The original and best film from the franchise -- iconic, heady, dark and exciting.
Comment
06/17/08
The Terminator (1984)
100 %
Reviews Counted: 34 Fresh: 34 Rotten:0 Average Rating: 8.5/10
Consensus:
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.
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Synopsis: James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR is one of the tightest, tensest sci-fi films ever made and a landmark in the genre. In the year 2029, battles rage between the superintelligent machines that rule the world and the last vestiges of humanity. In late-20th-century Los Angeles, Sarah Connor... [More]
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Winfield
Director: James Cameron
Screenwriter: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Composer: Brad Fiedel
Screenwriter: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Composer: Brad Fiedel
Reviews
Top Critic
More than enough violence to make it a profoundly moral film; and Arnold's a whizz.
02/09/06
Top Critic
At the end of both movies, I find myself overcome by an extraordinary swell of emotion.
07/23/03
A surprisingly vicious little film, filled with indiscriminate, un-PC killings and a rough-edged feel that makes it utterly compelling.
12/10/01
Top Critic
A tense, slickly executed thriller, which sent a relatively unknown Austrian bodybuilder screaming into the world's spotlight.
03/22/01
Top Critic
It's a work of pulp art to see the future guv of California rip out someone's heart.
03/27/08
Gritty, clever, breathlessly paced, and dynamic despite the dark shadow of doom cast over the story, this sci-fi thriller remains one of the defining American films of the 1980s.
12/29/07
As a souvenir of a kind of B-grade action cinema that has all but vanished, The Terminator should find a small place in the heart of every movie addict.
03/01/07
A sci-fi actioner as relentless as its cyborg title character. The megabudget sequels are very good, but the low-budget original is still the best.
03/05/06
This was the film that demonstrated to the dubious everyone that the musclebound fellow with that outrageous accent might be more than just another passing blip on our pop culture radar screens.
07/30/03
Top Critic
This is a monster movie, and the monster's role fits Mr. Schwarzenegger just fine.
07/16/03
Top CriticRelated Forums
THE TERMINATOR (#1) was R-rated fun, but new T4 is planning to be a PG-13 bore???
by: Darko, Donnie 6/16
by: Darko, Donnie 6/16
Michael Biehn
by: Misha 7/11/07
by: Misha 7/11/07
News
Total Recall: The Best of Stan Winston
posted by Tim Ryan June 18, 2008
With the passing of Oscar-winning makeup and special effects artist Stan Winston, RT decided to take a closer look at...
posted by Tim Ryan June 18, 2008
With the passing of Oscar-winning makeup and special effects artist Stan Winston, RT decided to take a closer look at...
Exclusive: Anton Yelchin on Star Trek and Terminator 4
posted by Joe Utichi March 28, 2008
RT sits down with the star of Charlie Bartlett to learn more about his space adventures with J.J. Abrams and time...
posted by Joe Utichi March 28, 2008
RT sits down with the star of Charlie Bartlett to learn more about his space adventures with J.J. Abrams and time...
Kim Newman on... The Invisible Boy
posted by Kim Newman March 24, 2008
RT Obscura, the exclusive column by renowned critic Kim Newman, sees the writer plumbing the depths of the RT archive in...
posted by Kim Newman March 24, 2008
RT Obscura, the exclusive column by renowned critic Kim Newman, sees the writer plumbing the depths of the RT archive in...
Sarah Connor Chronicles Pilot Making Early Online Debut
posted by Jeff Giles January 04, 2008
Hey, Terminator fans! Excited about the Jan. 13 and 14 premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox?...
posted by Jeff Giles January 04, 2008
Hey, Terminator fans! Excited about the Jan. 13 and 14 premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Fox?...
IGN RSS Feeds