The Terminator

From the slam-bang direction to the relentless pace to the not-a-word-wasted dialogue and even the driving synth score, everything else about The Terminator just works.

A blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story.

The havoc makes for a genuine steel metal trap of a movie that may very well be the best picture of its kind since The Road Warrior.

It's a rousing science fiction story that proves an on-screen adrenaline rush.

An amazingly effective picture that becomes doubly impressive when one considers its small budget.

An efficient, cold-blooded sci-fi splatter movie that never makes the mistake of forgetting that on some level it is deeply ridiculous.

A B-movie with flair.

Greetings from Lithuania. "Terminator" (1984) is a true classic, and one of the most important movies ever created. By "important" I mean that it started lots of things, which later became very common in cinema itself. There isn't anything new that I could write about this picture that wasn't said hundred times before. Everything in this movie works and clicks on all cylinders. Made only for couple of bucks (in terms of today's sci-fi / action films budget, even considering B movies) it stuck in people memories forever. How did maestro J. Cameron achieve that? Here are the main reasons in my opinion. Original and high concept story. Excellent acting. Performances were so good here by all involved that they sold this material. Great writing. Amazing action scenes. Terrific pacing - at running time 1 h 45 min this film is a example of how to make a perfect pacing. And of course all off production values despite not big budget were done to perfection. The idea and concept and vision was always the driving force behind this movie, which is now safe to call masterpiece. James Cameron proofed his genius with his first film (first film I mean "Terminator", not with flying fishes).Overall, as you have probably watched this movie many times, there is nothing new to say. It's a true classic in every meaning of this word. Even now, decades after its release, this mid budget movie from 80's is still managing to attract audiences. If you could check some torrent sites, you would always see this film as one of the most downloadable despite whenever you check it, no matter what season is - it's always among the most popular. The newly remastered 4K UHD version on disk in 2024 was nearly perfect and gave this movie a new life - it looks and sound astonishingly great despite the age. It's simply just for one reason – a true movie entertainment is timeless and ageless.

Totally understand it was genre defining, and a classic that started the tropes to begin with, but looking back it’s just not as entertaining of a watch as I’d hoped. The action scenes are amazing, the beginning and ending are amazing. But the characters Kyle and Sarah and their relationship fall flat and feel one dimensional. Any part without Arnold in it is a drag IMO.

I guess Memory tricked me on this one. I watched it for the first Time since 10 Years or something like that, and i am sorry to say it is not as great as i remembered it . For me personally the middle Part is a little too slow and boring but the action towards the end is still fun. I Know it is a classic but i am a little bit disappointed. I recently watched the second one and it is still an awesome Movie. Unfortanetly this one is not, it is just "ok".

I'm sure this movie gets high ratings due to "nostalgia" otherwise I find to be boring and didn't age well

What a horrible piece of dung. Everything that was funny, was clearly not intended to be. The story and acting are pretty worthless and pitiful. I wish this series never would have started to begin with, as the others are pretty meaningless also.