can still be exciting, even exhilerating, but they don't stick out in your mind.
In The Terminator, however, each one is unforgettable; not only are they thrilling, but they are genuinely powerful within the world the film creates. Look, for example, at the flashback to the future (if that makes sense) where Kyle remembers a Terminator attack in the small underground shelter. There are guns firing, explosions, and so forth, but there is an incredible sadness and hopelessness to the setting and seeing the people mowed down. And yet, there is also hope seen in the photograph of Sarah Connor...
... which then burns to a crisp in the flames.
Meanwhile, the lights darken, and the features of the Terminator disappear into a sillohuette... except for the solitary, glowing red eyes. A terifying and unforgettable image.
Each of the chases and gunfights in the film similarly stands out, creating a dark, intense, exhilerating, and unforgettable experience.
2. The story. James Cameron's story is a compelling tale of survival and becoming greater than you ever thought possible.
3. The characters are well developed and effectively fleshed out by the actors. This may not be quite "The Godfather" in those departments, but few action films (and, to be honest, not all that many dramas) manage to create such real people. Arnold Scharzenegger ain't Al Pacino --- heck, he isn't even Patrick Swayze --- but in the central role of this film, he is truly terrifying. The wooden, robotic delivery; the gargantuan physique (I think Arnold's pecks are bigger than my entire chest); and his methodical way of searching all create a horrifying creature that you believe could kill anyone and destroy anything. Michael Biehn is superb as Kyle Reese, capturing the buried emotions a man in his position would feel. And Linda Hamilton makes you believe in and cheer for Sarah Connor.
4. The atmosphere. James Cameron created a extroardinary feeling of hope surrouned by pain and terror. Every moment has intensity, hope, terror, and an epic sweep balanced beautifully, each coming to the fore when needed.
5. The music. Brad Fiedel's score finds each of those moods --- intensity, hope, terror, and epic sweep --- and wonderfully conveys it without being intrusive or distracting.
6. The intelligence. Cameron's script is not only clever, but finds some of life's truths and conveys them superbly: in spite of all the awful things that happen, there is hope... and sometimes, that hope comes from where we expect it least.
7. The willingness to avoid a Hollywood ending, while still being completely satisfying and uplifting. (WARNING: SPOILERS. If you want to avoid knowing the end, skip the following two paragraphs.) In a traditional Hollywood film, the Terminator would have died when the truck exploded and Kyle and Sarah met in the midst of the flames, music rising romantically, and everything perfect.
But Cameron didn't do that. Instead, we were treated to the tragedy of the death of a man who had just discovered the life that had been taken from him at birth and missing all his life. For the first time, he had found love, and tenderness, and happiness, and hope. Life was no longer just a desperate effort to survive; it had more.
And just as he had found it, he was killed... but in the process, saving the world. The film still ends with the Terminator destroyed, Sarah victorious, and hope still alive. The final shot of Sarah driving off into the storm, mixed with Fiedel's music, is a stirring and powerful end to an extraordinary film. (END SPOILERS)
Whether or not you agree with my assessment of the film as the greatest, in the end, The Terminator shows what action films can be at their best: not only exhilerating experiences, but also compelling human dramas and thought-provoking artistic expressions. This movie absolutely rocks.
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