The Terminator (1984)
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The Terminator (1984), the first of three science-fiction action-thriller films, has often been considered by most film reviewers to be a better-crafted film than its popular sequels, with fewer special-effects and pretention. Its two sequels include James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and director Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
See Greatest Film Series Franchises: The Terminator Terminator Films Time Frame Poster The Terminator (1984) Post-apocalyptic 2029 Los Angeles; an indestructible cyborg Terminator (Schwarzenegger) is sent back from the future to 1984 to eliminate the future unborn son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton); Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a member of the human resistance movement of the future, is also teleported back (by the future John Connor) to rescue and protect his mother - and father the child.
The low-budget film grossed $38 million, and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star; "I'll be back" became a popular catch-phrase.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Around the year 1995; muscular warrior-woman Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is the institutionalized single mother of rebellious John Connor (Edward Furlong), now a pre-teenager - and the savior of future humanity in a war with a deadly machine complex called SkyNet; the boy is threatened by a seemingly-indestructible Terminator android named T-1000 (Robert Patrick) who has the uncanny ability to 'morph' himself; an older model Terminator T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is sent from the future to protect him; the SkyNet labs are demolished to wipe out any trace of Terminator technology.
The film grossed $204 million and acquired four Academy Awards (Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Effects Editing) from its six nominations.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) Set about 10 years after the events of the second film in the year 2004 in Los Angeles; Sarah Connor had died in 1997; twenty-something, post-apocalyptic leader John Connor (Nick Stahl) of the prophesied war against the machines is targeted by another Terminator or Terminatrix - an advanced sexy female named T-X (Kristanna Loken); he must again be protected by an outdated, monosyllabic, and obsolete T-101 (Schwarzenegger) from the future.
This sequel had a new director, writers, villains, and co-stars, with Schwarzenegger the sole returnee; the film grossed $149 million (domestically) on a budget of $200 million.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) In sequence, this Fox TV series takes place after Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), with English actress Lena Headey as the title character, who made her entrance into the film stark naked on a LA freeway, ready to protect her teenaged son John (Thomas Dekker) and battle an army of revolutionary robots and other threats. Director James Cameron's sleeper film (only his second feature film), co-written with producer Gale Anne Hurd, is an exciting, well-paced action thriller with apocalyptic, monster, and adventure story elements. Stan Winston's special terminator and visual effects, created by Fantasy II Film Effects, vividly and effectively present a film-noirish environment and realistic stop-motion animation as the Terminator is transformed into a mechanical exo-skeleton when his flesh and blood are stripped away in the course of his unstoppable pursuit.
Arnold Schwarzenegger performs in a career-shaping role that would soon lead to many more such formidable, box-office appealing characterizations in the mid to late 80s and into the 90s: Commando (1985), Raw Deal (1986), Predator (1987), The Running Man (1987), Red Heat (1988), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994) and Eraser (1996). Likewise, Cameron's career was launched by the success of this film - with its brilliant chase sequences and trademark action setpieces.
During the Terminator's mission, he delivers the oft-quoted, straight-faced line "I'll be back" to a desk police clerk. He does return, destroying the building by driving a monstrous vehicle directly into it. [This famous line was repeated in the sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), when he tells his young charge, "Stay here. I'll be back." In the third film in the series, the T-101 says, "I'm back" and later says, "She'll be back" - in reference to the feminine cyborg assassin T-X or Terminatrix.]
An inhuman, invincible cyborg (lifelike robot) from the future year 2029, the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), is sent back to the present - Los Angeles 1984 - to eliminate the woman, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who will one day be the mother of a son (an off-screen John Connor) who will lead a rebellion against the evil cyborg leaders of Earth's future. At first, the killing machine mistakes other 'Sarah Connors' located in a Los Angeles telephone book for the real one and eliminates them. Another time traveler to 1984 is Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a nuclear holocaust survivor who volunteered for Connor on an opposite quest to save innocent Sarah's life and ensure the conception and delivery of a son (who becomes a resistance leader and his future boss!).
As they escape from the relentless Terminator in an underground parking garage, Kyle explains to Sarah what is involved:
Kyle: The Terminator's an infiltration unit, part man, part machine. Underneath, it's a hyper-alloy combat chassis - micro processor-controlled, fully armoured. Very tough. But outside, it's living human tissue - flesh, skin, hair, blood, grown for the cyborgs...The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy. But these are new, they look human. Sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait till he moved on you before I could zero him.
Sarah: Look, I am not stupid, you know. They cannot make things like that yet!
Kyle: Not yet, not for about 40 years.
Sarah: (disbelieving) Are you saying it's from the future?
Kyle: One possible future. From your point of view. I don't know tech stuff.
Sarah: Then you're from the future too - is that right?
Kyle: Right.
Sarah: Right. (They struggle together and she bites his hand in her attempt to escape.)
Kyle: Cyborgs don't feel pain. I do. Don't do that again.
Sarah: Just let me go!
Kyle: Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.
