HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...
directed by
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...
. It stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son will one day save mankind from extinction by Skynet, a hostile
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...
in a post-apocalyptic future.
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
(
Michael Biehn Michael Connell Biehn ( ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in '' The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens'' (1986), and ...
) is a soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah. The screenplay is credited to Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, while co-writer
William Wisher Jr. William Howard Peter Wisher Jr. is an American screenwriter, known for his work with long-time friend James Cameron on ''The Terminator'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. Career Wisher has had roles behind and in front of the camera. In ...
received an "additional dialogue" credit. Cameron stated he devised the premise of the film from a fever dream he experienced during the release of his first film, '' Piranha II: The Spawning'' (1982), in Rome, and developed the concept in collaboration with Wisher. He sold the rights to the project to fellow
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
alumna Hurd on the condition that she would produce the film only if he were to direct it; Hurd eventually secured a distribution deal with
Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...
, while executive producers John Daly and Derek Gibson of Hemdale Film Corporation were instrumental in setting up the film's financing and production. Originally approached by Orion for the role of Reese, Schwarzenegger agreed to play the title character after befriending Cameron. Filming, which took place mostly at night on location in Los Angeles, was delayed because of Schwarzenegger's commitments to ''
Conan the Destroyer ''Conan the Destroyer'' is a 1984 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Stanley Mann and a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Based on the character Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. ...
'' (1984), during which Cameron found time to work on the scripts for '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985) and ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'' (1986). The film's special effects, which included miniatures and
stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...
, were created by a team of artists led by
Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the ''Terminator'' series, the first three '' Jurassic Park'' films, ''Aliens'', '' The Thing'', t ...
and
Gene Warren Jr. Gene Francis Warren Jr. (July 22, 1941 – November 28, 2019) was an American visual effects artist. He was best known for his work in the first two ''Terminator'' film series, and he won an Academy Award in the category Best Visual Effects f ...
Defying low pre-release expectations, ''The Terminator'' topped the United States
box office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fre ...
for two weeks, eventually grossing $78.3 million against a modest $6.4 million budget. It is credited with launching Cameron's film career and solidifying Schwarzenegger's status as a leading man. The film's success led to a franchise consisting of several sequels, a television series,
comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...
,
novels A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
and
video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
. In 2008, ''The Terminator'' was selected by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Plot

Two men arrive separately in 1984
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, having
time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...
ed from 2029. One is a cybernetic assassin known as the Terminator, programmed to hunt and kill a woman named Sarah Connor. The other is a human soldier named
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
, intent on stopping it. They both steal guns and clothing. The Terminator systematically kills women bearing its target's name, having found their addresses in a telephone directory. It tracks the last Sarah Connor, its actual target, to a nightclub, but Reese rescues her. The pair steal a car and escape, with the Terminator pursuing them in a stolen police car. As they hide in a parking lot, Reese explains to Sarah that an artificially intelligent defense network known as Skynet, created by Cyberdyne Systems, will become self-aware in the near future and trigger a global nuclear war to exterminate the human race. Sarah's future son John will rally the survivors and lead a successful
resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...
against Skynet and its army of machines. On the verge of the resistance's victory, Skynet sent the Terminator back in time to kill Sarah and prevent John from being born. The Terminator is an efficient and relentless killing machine with perfect voice-mimicking ability and a robust metal endoskeleton covered by living tissue that disguises it as a human. Police apprehend Reese and Sarah after another encounter with the Terminator. The Terminator attacks the police station, killing police officers while hunting for Sarah. Reese and Sarah escape, steal another car, and take refuge in a motel, where they assemble pipe bombs and plan their next move. Reese admits that he has adored Sarah since he saw her in a photograph John gave him and that he traveled through time out of love for her. Reciprocating his feelings, Sarah kisses him, and they have sex, conceiving John. The Terminator locates Sarah by intercepting a call intended for her mother. She and Reese escape the motel in a pickup truck while it pursues them on a motorcycle. In the ensuing chase, Reese is wounded by gunfire while throwing pipe bombs at the Terminator. Sarah knocks the Terminator off its motorcycle but loses control of the truck, which flips over. The Terminator, now bloodied and badly damaged, hijacks a
tank truck A tank truck, gas truck, fuel truck, or tanker truck (American English) or tanker (British English) is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars, which are also d ...
and attempts to run down Sarah, but Reese slides a pipe bomb into the tanker's hose tube, causing an explosion that burns the flesh from the Terminator's endoskeleton. It pursues them into a factory, where Reese activates machinery to confuse it. He jams his final pipe bomb into its midsection, blowing it apart at the cost of his life. Its still-functional torso grabs Sarah, but she breaks free and lures it into a hydraulic press, crushing and finally destroying it. Months later, Sarah, pregnant with John, travels through Mexico, recording audio tapes to pass on to him. At a gas station, a boy takes a
polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...
of her, and she buys it. It is the exact photograph that John will one day give to Reese.


Cast

*
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
as the Terminator, a cybernetic android disguised as a human being sent back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor. *
Michael Biehn Michael Connell Biehn ( ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in '' The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens'' (1986), and ...
as
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
, a human Resistance fighter sent back in time to protect Sarah. * Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, a young diner waitress and the Terminator's target, who is soon to be the mother of the future Resistance leader
John Connor John Connor is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise. Created by writer and director James Cameron, the character is first referred to in the 1984 film ''The Terminator'' and first appears in its 1991 sequel '' Terminator 2: Jud ...
. * Paul Winfield as Ed Traxler, a police Lieutenant who tries to protect Sarah. * Lance Henriksen as Vukovich, a member of the
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
. *
Bess Motta Bess Motta (née Bess Motter) (born February 10, 1958) is an American actress, singer, choreographer, and exercise demonstrator who appeared in the Canadian produced television series '' 20 Minute Workout'', which aired for two seasons in 1983 an ...
as Ginger, Sarah's roommate whom the T-800 murders after mistaking her for Sarah. * Rick Rossovich as Matt, Ginger's boyfriend whom the T-800 also murdered. * Earl Boen as Dr. Silberman, a criminal
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...
. Additional actors included Shawn Schepps as Nancy, Sarah's co-worker at the diner;
Dick Miller Richard Miller (December 25, 1928 – January 30, 2019) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Cor ...
as a gun shop clerk; professional bodybuilder Franco Columbu as a Terminator in the future; Bill Paxton and
Brian Thompson Brian Earl Thompson (born August 28, 1959) is an American actor. His career began with a small role in the 1984 film ''The Terminator''. He played the villainous "Night Slasher" in the 1986 film ''Cobra (1986 film), Cobra''. His first named r ...
as punks whom the Terminator confronts and kills; Marianne Muellerleile as one of the other women with the name "Sarah Connor" whom the Terminator shoots;
Rick Aiello Rick Aiello (September 21, 1955 – July 26, 2021) was an American film and television actor. He played Officer Long in Spike Lee films ''Do the Right Thing'' and ''Jungle Fever''. Life and career Aiello was born on September 21, 1955. He wo ...
as a bouncer at Tech-Noir; and
Bill Wisher William Howard Peter Wisher Jr. is an American screenwriter, known for his work with long-time friend James Cameron on ''The Terminator'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. Career Wisher has had roles behind and in front of the camera. In ...
as the police officer who reports a hit-and-run felony on Reese, only to be knocked unconscious and have his car stolen by the Terminator soon thereafter.


Production


Development

In
Rome, Italy , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, during the release of '' Piranha II: The Spawning'' (1982), director Cameron fell ill and had a dream about a metallic torso holding kitchen knives dragging itself from an explosion.Keegan, 2009. p. 34 Inspired by director John Carpenter, who had made the
slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as ...
''
Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...
'' (1978) on a low budget, Cameron used the dream as a "launching pad" to write a slasher-style film. Cameron's agent disliked the early concept of the horror film and requested that he work on something else. After this, Cameron dismissed his agent. Cameron returned to
Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyt ...
, and stayed at the home of science fiction writer
Randall Frakes Randall Frakes is a film and science fiction writer primarily known for his work with long-time friends Bill Wisher and James Cameron on ''The Terminator'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. While Frakes was in the U.S. Army, he was stationed ...
, where he wrote the draft for ''The Terminator''.Keegan, 2009. p. 35 Cameron's influences included 1950s science fiction films, the 1960s fantasy television series '' The Outer Limits,'' and contemporary films such as '' The Driver'' (1978) and ''
Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role ...
'' (1981).French, 1996. p. 15French, 1996. p. 20 To translate the draft into a script, Cameron enlisted his friend
Bill Wisher William Howard Peter Wisher Jr. is an American screenwriter, known for his work with long-time friend James Cameron on ''The Terminator'' and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. Career Wisher has had roles behind and in front of the camera. In ...
, who had a similar approach to storytelling. Cameron gave Wisher scenes involving Sarah Connor and the police department to write. As Wisher lived far from Cameron, the two communicated ideas by recording tapes of what they wrote by telephone. Frakes and Wisher would later write the US-released novelization of the movie. The initial outline of the script involved two Terminators being sent to the past. The first was similar to the Terminator in the film, while the second was made of liquid metal and could not be destroyed with conventional weaponry.Keegan, 2009. p. 110 Cameron felt that the technology of the time was unable to create the liquid Terminator,Keegan, 2009. p. 111 and shelved the idea until the appearance of the T-1000 character in '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991). Gale Anne Hurd, who had worked at
New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
as Roger Corman's assistant, showed interest in the project.Keegan, 2009. p.36 Cameron sold the rights for ''The Terminator'' to Hurd for one dollar with the promise that she would produce it only if Cameron was to direct it. Hurd suggested edits to the script and took a screenwriting credit in the film, though Cameron stated that she "did no actual writing at all".Keegan, 2009. p. 37 Cameron would later regret the decision to sell the rights for one dollar. Cameron and Hurd had friends who worked with Corman previously and who were working at
Orion Pictures Orion Pictures (legal name Orion Releasing, LLC) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Amazon through its Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) subsidiary. In its original operating period, the company produced and released films ...
(now part of MGM). Orion agreed to distribute the film if Cameron could get financial backing elsewhere. The script was picked up by John Daly, chairman and president of Hemdale Film Corporation.Keegan, 2009. p. 38 Daly and his executive vice president and head of production Derek Gibson became executive producers of the project. Cameron wanted his pitch for Daly to finalize the deal and had his friend Lance Henriksen show up to the meeting early dressed and acting like the Terminator. Henriksen, wearing a leather jacket, fake cuts on his face, and gold foil on his teeth, kicked open the door to the office and then sat in a chair. Cameron arrived shortly and then relieved the staff from Henriksen's act. Daly was impressed by the screenplay and Cameron's sketches and passion for the film. In late 1982, Daly agreed to back the film with help from HBO and Orion.Keegan, 2009. p. 39 ''The Terminator'' was originally budgeted at $4 million and later raised to $6.5 million.French, 1996. p. 6 Aside from Hemdale,
Pacific Western Productions The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, Euro Film Funding and Cinema '84 have been credited as production companies after the film's release.


Casting

For the role of Kyle Reese, Orion wanted a star whose popularity was rising in the United States but who also would have foreign appeal. Orion co-founder Mike Medavoy had met
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
and sent his agent the script for ''The Terminator''. Cameron was uncertain about casting Schwarzenegger as Reese as he felt he would need someone even more famous to play the Terminator.
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
and
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...
both turned down the Terminator role. The studio suggested O. J. Simpson but Cameron did not feel that Simpson, at that time, would be believable as a killer. Cameron agreed to meet with Schwarzenegger and devised a plan to avoid casting him; he would pick a fight with him and return to Hemdale and find him unfit for the role. However, Cameron was entertained by Schwarzenegger, who would talk about how the villain should be played. Cameron began sketching his face on a notepad and asked Schwarzenegger to stop talking and remain still.Keegan, 2009. p. 40 After the meeting, Cameron returned to Daly saying Schwarzenegger would not play Reese but that "he'd make a hell of a Terminator".Keegan, 2009. p. 41 Schwarzenegger was not as excited by the film; during an interview on the set of ''
Conan the Destroyer ''Conan the Destroyer'' is a 1984 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Stanley Mann and a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Based on the character Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. ...
'', an interviewer asked him about a pair of shoes he had, which belonged to the wardrobe for ''The Terminator''. Schwarzenegger responded, "Oh, some shit movie I'm doing, take a couple weeks."Andrews, 2003. pp. 120–121 He recounted in his memoir, ''Total Recall'', that he was initially hesitant, but thought that playing a robot in a contemporary film would be a challenging change of pace from ''Conan the Barbarian'' and that the film was low-profile enough that it would not damage his career if it were unsuccessful. In a later interview with GQ Magazine, he admitted that he and the studio regarded it as just another B action movie, since "The year before came out '' Exterminator'', now it was the Terminator and what else is gonna be next, type of thing". It was only when he saw 20 minutes of the first edit did he realize that "this is really intense, this is wild, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before" and realized that "this could be bigger than we all think". To prepare for the role, Schwarzenegger spent three months training with weapons to be able to use them and feel comfortable around them. Schwarzenegger speaks only 17 lines in the film, and fewer than 100 words. Cameron said that "Somehow, even his accent worked ... It had a strange synthesized quality, like they hadn't gotten the voice thing quite worked out." Various other actors were suggested for the role of Reese, including rock musician
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...
. Others who were considered for Reese, included Christopher Reeve, Mel Gibson,
Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
,
Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The ...
, Treat Williams,
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' T ...
,
Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26) is an American actor. His roles have included Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in '' Urban Cowboy'' (1980), astronaut Alan Shepard in '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), Emmett in '' Silverado ...
, Michael O'Keefe and
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
. Cameron chose
Michael Biehn Michael Connell Biehn ( ; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in '' The Terminator'' (1984), Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in ''Aliens'' (1986), and ...
. Biehn, who had recently seen ''
Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...
'' and had aspirations about acting alongside the likes of
Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...
,
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
and
Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award from four nominations, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, the Cec ...
, was originally skeptical, feeling the film was silly. After meeting with Cameron, Biehn changed his mind.Keegan, 2009. p. 42 Hurd stated that "almost everyone else who came in from the audition was so tough that you just never believed that there was gonna be this human connection between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. They have very little time to fall in love. A lot of people came in and just could not pull it off."Keegan, 2009. p. 43 To get into Reese's character, Biehn studied the
Polish resistance movement in World War II The Polish resistance movement in World War II (''Polski ruch oporu w czasie II wojny światowej''), with the Polish Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance movement in all of occupied Europe, covering both German ...
. In the first pages of the script, Sarah Connor is described as "19, small and delicate features. Pretty in a flawed, accessible way. She doesn't stop the party when she walks in, but you'd like to get to know her. Her vulnerable quality masks a strength even she doesn't know exists."Keegan, 2009. p. 44 Lisa Langlois was offered the role but turned it down as she was already shooting '' The Slugger's Wife''. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Melissa Sue Anderson, and Jessica Harper were also considered for the role of Sarah Connor. Cameron cast Linda Hamilton, who had just finished filming ''
Children of the Corn "Children of the Corn" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1977 issue of '' Penthouse'', and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. The story is about a couple who end up in an abandoned Nebraska ...
''.Keegan, 2009. p. 45 Rosanna Arquette and Lea Thompson also auditioned for the role. Cameron found a role for Lance Henriksen as Vukovich, as Henriksen had been essential to finding finances for the film.Keegan, 2009. p. 46 For the special effects shots, Cameron wanted Dick Smith, who had worked on ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...
'' and ''Taxi Driver''. Smith did not take Cameron's offer and suggested his friend
Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the ''Terminator'' series, the first three '' Jurassic Park'' films, ''Aliens'', '' The Thing'', t ...
.Keegan, 2009. p. 50


Filming

Filming for ''The Terminator'' was set to begin in early 1983 in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, but was halted when producer Dino De Laurentiis applied an option in Schwarzenegger's contract that would make him unavailable for nine months while he was filming ''
Conan the Destroyer ''Conan the Destroyer'' is a 1984 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Stanley Mann and a story by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Based on the character Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. ...
''. During the waiting period, Cameron was contracted to write the script for '' Rambo: First Blood Part II,'' refined the ''Terminator'' script, and met with producers David Giler and Walter Hill to discuss a sequel to ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
,'' which became ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'', released in 1986.Keegan, 2009. pp. 47–49 There was limited interference from Orion Pictures. Two suggestions Orion put forward included the addition of a canine android for Reese, which Cameron refused, and to strengthen the love interest between Sarah and Reese, which Cameron accepted.French, 1996. p. 23 To create the Terminator's look, Winston and Cameron passed sketches back and forth, eventually deciding on a design nearly identical to Cameron's original drawing in Rome.Keegan, 2009. p. 51 Winston had a team of seven artists work for six months to create a Terminator puppet; it was first molded in clay, then plaster reinforced with steel ribbing. These pieces were then sanded, painted and then chrome-plated. Winston sculpted reproduction of Schwarzenegger's face in several poses out of silicone, clay and plaster. The sequences set in 2029 and the
stop-motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames ...
scenes were developed by Fantasy II, a special effects company headed by Gene Warren Jr.French, 1996. p. 24 A stop-motion model is used in several scenes in the film involving the Terminator's skeletal frame. Cameron wanted to convince the audience that the model of the structure was capable of doing what they saw Schwarzenegger doing. To allow this, a scene was filmed of Schwarzenegger injured and limping away; this limp made it easier for the model to imitate Schwarzenegger. One of the guns seen in the film and on the film's poster was an AMT Longslide pistol modified by Ed Reynolds from SureFire to include a
laser sight A laser sight is a device attached or integral to a firearm to aid target acquisition. Unlike optical and iron sights where the user looks through the device to aim at the target, laser sights project a beam onto the target, providing a visua ...
. Both non-functioning and functioning versions of the prop were created. At the time the movie was made, diode lasers were not available; because of the high power requirement, the helium–neon laser in the sight used an external power supply that Schwarzenegger had to activate manually. Reynolds states that his only compensation for the project was promotional material for the film. In March 1984, the film began production in Los Angeles. Cameron felt that with Schwarzenegger on the set, the style of the film changed, explaining that "the movie took on a larger-than-life sheen. I just found myself on the set doing things I didn't think I would do – scenes that were just purely horrific that just couldn't be, because now they were too flamboyant." Most of ''The Terminator''s action scenes were filmed at night, which led to tight filming schedules before sunrise. A week before filming started, Linda Hamilton sprained her ankle, leading to a production change whereby the scenes in which Hamilton needed to run occurred as late as the filming schedule allowed. Hamilton's ankle was taped every day and she spent most of the film production in pain.Keegan, 2009. p. 52 Schwarzenegger tried to have the iconic line "
I'll be back "I'll be back" is a catchphrase associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was made famous in the 1984 science fiction film ''The Terminator''. On June 21, 2005, it was placed at No. 37 on the American Film Institute list AFI's 100 Years... 100 M ...
" changed as he had difficulty pronouncing the word ''I'll''. Cameron refused to change the line to "I will be back", so Schwarzenegger worked to say the line as written the best he could. He would later say the line in numerous films throughout his career. After production finished on ''The Terminator'', some
post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. Th ...
shots were needed. These included scenes showing the Terminator outside Sarah Connor's apartment, Reese being zipped into a body bag, and the Terminator's head being crushed in a press. The final scene where Sarah is driving down a highway was filmed without a permit. Cameron and Hurd convinced an officer who confronted them that they were making a
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
student film.


Music

The ''Terminator'' soundtrack was composed and performed on
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
by Brad Fiedel. Fiedel was with the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, where a new agent, Beth Donahue, found that Cameron was working on ''The Terminator'' and sent him a cassette of Fiedel's music. Fiedel was invited to a screening of the film with Cameron and Hurd. Hurd was not certain about having Fiedel compose the score, as he had only worked in television, not theatrical films. Fiedel convinced the two by showing them an experimental piece he had worked on, thinking that "You know, I'm going to play this for him because it's really dark and I think it's interesting for him." The song convinced Hurd and Cameron to hire him. Fiedel said his score reflected "a mechanical man and his heartbeat". Almost all the music was performed live. ''The Terminator'' theme is used in the opening credits and appears in various points, such as a slowed version when Reese dies, and a piano version during the love scene.Hayward, 2004. p.168 It has been described as "haunting", with a "deceptively simple" melody recorded on a
Prophet-10 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with fu ...
synthesizer. It is in the unusual
time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...
of , which arose when Fiedel experimented with rhythms and accidentally created an incomplete loop on his
sequencer Sequencer may refer to: Technology * Drum sequencer (controller), an electromechanical system for controlling a sequence of events automatically * DNA sequencer, a machine used to automatically produce a sequence readout from a biological DNA sam ...
; Fiedel liked the "herky-jerky" "propulsiveness".Seth Stevenson,
What Is the time signature of the ominous electronic score of ''The Terminator''?
, ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', Published 26 February 2014, Accessed 27 February 2014.
Fiedel created music for when Reese and Connor escape from the police station that would be appropriate for a "heroic moment". Cameron turned down this theme, as he believed it would lose the audience's excitement.


Release

Orion Pictures did not have faith in ''The Terminator'' performing well at the box office and feared a negative critical reception.Keegan, 2009. p.53 At an early screening of the film, the actors' agents insisted to the producers that the film should be screened for critics. Orion only held one press screening for the film. The film premiered on October 26, 1984. On its opening week, ''The Terminator'' played at 1,005 theaters and grossed $4.0 million making it number one in the box office. The film remained at number one in its second week. It lost its number one spot in the third week to '' Oh, God! You Devil''. Cameron noted that ''The Terminator'' was a hit "relative to its market, which is between the summer and the Christmas blockbusters. But it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than the other way around." ''The Terminator'' grossed $38.3 million in United States and Canada and $40 million in other territories for a total worldwide of $78.3 million.


Critical response


Contemporary

Contemporary critical responses to ''The Terminator'' were mixed. '' Variety'' praised the film, calling it a "blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story ... Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog." Richard Corliss of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine said that the film had "plenty of tech-noir savvy to keep infidels and action fans satisfied." ''Time'' placed ''The Terminator'' on its "10 Best" list for 1984. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' called the film "a crackling thriller full of all sorts of gory treats ... loaded with fuel-injected chase scenes, clever special effects and a sly humor." The '' Milwaukee Journal'' gave the film three stars, calling it "the most chilling science fiction thriller since ''
Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
''". A review in ''Orange Coast'' magazine stated that "the distinguishing virtue of ''The Terminator'' is its relentless tension. Right from the start it's all action and violence with no time taken to set up the story ... It's like a streamlined ''Dirty Harry'' movie – no exposition at all; just guns, guns and more guns." In the May 1985 issue of '' Cinefantastique'' it was referred to as a film that "manages to be both derivative and original at the same time ... not since '' The Road Warrior'' has the genre exhibited so much exuberant carnage" and "an example of science fiction/horror at its best ... Cameron's no-nonsense approach will make him a sought-after commodity".French, 1996. p. 62 In the United Kingdom the '' Monthly Film Bulletin'' praised the film's script, special effects, design and Schwarzenegger's performance.French, 1996. p. 63 Colin Greenland reviewed ''The Terminator'' for '' Imagine'' magazine, and stated that it was "a gripping sf horror movie". He continued, "Linda Hamilton is admirable as the woman in peril who discovers her own strength to survive, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is eerily wonderful as the unstoppable cyborg." Other reviews criticized the film's violence and story-telling quality.
Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' opined that the film was a "
B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feat ...
with flair. Much of it ... has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull. There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger's slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way." The '' Pittsburgh Press'' wrote a negative review, calling the film "just another of the films drenched in artsy ugliness like '' Streets of Fire'' and ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's ...
''". The ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' gave the film two stars, adding that "at times it's horrifyingly violent and suspenseful at others it giggles at itself. This schizoid style actually helps, providing a little humor just when the sci-fi plot turns too sluggish or the dialogue too hokey." The
Newhouse News Service Advance Publications, Inc., doing business as Advance, is an American media company owned by the descendants of S.I. Newhouse Sr., Donald Newhouse and S.I. Newhouse Jr. It owns a large number of subsidiary companies, including Condé Nast, and ...
called the film a "lurid, violent, pretentious piece of claptrap". Scottish author Gilbert Adair called the film "repellent to the last degree", charging it with "insidious Nazification" and having an "appeal rooted in an unholy compound of
fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
, fashion and fascination".


Retrospective

In 1991, Richard Schickel of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' reviewed the film, giving it an "A" rating, writing that "what originally seemed a somewhat inflated, if generous and energetic, big picture, now seems quite a good little film". He called it "one of the most original movies of the 1980s and seems likely to remain one of the best sci-fi films ever made." In 1998, ''
Halliwell's Film Guide Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fil ...
'' described ''The Terminator'' as "slick, rather nasty but undeniably compelling comic book adventures".
Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms ...
gave it five stars, calling it the "sci-fi action-thriller that launched the careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the stratosphere. Still endlessly entertaining." ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...
'' gave the film four stars, referring to it as an "amazingly effective picture that becomes doubly impressive when one considers its small budget ... For our money, this film is far superior to its mega-grossing mega-budgeted sequel." ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' gave it five stars, calling it "as chillingly efficient in exacting thrills from its audience as its titular character is in executing its targets." The film database
Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...
gave it five stars, saying that it "established James Cameron as a master of action, special effects, and quasi-mythic narrative intrigue, while turning Arnold Schwarzenegger into the hard-body star of the 1980s." Alan Jones awarded it five stars out of five for ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...
'', writing that "maximum excitement is generated from the first frame and the dynamic thrills are maintained right up to the nerve-jangling climax. Wittily written with a nice eye for sharp detail, it's hard sci-fi action all the way." Peter Bradshaw of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' awarded it five stars out of five, stating that "on the strength of this picture ..Cameron could stand toe to toe with Carpenter and Spielberg. Sadly, it spawned a string of pointless and inferior sequels, but the first ''Terminator'' ..stands up tremendously well with outrageous verve and blistering excitement."


Post-release


Plagiarism and aftermath

Writer
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
stated that he "loved the movie, was just blown away by it," but believed that the screenplay was based on a short story and episode of '' The Outer Limits'' he had written, titled "
Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' deri ...
," and threatened to sue for infringement. Orion settled in 1986 and gave Ellison an undisclosed amount of money and an acknowledgment credit in later prints of the film. Some accounts of the settlement state that " Demon with a Glass Hand," another ''Outer Limits'' episode written by Ellison, was also claimed to have been plagiarized by the film,French, 1996. p. 16 but Ellison explicitly stated that ''The Terminator'' "was a ripoff" of "Soldier" rather than of "Demon with a Glass Hand." Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that if he did not agree with the settlement, he would have to pay any damages if Orion lost a suit by Ellison. Cameron replied that he "had no choice but to agree with the settlement. Of course there was a gag order as well, so I couldn't tell this story, but now I frankly don't care. It's the truth."


Thematic analysis

The psychoanalyst
Darian Leader Darian Leader (born 1965) is a British psychoanalyst and author. Biography Leader was educated at St Paul's School in London, studied philosophy at Downing College, Cambridge and then he earned an M.A. in history of science in Paris (at P ...
sees ''The Terminator'' as an example of how the cinema has dealt with the concept of
masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors ...
; he writes: The film also explores the potential dangers of AI dominance and rebellion. The robots become self-aware in the future, reject human authority and determine that the human race needs to be destroyed. The impact of this theme is so important that "the prevalent visual representation of AI risk has become the terminator robot."


Home media

''The Terminator'' was released on VHS and
Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...
in 1985. The film performed well financially on its initial release. ''The Terminator'' premiered at number 35 on the top video cassette rentals and number 20 on top video cassette sales charts. In its second week, ''The Terminator'' reached number 4 on the top video cassette rentals and number 12 on top video cassette sales charts. In March 1995, ''The Terminator'' was released as a letterboxed edition on
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...
. The film premiered through Image Entertainment on DVD, on September 3, 1997. IGN referred to this DVD as "pretty bare-bones ... released with just a mono soundtrack and a kind of poor transfer." Through their acquisition of
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (formerly known as PolyGram Films and PolyGram Pictures or simply PFE) was a British film studio founded in 1979 which became a European competitor to Hollywood, but was eventually sold to Seagram Company Ltd. in 1 ...
's pre-1996 film library catalogue, MGM Home Entertainment released a special edition of the film on October 2, 2001, which included documentaries, the script, and advertisements for the film. On January 23, 2001, a Hong Kong VCD edition was released online. On June 20, 2006, the film was released on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures l ...
in the United States, becoming the first film from the 1980s on the format. In 2013, the film was re-released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, with a new
digitally remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...
transfer from a 4K restoration by Lowry Digital and supervised by James Cameron, which features improved picture quality, as well as minimal special features, such as deleted scenes and a making-of feature. These are the exact same special features that have been carried over from previous Blu-ray releases.


Legacy

''The Terminator'' has an approval rating of based on professional reviews on the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, with an average rating of . Its critical consensus reads: "With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it's clear why ''The Terminator'' continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
(which uses a weighted average) assigned ''The Terminator'' a score of 84 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". ''The Terminator'' won three
Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Make-up and Best Writing. The film has also received recognition from the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...
, ranked 42nd on AFI's '' 100 Years... 100 Thrills'', a list of America's most heart-pounding films. The character of the Terminator was selected as the 22nd-greatest movie villain on AFI's '' 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains''. Schwarzenegger's line "
I'll be back "I'll be back" is a catchphrase associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was made famous in the 1984 science fiction film ''The Terminator''. On June 21, 2005, it was placed at No. 37 on the American Film Institute list AFI's 100 Years... 100 M ...
" became a catchphrase and was voted the 37th-greatest movie quote by the AFI. In 2005, '' Total Film'' named it the 72nd-best film ever made. Schwarzenegger's biographer
Laurence Leamer Laurence Leamer (born October 30, 1941) is an American author and journalist. Leamer is a former Ford Fellow in International Development at the University of Oregon and a former International Fellow at Columbia University. He is regarded as an ...
wrote that ''The Terminator'' was "an influential film affecting a whole generation of darkly hued science fiction, and it was one of Arnold's best performances." In 2008, ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine selected ''The Terminator'' as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. ''Empire'' also placed the
T-800 T8 or T-8 may refer to the following: Measurement * T8, a Torx screwhead size * T8, a 1 inch fluorescent lamp size * A tornado intensity rating on the TORRO scale Biology * The 8th thoracic vertebra * The T8 spinal nerve Transportation * Trikk ...
14th on their list of ''The 100 Greatest Movie Characters''. In 2008, ''The Terminator'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
and selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
. In 2010, the ''
Independent Film & Television Alliance The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the trade association that represents companies that finance, produce and license independent film and television programming worldwide. The association is headquartered in Los Angeles, but has ...
'' selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years. In 2015, ''The Terminator'' was among the films included in the book ''
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die ''1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die'' is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics. It is a part of a series designed and produced by Quintessence Editions, a ...
''. In 2019, Huw Fullerton of ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...
'' ranked it the second best film of the six in the franchise, stating "''The Terminator'' was a brilliantly original, visceral and genuinely scary movie when it was released in 1984, and no matter how badly the visual effects age it hasn't lost its impact." In 2021, Dalin Rowell of ''
/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, D ...
'' ranked it the fourth best film of Cameron's career, stating "While its pacing and story structure isn't as tight as its sequel's, ''The Terminator'' remains one of the most iconic pieces of pop culture ever created." Phil Pirrello of
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...
ranked it at number seven in the "25 scariest sci-fi movies ever made", stating "Cameron forever changed both the genre and Schwarzenegger's career with ''The Terminator'', an iconic, tension-filled flick that mixes science fiction, action, and certain horror movie elements into one of the best things to ever come out of Hollywood ..Cameron's well-structured script is pure polish, with zero fat and a surplus of riveting tension that helps make it the timeless classic it is today."


Merchandise

A soundtrack to the film was released in 1984 which included the score by Brad Fiedel and the pop and rock songs used in the club scenes.
Shaun Hutson Shaun Hutson (born 1958) is a British novelist in the horror and crime genres. Under his own name and various pen names, he has written at least thirty novels. Background A native of Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire, England, Hutson ...
wrote a
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...
of the film which was published on February 21, 1985, by London-based Star Books (); Randal Frakes and William Wisher wrote a different novelization for Bantam/Spectra, published October, 1985 (). In September 1988, NOW Comics released a comic based on the film.
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
published a comic in 1990 that took place 39 years after the film.Overstreet, 2010. p.252 Several video games based on ''The Terminator'' were released between 1991 and 1993 for various
Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards ...
and
Sega is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, respectively. Its division ...
systems.


Sequels

Five sequels followed ''The Terminator'': '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003), ''
Terminator Salvation ''Terminator Salvation'' is a 2009 American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the ''Terminator'' franchise and serves as a sequel to '' Termi ...
'' (2009), ''
Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Produced by Skydance Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is a reboot ...
'' (2015), and '' Terminator: Dark Fate'' (2019). None of the films except ''Terminator 2'' managed to recreate the critical success of it, and following the failure of ''Terminator Salvation'', ''Terminator Genisys'' was an attempted reboot of the franchise set before the events of ''The Terminator''. This also failed and was followed by ''Dark Fate'' which served as a direct sequel to ''Terminator 2'' and ignored the events of ''Terminator 3'' and all subsequent instalments. Schwarzenegger returned for ''Terminator 3'', ''Terminator Genisys'', and ''Dark Fate'', but the latter is the only film since ''Terminator 2'' to involve Cameron and Hamilton. Although better critically received than other post-''Terminator 2'' entries, ''Dark Fate'' was also considered a failure, with analysts blaming audience disinterest on the diminishing quality of the series since ''Terminator 2'' and repeated attempts to reboot the series. It was also criticized by fans for its opening scene, in which a T-800 kills Edward Furlong's teenage John Connor; entertainment website Collider wrote that this retroactively damaged the ending of ''Terminator 2''. A television series, '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' (2008–2009), also takes place after the events of ''Terminator 2'' and ignores the events beyond and including ''Terminator 3''.


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * *


External links

* * * *
The Terminator essay
' by John Wills at
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terminator 1984 1984 films 1980s science fiction action films 1984 independent films American chase films American independent films American post-apocalyptic films American science fiction action films Cyborg films Drone films American dystopian films Films about time travel Films about violence against women Films directed by James Cameron Films involved in plagiarism controversies Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Films set in 1984 Films set in 2029 Films set in Los Angeles Films set in the future Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot from the first-person perspective Films using stop-motion animation Orion Pictures films Films with screenplays by James Cameron Terminator (franchise) films United States National Film Registry films Films produced by Gale Anne Hurd Films scored by Brad Fiedel Films about technological impact Films with screenplays by Gale Anne Hurd 1980s English-language films 1980s American films