Other Titles • The Terminator • Der Terminator (1985)
Synopses for The Terminator (1984)
1.
James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR is one of the tightest, tensest sci-fi films ever made and a landmark in the genre. In the year 2029, battles rage between the superintelligent machines that rule the world and the last vestiges of humanity. In late-20th-century Los Angeles, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) suddenly finds herself stalked by an unstoppable killing machine--a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent from the future to kill her and her unconceived son, John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance. Sarah can rely only on Reese (Michael Biehn), a soldier sent from the future to protect her from the seemingly indestructible Terminator and save humanity. This low-budget masterpiece was the breakthrough film for director Cameron, who weds special effects, thrills, and understated romance to create one of the finest action films of the 1980s, which spawned many imitations but few equals. Science fiction author Harlan Ellison sued over the film’s similarities to his own works, especially the OUTER LIMITS episode "Demon with a Glass Hand," and won acknowledgement in the film’s credits. Schwarzenegger will forever be known as the relentless Terminator, a heartless killing machine who returns (in a kinder, gentler form) in 1991’s TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY.
(4 votes)
2.
This is the film that cemented Schwarzenegger's spot in the action-brawn firmament, and it was well deserved. He's chilling as the futuristic cyborg who kills without fear, without love, without mercy. James Cameron's story and direction are pared to the bone and all the more creepy. But don't overlook the contributions of Linda Hamilton, who more than holds her own as the Terminator's would-be victim, Sarah Connor--thus creating, along with Sigourney Weaver in Alien, a new generation of rugged, clear-thinking female action stars. It's surprising how well this film holds up, and how its minimalist, malevolent violence is actually way scarier than that of its far more expensive, more effects-laden sequel. --Anne Hurley
DVD features The Terminator is back, and it's better looking and louder than ever. The cleaned-up print of this DVD is a revelation, as is the digitally remastered Dolby 5.1 EX soundtrack: from the opening MGM lion's roar to the crunch of Arnold Schwarzenegger's boots and the pounding of Brad Fiedel's techno-industrial score, both picture and sound are of a quality that belie the movie's age. The first side of the disc has the movie plus a DVD-ROM feature containing three different versions of the screenplay. On the second side of the disc there are seven deleted scenes with optional commentary, including a fascinating foreshadowing of Sarah Connor's mission in T2, as well as trailers and TV spots. There are also two "making of" documentaries, one being an 18-minute piece from 1992 based around a friendly at-home chat with Cameron and Schwarzenegger. The hour-long "Other Voices" is an in-depth montage of cast and crew reminiscences covering all aspects of the production from its initial genesis as a fevered nightmare to the "guerrilla" filmmaking of getting the final shots. Script collaborator Bill Wisher neatly sums up the movie as "It's a Wonderful Life, with guns." There are also a stills archive of production photographs, James Cameron's amazing original conceptual artwork, plus his first story treatment. How can you resist? After all, the Terminator movies are what DVD was invented for. --Mark Walker
(6 votes)
3.
This title is out of print from it's current vendor. A new re-issue is due to be announced sometime in 2001
The Terminator is an ingenious tale of an invincible robot from the year 2029, transported through time to 1984 Los Angeles on a mission of death. In the not-too-distant future, our ever advancing technology has resulted in a nuts-and -bolts revolution. The machines are now in power. Our former slaves are now our masters. The only threat to their world comes in the form of rebel leader John Conner, unseen freedom fighter and keeper of the human spirit who stirs the people into fighting back. At the brink of defeat the machines are forced to play their ace in the hole.. And a wicked ace it is. Using time displacement equipment, they send an indestructible cyborg into the past to murder Connor's mother, Sarah, begore he can be conceived! Connor sends a warrior of his own after the Terminator in the hope of saving Sarah and assuring a future for mankind.
(4 votes)
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