The Terminator (1984), The Terminator Review, The Terminator Photos and Clips

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Director:	James Cameron
Cast:	Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen
Released:	Friday, October 26, 1984
Length:	107 minutes
Studio:	Orion Pictures
Genre:	Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating:	Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

The Terminator Synopsis

In the year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet have devised the ultimate plan. They will reshape the future by changing the past. The plan requires something that feels neither pity, pain, nor fear--a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Part man, part machine, the Terminator is sent back to present-day Earth to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a young woman whose life will have great significance in the years to come. Sarah has a single ally--Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a young soldier sent from the future to protect her. The fate of the world lies with two humans who must defeat an unstoppable killing machine--the Terminator. When casting The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for Kyle Reese, the hero, and Lance Henricksen was cast as the cyborg from the future. But after reading the script, Schwarzenegger asked for the villain's role, and a movie legend was born.

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The Terminator News

Paul Walker Possible Attached to "Termintor 5"  6/7/2011 3:20 PM EST
Paul Walker, star of "Fast and Furious", is said to be a candidate for the upcoming fifth "Terminator" film, playing Kyle Reese.With obvious personal issues to deal with in his life, Arnold Schwarzenegger's acting career has been put on hold for the moment. While many thought this would shelf the new film, it is said that they plan on taking it in a new direction instead.They could anchor th...  More>>

Schwarzenegger Looking to Make Another "Terminator" Film  4/27/2011 3:51 PM EST
Arnold Schwarzenegger is said to be shopping, along with his reps at CAA, are said to be shopping around to get another "Terminator" sequel made.According to 24 Frames, the film will be directed by "Fast Five" director Justin Lin, and produced by Robert Cort.The film, if it comes to fruition, will be put on Schwarzenegger's schedule after the upcoming action films, "The Last Stand"...  More>>

Sequel Updates for "G.I. Joe" and "Terminator"  4/15/2011 1:49 PM EST
Jon M. Chu, director of "G.I. Joe 2", spoke with The Deadbolt recently and told them that some changes will be noticed from the original film.Chu said,"I think it's not just another action movie. Maybe the first one was that, but we're really trying to break it down and take the shine off and show that my Joes were the ones in the mud, the sand and the trees and in the epic worldwide adventures. E...  More>>

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series Explores Online as Th...  5/19/2009 9:51 PM EST
Burbank, Calif., May 19, 2009 - Halcyon Games, a division of The Halcyon Company along with Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution today announced the first full length Machinima series titled "Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series." Produced in association with McG, director of "Terminator Salvation," and Machinima Inc., this six part series utilizes real time computer animat...  More>>

Common Is A-Team's B.A. Baracus?  5/14/2009 4:06 PM EST
IESB recently interviewed Common, who is in the upcoming "Terminator Salvation" film, and discussed some rumors about possibly starring in the big screen adaptation of A-Team as well as the Justice League movie.Common did, in fact, confirm that he is currently in talks for the role of B.A. Baracus. In the interview Common states that h...  More>>

Arnold Schwarzenegger Talks Terminator Salvation  3/19/2009 9:48 AM EST
Website "The Arnold Fans" recently had the chance to speak with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, about the upcoming films, "Terminator Salvation" (being released on May 22) and "The Expendables" (being released in 2010). About "<a h...  More>>

Terminator 2 Skynet Blu-ray Teaser is Now Online  3/3/2009 9:07 AM EST
In anticipation of the new Terminator Salvation film that is debuting in theaters this May. Lionsgate is re-releasing Terminator 2 on a brand new Blu-ray this May entitiled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RIY4WE?ie=UTF8&tag=flick06-20&linkCode=as2&ca...  More>>

Terminator 5 Already In The Works?  12/19/2008 12:34 AM EST
A fifth installment to the "Terminator" series is on the way, according to Variety. The film is currently set for release in 2011. McG, who will be directing the film, made the announcement this week at the Dubai film festival. The move to release a fifth film was pushed into full gear when the studio and fan reaction to the upcoming <a href="http://www.flickdirect.com/movies/movie-showcase...  More>>

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Fall 2008 Review  12/18/2008 11:53 PM EST
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles gives us an interesting piece of potential that we do not have with a lot of other shows -- it begs us to compare it to not just its competition, but to what may be, or what could be. This may not seem fair (and, indeed, if anyone believes they can state authoritatively what it 'should be,' they are wrong) -- but it is what is almost guaranteed to happen if...  More>>

Terminator -- Choose Your Side  8/15/2008 3:15 PM EST
Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season Comes Out August 19 But You Can Recruit and Destroy Now!!Choose to fight for the MACHINES or the HUMANS, then recruit friends, fight the enemy and rise through the ranks with the official TSCC Facebook widget at www.terminatorondvd.com.Pre-order your copy today at <a href="http://www.am...  More>>

Who is The new Terminator T-800?  7/21/2008 10:45 AM EST
Clinton News-Record has revealed that the upcoming film, "Terminator Salvation" will be starring former bodybuilder Roland Kickinger as the T-800. He recently spoke about his role. *There may be spoilers in the quotes below*This month, however, Kickinger begins filming what is likely the role of his life to date, as his portion of Terminator Salvation begins to take shape."There's a very strong...  More>>

Helena Bonham Carter starring in Next Terminator Film  7/1/2008 4:08 PM EST
Some new casting developments in the "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" film. Helena Bonham Carter is said to be in talks to have a small, but pivotal role in the film. There are no specifics yet on who her character is.The film started principal photography last month in New Mexico, and a release date of May 2009 is scheduled....  More>>

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The Terminator Staff Review

I wish I knew the alchemy that goes into deciding to make a "prestige edition" of a Blu-Ray (or DVD). Did we see 'collector's edition' cassettes? Eight-Tracks? Even CD's? I don't recall. In an age where I believe we are closer to having media servers like iPods for our movies and more distant than wanting a shelf full of discs, we have to physically manage. I am wondering if this is a short-lived fad...or if the future really does have a spot for deluxe-edition cases with books and special artwork and extras?

I guess time will tell.

I also wonder how they decide what to release? Looking at Steelbook's site, I can see that it is a wide mix of movies. Certainly, Terminator is a seminal, science fiction movie -- but today? It is an old one. I know people who are friends (albeit a good deal younger) who haven't seen it. It makes me feel incredibly old, and it makes me wonder if I am actually the target market: 40-something guys who were blown away by Terminator in the theater? Or is the target people with large prestige collections who want the whole set?

Since it seems that The Terminator (first one) is the last Steelbook Blu-ray to be released. I can find orders for T2, T3, and T4. It would seem that they are targeting younger people first. I guess that makes me feel a little better.

So what is it?

The Terminator's Steelbook edition is a 26-page, bound hardcover book that is the size of a Blu-ray case with a slot in the back for the (single) disc. The pages are glossy with quotes from the movie, some trivia, and some bios of the stars. There are lots of pictures from the movie and a page on the iconic Tech Noir night-club they fabricated for the film. I have heard when they set it up, the people who didn't realize it was a set, kept trying to get in.

It is not a bad artifact, but I found it on the lighter-side of informative.

The disc itself has the movie, a "Retrospective" which was filmed in 1992 -- making it almost 20 years old. It is a conversation between Cameron and Arnold and is worth watching, since they are both worth listening to -- if for different reasons. There is a making of and some deleted ("terminated") scenes. The notable deleted scene is the arc of the police detective: he appeared in short bursts in more of the movie and got an actual death scene where he gives his gun to Reese and tells him to do whatever it takes to survive. It was nice to see him get a little more love.

Beyond that, though, there's not much. The movie itself is ultra crisp, ultra clear 1080p 1.85:1 ratio. This may be an improvement--an enhancement--over the original theatrical release. There has certainly been an improvement for the sound. The original movie was done in mono and the blu-ray has a PCM Dolby Digital 5.1. The re-mix uses the rear channels and the sound is punchy and crisp--but frankly, if you're an audiophile the sound for The Terminator was never stellar and while this helps it's not going to win any shock-and-awe awards. Over all it's a very good print--but it's light-weight in terms of value add if you already have an previously released Blu-ray edition.

Watching The Terminator, I was struck by a few things. Firstly, it is an intelligent script. Despite being action-oriented, it holds up reasonably well. The story line is tight, and it takes for granted we are paying attention -- Reese steals a shotgun and has to saw it down to conceal it; The Terminator kills a gun store owner to get an arsenal of weaponry -- this illustrates the difference between the two characters nicely without having to tell us anything. Although the fashions are pretty 80's (especially the hair), F/x wise -- it holds up well enough today to be viable. Sure, the metal skeleton in the end is clearly a special effect but even if it were CGI, we would still know on some level it wasn't real.

As we got to the end, I felt a little sad. In the first movie, The Terminator was a last-ditch effort by the machines to salvage a war that was already lost. By the time we got to T2, it seemed there was a second chance. But now with the "far lower quality" movies, T3 and T4 (and T5 announced with Arnold reprising his role ... how?) it seems that the war is not only never ending -- but that the battle is taking into far less intelligent scripts and far more F/x heavy movies. Terminator surprised me and T2 got my attention by confounding my expectations about what a sequel would be. That fact that the TV show (The Sarah Connor Chronicles) was the intellectual heir to the first movies far more so than the third and fourth ones were is a little depressing.

I suppose given all that, even if the extras didn't electrify me, if I were to purchase a collector's edition version of a Terminator title, it would be this one. I really would not want a boxed set with all of them; I did like the first one enough to want a good cut of it.

--Marco Chacon

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