The Terminator (1981)

"It absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead"

This is the classic B-movie that made the A-grade. Directed by (the then largely unknown) James Cameron and starring (the then largely unknown) Arnold Schwarzenegger, this film made the most of a limited budget to thrill audiences on a wide scale. The story revolves around that familiar sci-fi trope, time travel, and explores the concept of the future rising up to meet its own past, and so change itself. Rather than the 'galaxy far away' of many of its contemporary scifi flicks, The Terminator is set firmly in the present day, and its novum, a huge, sophisticated killing machine, smashes its way through scenes that are all too familiar.

James Cameron began in films by working with Roger Corman. This is where he gained his all-round experience - of camerawork, special effects, post production as well as direction. He adopted the Corman approach for making - and particularly finishing - The Terminator, bringing it in on a low budget ($6.4M) for CarolCo, but combined it with his own perfectionism. He and Schwarzenegger recall driving round LA after principal photography had finished, with a crew of 2/3, no wardrobe, no makeup, and "stealing" some final shots in broad daylight - for example the shot where the Terminator breaks into a car. Cameron makes good use of that cheapest of special effects, darkness, and shoots much of the film at night, particularly the car chase sequences. Low budget does not mean that the action is stinted in any way.

The special effects, being minimal, still do not look dated. Time travel is suggested, very simply, with blue electric flashes at the beginning. Some old-fashion blood-and-gore is employed when the Terminator removes his own eye. What the effects, designed by Stan Winston, are good at is suggesting that, in Cameron's words, that we do not have "a man inside a suit, but a suit inside a man". The cyborg makeup is not layered on top of Schwarzenegger's skin, but it seems to come from underneath it. The Terminator is all the more frightening for its similarity to a human being. As Reese explains to the psychiatrist, the killer robot is encased in flesh to facilitate time travel. Thus there is no need for elaborate make up effects for the first hour or so of the film - let's face it, Arnie is enough of a special effect to connote all manner of robotness.

This is the film that really gave Schwarzenegger iconic status. Originally slated to play the hero, Schwarzenegger was legendarily lunching with Cameron when both of them decided that he should play the robot. It is a masterstroke of casting. Schwarzenegger's physique puts him on the 'in' side of human anyway, and his rather, ahem, emotionless acting style means that we are totally convinced when Reese tells us "It can't be bargained with! It can't be reasoned with! It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." Could Arnie act remorse, pity or fear? Unfortunately, the other characters (Reese, Sarah) appear weak and inept by comparison - we enjoy the scenes with the Terminator because he is so strong, so unstoppable, so unconfined by the rules of society or gravity. He fulfills many a wicked fantasy, flinging a hairy guy out of a phonebooth, driving a car into the front of a police station when he is denied other access, buying lots of big guns. He is a dark hero - perfect for the individualism of the Reagan era. The iconography of the publicity campaign, a stern-faced, sunglassed Arnie looming large above the title, meant that he was always going to be the star of this film - despite the fact that he says only seventy four words.

 

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

John: Jesus, you were gonna kill that guy.

The Terminator: Of course, I'm a terminator

By 1991 Cameron was well established as a bankable movie director, and he tended to get the budgets he asked for. No paltry $6M or "six guys in suits" (the quota for filming Aliens). Terminator 2 cost over $100M to make, and was the first film to top this marker. And it made over $500M worldwide.

In the seven years between the two films, Arnie had defined himself as an action hero. Therefore there was no way that audiences would accept him as an evil killing robot. he had to be the hero. And he is, although he is very nearly pipped to the post by a muscular Ripleyalike Linda Hamilton. This time the antagonist is a T2000 killing machine, made of liquid metal, that can morph itself into any form it touches - a piece of flooring, a human being, but not, inconveniently enough, "anything with moving parts". We do not know this at first, and the film begins (if you had not read any of the advance publicity) in a very parallel fashion to the original - two characters are hurled back through time, the Arnie one once again garbs himself in badass biker gear, adn they both appear to be threatening an innocent party, the young John Connor. In a moment of superb cinemativ reversal, our expectations are shattered as it turns out the Arnie Terminator is this time a good guy, and that we need not be guilty in our pleasure at his inexorablility.

The special effects are superb, but this sequel lacks the B-movie panache of the original. And Arnie has to try to act. Which can only be bad.

 

Terminator 3: The Rise of The Machines (2003)

In 2003. The Machines Will Try Again.

Both Cameron & Schwarzenegger expressed keen interest in a third movie over a number of years. The bankruptcy of Carolco meant that intellectual property rights became confused, and a period of uncertainty followed, with Cameron slated to direct, then not slated, and many rumours flying about re the involvement of Schwarzenegger, and the form of the story. However, it is going ahead, ready for a 2003 release. it features T-X a female cyborg (though why these machines have to gendered is beyond me) and, so assured of its success are the studio backers (a consortium of companies), that they are paying Schwarzenegger $31M. Cameron is not involved.

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