The Terminator (1985) DVD Reviews

Starring	Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Michael Biehn
Director	James Cameron
Genres	Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Critics' reviews (4) of The Terminator
View all
Starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, the best-selling novel gets a Hollywood makeover... read more »
- Tom Charity,
- LOVEFiLM
Arnold Schwarzenegger said “I'll be back,” and he was, seven years later. But the success of the sequel should not undermine the powerhouse strengths of this, James Cameron's original hi-tech nightmare, with violent cyborg Arnie time-warped from the future to alter the nuclear war-torn course of history. Generating maximum excitement from the first frame, 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, and Linda Hamilton shines as the bewildered waitress who will unwittingly become the saviour of the human race.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Back from the future in which the machines rule comes a rippling robot (Schwarzenegger) who terminates opponents with... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Most helpful members' reviews (3) of The Terminator
View all
13 out of 15 people found this review helpful

Great

The phrase ?I?ll be back,? is engrained on the world ever since Arnie?s deadpan delivery to a policeman in The Terminator. Sales in black shades rocketed and we finally realised that there was a role for a large muscle-bound actor with limited ability in the English language, other than as Conan, The Barbarian.

The Terminator was the first outing for director James Cameron, and he hit the movie world with a timeless classic. The Terminator is the story of a T-800 robot, sent from the future into the past, to eradicate the mother of the still unborn John Connor ? the man that would prove to be the undoing of the robots.

Arnie plays the emotionless robot in a way that another actor simply could not. This was inspired casting and has really everything to do with Arnie?s current superstar status.

Cameron uses suspense in this film well. Although it is an action movie, there is a strong love interest which is tackled sympathetically. Although some of the special effects show up compared to later movies in The Terminator franchise, this movie carries you along out of sheer originality.

If you enjoyed Terminator, you may also like to hire [Terminator II ? Judgement Day], and [Conan, The Barbarian].
- - A customer from Wirral, England
  - Posted 20 Sep 2003 15:35
13 out of 20 people found this review helpful

Waste of time

If you like Schwargenegger films, you'll like this.

If, like me, you don't, you won't. End of story.

NEXT!
- - Bill from Fife Scotland
  - Posted 11 Dec 2006 22:06
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Brilliant Sci-Fi action

very good original plot with action and a brilliant soundtrack; I liked the sequel terminator 2 but not the 3rd sequel T3; Arnie at his best
- - A customer from England
  - Posted 21 Feb 2004 12:13
Most recent members' reviews (2) of The Terminator
View all
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

A classic...

If this brutal modern classic could be described in three words it would be: rough-edged, low-budget and nasty.

But these are compliments: the lack of a slick packaging lends Cameron’s science-fiction parable a much harder, tougher edge- something which the sequel, perhaps, lacks. In any case, there’s not much to criticise: it’s exciting, inventive and showcases a terrifying(ly good) Schwarzenegger in by far the best performance of his career.

With that razor haircut, leather jacket and pair of shades, who can forget eighties cinema’s most iconic moment: ‘I’ll be back’. Right he was.
- - ATfilmcritic from London
  - Posted 28 Jun 2005 15:09
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

A truly brilliant sci-fi action thriller

James Cameron's Terminator is the second best Sci-Fi of all time after James Cameron's Aliens.

In the future Sky-Net, the US defence computer gains consciousness and decides to wipe out mankind, starting by launching nuclear missiles against all countries of the world. Sky-Net then builds machines and robots to wipe all the survivors.

On the brink of extinction, John Connor leads the survivors to fight against the machines. On the verge of defeat at the hands of John Connor, Sky-Net sends a terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back through time to the 1980's to kill John Connor's mother before John is born. Reese (Michael Biehn), a trusted friend of John Conner is also sent back to protect Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). The terminator is cyborg, a robot designed to look human, with human skin and hair.

This films contains amazing scenes of the future over run by robots and the scene when the invulnerable Arnie shoots up a police station to get Sarah Connor is one of my favourite action scenes of all time. A completely original plot written by James Cameron himself, Cameron is a film genius.

Terminator is a truly brilliant Sci-Fi action thriller. I gave it 10/10.
- - JohnRead from Hampshire
  - Posted 26 Oct 2003 14:27

13 out of 15 people found this review helpful

Great

The phrase ?I?ll be back,? is engrained on the world ever since Arnie?s deadpan delivery to a policeman in The Terminator. Sales in black shades rocketed and we finally realised that there was a role for a large muscle-bound actor with limited ability in the English language, other than as Conan, The Barbarian.

The Terminator was the first outing for director James Cameron, and he hit the movie world with a timeless classic. The Terminator is the story of a T-800 robot, sent from the future into the past, to eradicate the mother of the still unborn John Connor ? the man that would prove to be the undoing of the robots.

Arnie plays the emotionless robot in a way that another actor simply could not. This was inspired casting and has really everything to do with Arnie?s current superstar status.

Cameron uses suspense in this film well. Although it is an action movie, there is a strong love interest which is tackled sympathetically. Although some of the special effects show up compared to later movies in The Terminator franchise, this movie carries you along out of sheer originality.

If you enjoyed Terminator, you may also like to hire [Terminator II ? Judgement Day], and [Conan, The Barbarian].
- - A customer from Wirral, England
  - Posted 20 Sep 2003 15:35
13 out of 20 people found this review helpful

Waste of time

If you like Schwargenegger films, you'll like this.

If, like me, you don't, you won't. End of story.

NEXT!
- - Bill from Fife Scotland
  - Posted 11 Dec 2006 22:06
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Brilliant Sci-Fi action

very good original plot with action and a brilliant soundtrack; I liked the sequel terminator 2 but not the 3rd sequel T3; Arnie at his best
- - A customer from England
  - Posted 21 Feb 2004 12:13
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

The best one of the trilogy

Considering it's age and some dodgy special effects (no cgi back in 1985)and done on a small budget apparently, this

is by far the best of all three. Arnie is so cold it makes you shiver,and has his best lines from all the films he has ever made 'uzi 9mm' and ' i'll be back'. Also the film looks very good on DVD, as good if not better than T2.
- - Chris Ades from Hastings
  - Posted 16 Feb 2005 09:01
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

who needs a bonus disc

Didn't require this and was annoyed that it came and took up the space of another film we could have watched. Asked my mate at work about it and now know how to cancel these coming.
- - A customer from Guernsey
  - Posted 04 Aug 2008 12:33
5 out of 8 people found this review helpful

Original and still the best

Arnie was built for this role , An emotionless machine ,perfect. This film is worth renting for the 80's dress alone , leg warmers and head bands !

Well ahead of its time with the effects although sometimes looks bad compaired to the more recent sci-fi movies but still is a great watch.
- - AshMAx from Surrey
  - Posted 15 Dec 2003 08:56
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful

Terminated

Unlike many of the reviewers I would call The Terminator more of a sci-fi horror than action film (unlike it's sequel which is clearly an action fest) - Think Alien compared to Aliens. The film is definetly scarey in places and where as I'd happily let a child under 10 watch Judgement Day I would not let them watch this. It's truly excellent from start to finish and though I'd always place Conan at the top of Arnie's all-time list The Terminator is close behind. The special effects are starting to show their age here.
- - Alexander Howard from Nottingham
  - Posted 18 Aug 2005 18:26
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

A truly brilliant sci-fi action thriller

James Cameron's Terminator is the second best Sci-Fi of all time after James Cameron's Aliens.

In the future Sky-Net, the US defence computer gains consciousness and decides to wipe out mankind, starting by launching nuclear missiles against all countries of the world. Sky-Net then builds machines and robots to wipe all the survivors.

On the brink of extinction, John Connor leads the survivors to fight against the machines. On the verge of defeat at the hands of John Connor, Sky-Net sends a terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back through time to the 1980's to kill John Connor's mother before John is born. Reese (Michael Biehn), a trusted friend of John Conner is also sent back to protect Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). The terminator is cyborg, a robot designed to look human, with human skin and hair.

This films contains amazing scenes of the future over run by robots and the scene when the invulnerable Arnie shoots up a police station to get Sarah Connor is one of my favourite action scenes of all time. A completely original plot written by James Cameron himself, Cameron is a film genius.

Terminator is a truly brilliant Sci-Fi action thriller. I gave it 10/10.
- - JohnRead from Hampshire
  - Posted 26 Oct 2003 14:27
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

A classic...

If this brutal modern classic could be described in three words it would be: rough-edged, low-budget and nasty.

But these are compliments: the lack of a slick packaging lends Cameron’s science-fiction parable a much harder, tougher edge- something which the sequel, perhaps, lacks. In any case, there’s not much to criticise: it’s exciting, inventive and showcases a terrifying(ly good) Schwarzenegger in by far the best performance of his career.

With that razor haircut, leather jacket and pair of shades, who can forget eighties cinema’s most iconic moment: ‘I’ll be back’. Right he was.
- - ATfilmcritic from London
  - Posted 28 Jun 2005 15:09
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Classic

So eighties it's frightening (esepcially the hair!) but nontheless a solid sci-fi actioner from James (Aliens) Cameron, featuring Michael (Aliens) Biehn as a fighter sent back in time from a bleak future to protect Sarah Connor, the future mother of a future freedom fighter, who is being pursued by Arnie's relentless Terminator.

A simple but effective plot, this packs in action, horror and romance. Well worth watching. But you have been warned about the hair.
- - ThursdayNext from Warwickshire
  - Posted 29 Apr 2005 18:28

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Critics' reviews (4)
Starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana, the best-selling novel gets a Hollywood makeover... read more »
- Tom Charity,
- LOVEFiLM
Arnold Schwarzenegger said “I'll be back,” and he was, seven years later. But the success of the sequel should not undermine the powerhouse strengths of this, James Cameron's original hi-tech nightmare, with violent cyborg Arnie time-warped from the future to alter the nuclear war-torn course of history. Generating maximum excitement from the first frame, 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, and Linda Hamilton shines as the bewildered waitress who will unwittingly become the saviour of the human race.
- Radio Times
- Posted 29 Jan 2006
Back from the future in which the machines rule comes a rippling robot (Schwarzenegger) who terminates opponents with... read more on Time Out
- Time Out
- Posted 04 Nov 2008
Slick, rather nasty but undeniably compelling comic book adventures.
- Halliwell's Film Guide
- Posted 02 Mar 2006

Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop

- - Buy
- The Terminator
  
  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 (Linda ...