The Terminator Reviews

| Original Score: 3/5

The movie's strength is that, like The Matrix, it combines action with ideas.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4

The film that put James Cameron on the map and made Arnold Schwarzenegger an international star, The Terminator is a high-potency distillation of a bunch of sci-fi concepts into one package.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5

While many feel the sequel is superior, I'd contend that T2 was merely more expensive. If you're building a sci-fi collection, this one should be on your Top Ten list.

Full Review | Original Score: 89/100

An efficient, cold-blooded sci-fi splatter movie that never makes the mistake of forgetting that on some level it is deeply ridiculous.

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I remain perpetually amazed by how magnificently Cameron keeps the tension up... there is not a single moment that isn't operating at 100%.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/10

A brilliant sci-fi film that cleverly combines strong storytelling with suspense and killer set-pieces.

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Still one of the most harrowing science fiction films in James Cameron's repertoire...

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4

Remains a surprisingly meditative work, its concentrated visceral bursts not unlike punctuation marks among something more brooding, even prayerful.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4

More than enough violence to make it a profoundly moral film; and Arnold's a whizz.

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...remains the quintessential Schwarzenegger movie...a high-octane, tech-noir adventure.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10

A surprisingly vicious little film, filled with indiscriminate, un-PC killings and a rough-edged feel that makes it utterly compelling.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5

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.

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It's a work of pulp art to see the future guv of California rip out someone's heart.

Full Review | Original Score: B

As for Schwarzenegger, he nicely fleshes out the convention of a soulless gun for hire. With his choppy hair, cryptic shades and state-of-the-'80s leather ensemble, he looks like the Incredible Hulk gone punk.

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| Original Score: 4/5

A cyberpunk picture that flirts with emotional resonance but mostly focuses on the gut...testosterone-fueled, estrogen-boosted action melodrama.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4

James Cameron's fast-paced, downright propulsive directorial sensibilities ensure that there are few lulls within the narrative.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4

To my mind better than its successor (for pure freshness) this film shows a keen understanding and love of the sci-fi genre.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4

[An] excellent piece of science fiction cinema.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10