FEATURE FILM

The Terminator

7.7/10
TMDB15,387 votes
Original: 108 min

In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

Genres: , ,
Cast: , , , ,

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THE STORY & THE PEOPLE

About The Terminator

Your future is in its hands.

The Terminator (1984) is a film in the action, thriller, science fiction genres. Directed by . The cast includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield.

Released
Original language
Runtime
108 minutes
Status
Released
Production countries
United Kingdom, United States of America
Production companies
Hemdale, Pacific Western
Directors
Writers
James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd

The Terminator cast & characters

Audience reviews

7.7/10 from 15,387 TMDB votes. Ratings and reviews are supplied by TMDB. Reviews are attributed to their original authors.

John Chard

TMDB member review

I can't. Nobody goes home. Nobody else comes through. It's just him - and me. It's funny really, writing a review for The Terminator these days just feels a little pointless, I mean anyone who wanted to see it would have done so already. In truth the effects work is a little creaky now but that doesn't matter, they were awesome in 1984. It's a ripper of a story awash with high energy action, rip-snorting…

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I can't. Nobody goes home. Nobody else comes through. It's just him - and me. It's funny really, writing a review for The Terminator these days just feels a little pointless, I mean anyone who wanted to see it would have done so already. In truth the effects work is a little creaky now but that doesn't matter, they were awesome in 1984. It's a ripper of a story awash with high energy action, rip-snorting characterisations and tech-noir atmospherics. It's place in the pantheon of science fiction films is assured, its influence on the genre undoubted, while the lead cast members cemented themselves in the sci-fi hall of fame. No more needs to be said really, The Terminator is a kinetic live action comic book of a movie, classy movie making, paced to precision and featuring a story that's brilliantly complex and utterly compelling. 9/10

Jodie

TMDB member review

Writing a review for a movie this old does indeed seem pointless, but since this is one of my favorite films I thought I would review it anyway. In my opinion The Terminator is a beautiful, yet tragic love story set in the back drop of the future and the past. A soldier from the future is sent to the 80's to save the leader of the resistance (John Connor) mother from a High Tech Cybernetic Killing Machine. We all…

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Writing a review for a movie this old does indeed seem pointless, but since this is one of my favorite films I thought I would review it anyway. In my opinion The Terminator is a beautiful, yet tragic love story set in the back drop of the future and the past. A soldier from the future is sent to the 80's to save the leader of the resistance (John Connor) mother from a High Tech Cybernetic Killing Machine. We all know that. What I loved was that this soldier, Kyle Reese volunteers for this suicide mission. He volunteers for one reason because, he had fallen in love with this woman, Sarah Connor. Though they were separated by several decades of time and Judgement Day, her son tells him these tales of his mother Sarah and gives him a single picture of her, purposefully pushing Reese to fall for his mother and this is the reason for him traveling through time to do the nearly impossible. Save and protect Sarah Connor to save the human race in the future and kill a super bad ass T-800 with low tech weaponry and a reluctant Damsel. Bullets flying and bombs booming make this movie highly entertaining. The storyline, ridiculous as it is, is fantastic and had everyone in the 80's and 90's quoting this SciFi film. It's always a good watch. It holds up nicely overtime.

Gimly

TMDB member review

I know saying this puts me in the minority, but the first _Terminator_ movie is actually my favourite of the franchise. That's not a knock on the second movie, _Judgment Day_ is awesome. But I really dig the lower down, dark, sci-fi horror vibe of the original (it is a knock on every movie in the series that came after _T2_ though). Schwarzenegger as the titular Terminator is inspired casting. Firstly, any…

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I know saying this puts me in the minority, but the first _Terminator_ movie is actually my favourite of the franchise. That's not a knock on the second movie, _Judgment Day_ is awesome. But I really dig the lower down, dark, sci-fi horror vibe of the original (it is a knock on every movie in the series that came after _T2_ though). Schwarzenegger as the titular Terminator is inspired casting. Firstly, any restrictions he had in acting ability back in the 80s are brushed aside by the fact that he's playing a cold, unfeeling machine. And can you imagine someone who looks like that coming after you? Forget the fact he's got an arsenal in his back pocket, forget the fact that he's got a near unstoppable metal exoskeleton, Arnie is already a machine! Being hunted by that man would be terrifying, and you feel that in the performance of the leads. _The Terminator_ is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I have seen - a lot. _Final rating:★★★★½ - Ridiculously strong appeal. I can’t stop thinking about it._

Questions about The Terminator

What is The Terminator about?

In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

Who stars in The Terminator?

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich. See the cast cards above for character names.

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