Arnold Schwarzenegger stars (as if you didnt already know) in his career defining role as the Terminator- a cyborg from the future sent to assassinate a young Linda Hamilton.
This is a truly great work of science fiction with one of the most captivating story lines ever to hit the big screen. The year is 1984 (when the film was made) and Sarah Connor (Hamilton) is a young girl working a crap job and not doing anything particularly interesting with her life. However, she is unaware of the important role she has to play in the fate of the human race in the future. Sarah will have a son who will be the saviour of the human race. In 2029, a software company called Skynet will develop a supercomputer that will dominate the planet and wage war on the human race with the aim of wiping us out with its army of cyborgs and Hunter Killer robots! However, Sarah's son (John) leads a rebellion against the machines and it looks as though he is about to win the war.
Skynet is having none of this and plans to pre-empt the problem by wiping John Connor out of existence by killing his mother before he is even born. So Skynet sends Arnie back in time to take care of business. The Human Rebel forces learn of this dastardly plot and send a human soldier, Kyle Ress (Michael Biehn), back to stop the terminator.
A race of time ensues between Rees and the Terminator to find Sarah Connor. The terminator, being the logical killing machine that it is, starts about the task by murdering every Sarah Connor in the phone book. Eventually the terminator gets to the right Sarah but it didnt bank on Rees being there to protect her and a melee of bullets and bloodshed ensues in a crowded nightclub.
Rees explains to Sarah the trouble she is in and how the terminator "doesn't feel pain, or remorse or pity" and how it "absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead". Sarah is understandably a bit skeptical but is persuaded to believe Rees' story once Arnie ransacks a police station and kills all the police. <<This is the part where Arnie first utters the classy catchphrase "I'LL BE BACK".>>
So a series of super-cool fight scenes ensue and Sarah and Rees inflict a catalogue of gruesome injuries on Arnie who seems invulnerable to all of their weapons. His skin gets messed up but the metal skeleton beneath it is fine.
Eventually Arnie corners the couple to an industrial estate where they blow up the truck he is driving and this metal skeleton is revealed showing the Terminator's true face. A great last 30 minutes of the film show the thrilling final battle.
It is impossible to do justice to this film by just reviewing it. It is a classic, one of my favourite films and the acting, casting, direction (Jim Cameron), musical score, plot and setting are all perfect. The film is more than 20 years old and some of the special effects do look a little rubbery and artificial- but if you judge a film by the quality of its special effects then you are not worthy of watching this great movie!
The dvd itself is packed full of interesting special features such as documentaries, production photos, trailers, and script stills and includes a number full scripts on the dvd rom features. The menus are stylish and futuristic and all in all this is a great movie, great dvd and great product. Enjoy, and watch Terminator 2 afterwards for an equally good film!
![The Terminator (Two Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1985]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78529423.jpg)
by (22%):
25.02.2006 13:26
Good review, Ellie.
01.10.2005 14:46
Good dvd review
03.08.2005 14:55
good review if too much detail given away