One of the most influential science-fiction films of all time, James Cameron’s then-low budget offering was a surprise hit at the US box-office, beating out such well-looked forward to films like 2010, DUNE and THE LAST STARFIGHTER and confirming Arnold Schwarzenegger as a box-office force to be reckoned with.
Amazing, the film was at one point touted as a possible star vehicle for OJ Simpson, given that he was an established actor with films like THE TOWERING INFERNO and CAPRICORN ONE in his filmography, but according to Schwarzenegger in his biography TOTAL RECALL it was Cameron who suggested the possibility, which Arnie happily concurred with – and this a legendary action franchise was born.
Written by Cameron with producer Gale Anne Hurd (and then later acknowledged to be adapted from an old sci-fi story called SOLDIER by Harlan Ellison), THE TERMINATOR is the story of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a waitress at a restaurant in Southern California who whilst out eating pizza learns that two other women with the same name have been killed.
When she goes to a club called Tech Noir and attempts to contact the police, she becomes aware of another man watching her. Soon enough, The Terminator arrives and attempts to kill her, but the other man shoots thhim down with a shotgun and helps her out of the club and they use a car he has stolen to escape from the clutches of the man who is seemingly invincible.
Whilst escaping in the car, the man identifies himself as Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) who has been assigned to protect her and reveals that both he and the Terminator – a cyborg – have been sent through time to locate her, but he is there to protect her and warns that the machine can’t be reasoned with and will not stop until she is dead. Turns out she is the mother of the future saviour of the human race, John Connor….
You pretty much know the story if you have seen this film as I have numerous times, this is just a different perspective on the story. THE TERMINATOR pulsates with amazing energy and rip-roaring chases through the streets of LA, as well as one memorable sequence where The Terminator takes out a whole police precinct when Sarah is taken there.
The film led to several sequels, of which TERMINATOR 2 – JUDGMENT DAY, which made it to theatres in 1991 on a budget of $100 million after legal issues had been resolved over who owned the rights, is the best of them.