The Terminator

Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator follows two futuristic figures, Michael Biehn’s Kyle Reese and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s title character, as they arrive in 1984 in search of a woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Filmmaker Cameron, armed with his and Gale Anne Hurd’s screenplay, delivers a propulsive thriller that effectively captures the viewer’s interest and attention right from the get-go, as The Terminator kicks off with a striking, stirring opening stretch that’s heightened by Cameron’s compelling visuals and a series of top-notch performances – with, in terms of the latter, Schwarzenegger, Biehn, and Hamilton turning in terrific and completely convincing work that elevates the proceedings on a regular basis. And although Cameron has punctuated the movie’s midsection with several enthralling episodes, including (and especially) the Terminator’s assault on a busy police station, The Terminator’s forward momentum is admittedly affected by the inclusion of a few less-than-enthralling stretches (eg the periodic flashforwards into Reese’s post-apocalyptic future). (It’s clear, as well, that Brad Fiedel’s synth-heavy score remains a woeful distraction for much of the movie’s slightly-overlong runtime.) By the time the violent (and exciting) climax rolls around, however, The Terminator has cemented its place as a mostly-enthralling sci-fi endeavor that lives up to its place as a seminal, iconic example of the genre.

***1/2 out of ****