Wannabe writer/critic currently selling PCs - and my soul - at PC World. Spent a lot of time crashi...
Wannabe writer/critic currently selling PCs - and my soul - at PC World. Spent a lot of time crashing intellectual parties in Prague. Now being nice on Ciao! UK.
Member since:13.12.2000
Reviews:116
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Back in the day before Arnold Schwarzennegger became the No.1 guy for killing vast amounts of people with lots of big guns, he was just an Austrian muscleman with a weird looking head and a physique like a human cloning experiment gone wrong. It's difficult to imagine what way his career would have gone if Cameron and Co had gone with their original choice of Lance Henrikson as The Terminator. Instead, they gave it to Mr. Universe, and his career went into orbit.
'The Terminator' revolves around a simple, mind-bending time travel theme. In the future, after a cataclysmic nuclear war, the machines take over the planet, opposed only by a plucky but increasingly demoralised band of survivors. Then comes a leader, John Connor, who teaches the rebels how to fight back and smash the robot infra-structure.
So the machines go for a low blow - send a 'Terminator' back to the past to eliminate Connor's mother before he is born, therefore eliminating Connor and his threat to their world dominance.
Cut back to 1984, and we meet Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a drippy waitress with big hair and an appalling pastel wardrobe. The bulky Terminator slams back into the past, naked, kills a group of punks (led by Cameron stalwart Bill Paxton), acquires their clothes, and relentlessly tracks down Sarah.
However, all is not lost, because the future rebels rumble the machine's plan, and send back their most likely candidate, grimacing commando Reese (Michael Biehn). It looks a bit of a mis-match, as the Terminator can withstand any amount of gunfire, car crashes, blazes, explosions, and has the ability to fake voices and take out entire police stations.
The main draw of 'The Terminator' is it acts just like it's main antagonist - it "Absolutely will not stop". Endless car chases, shoot outs, and hair's breadth escapes as Reese and Sarah are perpetually on the run from the unstoppable machine. What should be a by the numbers exploitation shoot-em-up is three credible performances.
Hamilton's Sarah Connor goes from soppy dishrag to a toughened survivor, someone you could believe would raise a future rebel leader. Biehn makes the most of an exposition role. It's his job to set out Cameron's time travel theories, and Cameron makes sure it isn't boring by setting most of the speeches during the middle of a gunfight or car chase.
Schwarzenegger has never been the most expressive 'actor' on the planet, and that's why the Terminator role is so perfect for him. Henriksson (who has a small role as a detective) probably would have been tempted to do some acting, but Arnie pitches it just right, keeping his face straight throughout the movie and moving with slow, mechanical movements. His "I'll be back" line isn't terribly funny on paper, but in the context it is hilarious, and now Arnie shoehorns it in whenever he gets the chance.
Stan Winston's make up, used in the scenes where the Terminator patches himself up, look very rubbery now, but his realisation of the exo-skelton is still remarkable and terrifying. The documentary on the DVD reveals how Cameron dreamed of a robot skeleton emerging from the flames, and this moment in the movie is the real money shot.
The DVD features an exhaustive documentary which covers every aspect of the making of the film, plus all Cameron's excellent art work, which is essential to giving the 'Terminator' world it's distinctive look.
Although it has been eclipsed by 'Judgement Day' in terms of effects and action, 'The Terminator' remains a solid, breathless action movie.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Advantages: Uncommonly good storyline for an action film, super special effects, imaginative design, excellent value DVD Disadvantages: Many won't enjoy it for its occasionally-graphic violence
tom1clare 07.03.2004 (10.03.2004)
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Review of Terminator
Advantages: Some visually entertaining if unengaging special effects Disadvantages: Terrible dialogue, direction, plot and acting, Unoriginal, dull and unengaging.
Burning_Darkness 28.07.2009 ·
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Review of Terminator Salvation
Oct 11th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
