The Terminator
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
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 mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
What critics thought
Contemporary critics were genuinely split: many celebrated the film's momentum, Schwarzenegger's uncanny machine-like presence, and Cameron's lean, no-exposition approach to sci-fi action, while others dismissed it as gratuitously violent or dramatically thin. Over time, that dissent has largely faded — retrospective critics have elevated it to one of the defining science-fiction films of the 1980s, a verdict audiences embraced from the start even when reviewers hedged.
“a blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story ... Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog.”
Variety
“a B-movie with flair. Much of it ... has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull. There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger's slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“at times it's horrifyingly violent and suspenseful at others it giggles at itself. This schizoid style actually helps, providing a little humor just when the sci-fi plot turns too sluggish or the dialogue too hokey.”
The Chicago Tribune
“what originally seemed a somewhat inflated, if generous and energetic, big picture, now seems quite a good little film”
Richard Schickel·Entertainment Weekly
“on the strength of this picture [...] Cameron could stand toe to toe with Carpenter and Spielberg. Sadly, it spawned a string of pointless and inferior sequels, but the first Terminator [...] stands up tremendously well with outrageous verve and blistering excitement.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
Genres
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorJames Cameron
StarringArnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen
ComposerBrad Fiedel
The Terminator
National Film Registry
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 mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
What critics thought
Contemporary critics were genuinely split: many celebrated the film's momentum, Schwarzenegger's uncanny machine-like presence, and Cameron's lean, no-exposition approach to sci-fi action, while others dismissed it as gratuitously violent or dramatically thin. Over time, that dissent has largely faded — retrospective critics have elevated it to one of the defining science-fiction films of the 1980s, a verdict audiences embraced from the start even when reviewers hedged.
“a blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story ... Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog.”
Variety
“a B-movie with flair. Much of it ... has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull. There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger's slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“at times it's horrifyingly violent and suspenseful at others it giggles at itself. This schizoid style actually helps, providing a little humor just when the sci-fi plot turns too sluggish or the dialogue too hokey.”
The Chicago Tribune
“what originally seemed a somewhat inflated, if generous and energetic, big picture, now seems quite a good little film”
Richard Schickel·Entertainment Weekly
“on the strength of this picture [...] Cameron could stand toe to toe with Carpenter and Spielberg. Sadly, it spawned a string of pointless and inferior sequels, but the first Terminator [...] stands up tremendously well with outrageous verve and blistering excitement.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
Genres
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorJames Cameron
StarringArnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen
ComposerBrad Fiedel
Rent/Purchase