It almost feels like I am starting a new trend here on my blog, reviewing classic Schwarzenegger movies, but I can assure that this is just pure coincidence. Having watched Predator two days ago, I also found myself drawn back to the Terminator franchise. It was just me being lazy on a sunday, flipping through movies, and deciding that I was just in the mood for another film that just seriously never gets old. What is amazing though is that this film already dates back to 1984. I really am getting old.
Sarah Connor is a waitress at a diner who lives a pretty normal but not very exciting life. However she will soon get more excitement in her life than she signed on for. When women who are also called Sarah Connor are getting killed, she begins to get the feeling that she is being followed. She finds refuge in a dance club while waiting for the police to arrive. But then a huge individual aims a gun at her, and just as he is about to pull the trigger, the big guy gets shot by a young man. Introducing himself as Kyle Reese, he tells her to come with him, if she wants to live. And not a moment too soon, because at that moment the man who almost killed her is getting up and starts the pursuit. Escaping together with Kyle, he tells her that the person that is following them is not a man, but a machine, a cybernetic organism called the Terminator. He and the Terminator come from a future where mankind is almost wiped out by an automated defense system called Skynet. Sarah ofcourse does not believe him, but as the night continues she is soon forced to reconsider. Meanwhile the Terminator continues the hunt, and it absolutely will not stop….ever….until she is dead….
Now unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, it is almost impossible to have never heard of this classic movie. It created one of the most iconic oneliners ever put to film “I’ll be back”. It pretty much became Arnold Schwarzenegger’s trademark. Now what to say about a film such as this. The term classic is an understatement. It really redefined the action movie genre at the time. It featured amazing special effects (even though they are somewhat dated now), and terrific action sequences that these days you hardly see anymore. But ofcourse another thing that was so great about this film were the characters.
The Terminator itself, played by Arnold, could not have been cast any better. It is the role that made him an instant superstar, and honestly nobody could have done a better job than him. Kyle Reese, played by one of the most underrated actors ever, Michael Biehn, is also one of those characters you will never forget. Heroic in every sense of the word you feel an instant sympathy for the man who travels through time to save the woman he loves. And then ofcourse there is Sarah herself, played by Linda Hamilton, who grows from being a simple waitress into the saviour of mankind. Great stuff.
Now seven years later, the sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day came out. Technically superior, it is almost always being hailed as the better movie. I disagree however. As much fun as the sequel was, I think the original Terminator had a much more gripping and tense atmosphere. Throughout the entire film, you felt a sense of desperation and hopelesness, much more so than in part 2. Unfortunately though, the franchise is now pretty much dead. Terminator Genisys, released in 2015, became a box office disaster and because of that any future plans have been put on hold. With the rights now back in director James Cameron’s hands I still have hope though. So who knows: maybe he will be back. (Oh come on, you knew that last line was coming right ?).
If you have yet to see this movie, track it down ASAP. Yes, some of the effects are now a bit dated, but is is still and always will be a fantastic film, and one that every scifi and action movielover should see at least once in his or her life.
I give the Terminator a 10 out of 10 score.
A fantastic movie. So much fun. I liked reading your take on it and pretty much agree with what you said.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks man, appreciate it 😊 Yeah, it will always be a lot of fun. Even though I can now pretty much recite every line from the movie lol 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love when a movie is quotable. Just makes it that much better. If you can remember the lines, then the film has done it’s job.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely agree this franchise is dead and the corpse has been dragged around far too long. First movie is brilliant at building tension and that sense of helplessness. The second movie is great fun and a great action movie. Everything after that continues to preogressively become more meaningless and less entertaining as they go through the motions of a terminator movie rather than writing a good movie.
Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
(Hums the theme tune as she reads this post). Nerdy as it may sound, I used to play this on the piano when I was learning to play heh because it’s quite simple but in the movie it’s very effective and I love hearing movie soundtracks.
The build up of the Terminator chasing Sarah is really great, especially that car/truck chase. On that note..”I’ll be back”…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha lol 😂 No that doesn’t sound nerds at all. I was humming the tune the entire time I was writing this post, so yeah I can relate. It really is fantastic. Ome of the nest scenes in the movie was the car/truck chase (with the scene in Tech noir being a close second). Haha…trust me, I’ll be back as well 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can never choose between Terminator 1 and 2, so I always end up watching both at a go!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, agree, that is an even better solution 😂😂
LikeLike
Great review! Isn’t it awesome to rewatch your old faves? (Especially the ones with Arnie in them! 😃) I love T2, but I agree with you a bit, I don’t feel like it detracts from the first film, Terminator is a great movie, and the feeling of hopelessness you talk about, spot on!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is, I am feeling a bit nostalgic these days, so I am rewatching the old classics. Arnie has made a lot of fun and classic action movies. It might make a nice post to feature a few classic action movies back from the old days. The 80’s were awesome in that regard 😊 But you are right T2 is just as much fun, different, but as far as sequels go, one of the greatest ones ever made 😊😊 And ofcourse thanks for the compliment and all the likes ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I’m feeling a little nostalgic lately too. Don’t know what it is. The 80’s were awesome. I love the dinky 80’s fantasy movies too. That would be a cool watchlist!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I don’t know what that is either, but it’s okay I guess 😊. But you are right, it would make a great list. Hmm, I think I am going to work on a post like that the coming week😀 Enough fun movies that would be on that list, even a few really cheesy ones lol 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Do it. I would love to read that! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, okay I promise I will try and make a post for it somewhere this week: especially for you 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
ha ha! Aw! That’s awesome. 😀 I’m happy to re-blog it when it comes out too! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww, really? Thank you so much in advance. Will do my best for it 😊❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
And the post for the 80’s action movies is finished: you can find it here: https://raistlin0903.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/special-features-presents-action-movies-of-the-80s/ This one is for you, I hope you will enjoy it 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m working on re-blogging it now. I love it!! 😎😎😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for this, it is truly an honour 😊❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂 No worries! It’s a cool post & you’re my Blogging Buddy! ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Terminator 2: Judgement Day is geweldig. Hopelijk komt de film in de loop van het jaar weer in de bioscopen in 3D. Ben het met je eens dat het eerste deel het beste is en blijft. Ben benieuwd of Cameron de draad op pakt na de vervolgens op Avatar.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ik heb echt mijn twijfels Dirk. Al helemaal als ik lees dat Avatar ook al weer is uitgesteld. Denk dat de Terminator niet meer back komt 😊
LikeLike
It’s been years since I saw this but yes, it’s one hell of an amazing movie. The second one is good too but I never managed to get into the ones after that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually for all it’s fails I did like Terminator Salvation with Christian Bale. Simply because it was so different, and unique in it’s own way. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohh yes, that one had some good parts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wasn’t “I’ll be back” Terminator 2? I agree, T2 is not the better film. The original has never been beaten. I can’t think of any other Terminator film where the Terminators are actually scary. (T1000/Robert Patrick did a good job but just didn’t achieve the same menace). As as for Genysys. I like to think of that as Young Arnie Versus Old Arnie. Old Arnie Versus Helicopter. T1000 versus Beatcops. Old Arnie versus a strong winter. And Plot Device which should have remained secret vs the need to reveal the villain in the trailer…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah…so true, I could not believe my eyes when they revealed that much in the trailer. It really took away a lot of the excitement for the movie. And who knows, if that had not been revealed, it might have been way more enjoyable. That’s exactly right: the terminator from the first movie was so scary and had true menace to it, and that is what made it such an awesome film 😊
LikeLike
Awesome review of a true classic 🙂 Terminator 1 & 2 are definitely the kind of movies that you can never rewatch too many times. Action that is truly thrilling, a fantastic story, and great characters. I do like T2 a bit better, but not by much. They each just have their own distinct appeal. I did like T3, but it’s not even in the same ballpark as the first two. Didn’t really like Salvation, just felt too different.
Genysys was pretty enjoyable for me, but again, nothing like the first ones. And like John’s comment above, there was sooo much they should NOT have revealed in the trailer! And of course, I have to mention The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I like that series as much as the first two films. Of course in a different way, but that really is the way to do a good spin-off series 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, let me start by saying that I love the Sarah Connor Chronicles. It features Summer Glau (and seriously what is there not to like about her 😂), but seriously it was simply a great series that got cancelled way too soon. Genisys had a fun storyline, but overall it was disappointing and felt at times forced to me. And agree with the trailer revealing too much. Salvation I did like, just because it was so very different. The atmosphere was dark, and Bale was very good. T3 was fun, but exactly as you say not coming close to the first two. Abd ofcourse Terminator 2 is utterly great. I just liked the tension in part 1 more, but T2 is otherwise pretty much as good as part 1.Thanks for the kind words as always 😊
LikeLike
haha this is my boyfriend fav movie 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha, well then your boyfriend has very good taste 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review 🙂 🙂 I love the terminator movies so much! Arnold is awesome x x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, yes the Terminator franchise is one of my favorite sci-fi franchises. Arnold was pretty much born for this role 😀
LikeLike
I’m glad I found this review! I am another person who thinks that the original Terminator is the better film, and I just posted a piece today comparing the two! You’re right that the original has a more tense atmosphere, to the point that I would call it a horror film before I called it an action film.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, just read your entire post,and I must say: I loved reading it. It was well written, and made a very compelling case for Terminator 1. I already did not need convincing (as I totally agree with you lol), but I think anyone who reads it pretty much has to agree with you. Needless to say, after reading your post I had to follow your blog, pretty much a no-brainer. Looking forward to future posts, and ofcourse thank you for your comment 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a bunch! I’m doing my best to put out quality content (usually long-form) and then throwing out feelers to other people who like that kind of stuff. Thanks for reading, and it helps me out a lot just to get more eyeballs, likes, shares, and whatnot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tend to think that Terminator 1 and Terminator 2 are actually very distinct stories, similar to the Alien franchise.
In the first Terminator we have this unstoppable monster, which makes it a very suspenseful, desperate story.
In the second one it ventures a bit into the Superman problem, two characters attacking each other with so much force that concrete is being destroyed, and yet they’re barely fazed.
Both stories make sure the protagonists are at a disadvantage, and they both have a strong story to tell, but I don’t think it’s accurate to consider one “better” than the other.
I also think Terminator 2 has enjoyed such high praise, and frequent references, that I’ve become a little over-saturated by it.
That, more than anything else, may account for my preference for the first one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True enough. I have seen both movies more times than I can count really. Terminator 2 is simply amazing, and a film I can watch over and over again if need be. I just felt that the tension in the first part was handled better. It was really man vs machine in that one. In the second we have machine vs machine. That is why I absolutely loved the strong sense of desperation that was present in thst first film. Both Kyle and Sarah were at a loss at times how to handle their unstoppable foe…and that is what made it such a great and compelling watch. Part 2 is totally different, but equally amazing to watch. Simply because of the terrific special effects, Arnold’s great role, and the storyline. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. Always appreciate it 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. I definitely give them props for finding a way to make the adversary in Terminator 2 seem just as unstoppable. I mean an enemy like that does seem as powerful as Arnold was in comparison to a human in the first one. And it created a neat secondary dilemma of “which one is the good guy?”
It’s funny to think how both Alien 1 and Terminator 1 featured a single “monster” that seemed unstoppable, while both featured sequels where the “monster” could clearly be “hurt”, but for much of the film that seemed like nothing more than a stalling tactic.
LikeLiked by 1 person