The Terminator is one of the most iconic science fiction movies of all time, but it could easily be argued that the film might actually have a far more sensible home in a different genre completely. First released in 1984, The Terminator continues to be both one of the most influential films of James Cameron’s career and one of the most iconic movies in general.
It’s the clean story set-up that makes The Terminator so compelling. Sarah Connor is a normal young woman who is targeted by a cybernetic assassin from the future, the T-800, aiming to kill her at the behest of its artifical intelligent master due to the fact that Sarah will go on to give birth to the leader of the human resistance against the machines.
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The Terminator marked the rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ascent to superstar status, with the hulking Austrian bodybuilder making for the perfect cold, unfeeling killing machine. It’s hard not to believe him when he says he’ll be back, only to come crashing through a police station in a stolen car.
To this day, The Terminator is often hailed as a genius science fiction movie, but in truth, it doesn’t share tonal or philosophical blood with such a designation beyond the surface-level appearance of killer robots. The first Terminator movie has none of the frills of world-building, navel-gazing dialogue, or cutting social commentary common to sci-fi films.
The Terminator Isn’t Really A Sci-Fi Movie – It’s A Slasher In Disguise
The First Film Has More In Common With Friday The 13th Than Star Wars
In truth, The Terminator is more of a horror film. Specifically, the T-800 is nothing if not a terrifying slasher villain, slowly walking down his prey while absorbing mortal wounds like they were nothing, a strong, silent assassin engrossed in his goal. The manner in which he kills his victims is quite gruesome at times, punching through their abdomens with bloody efficiency.
It seems fitting enough to call The Terminator a horror film considering that the concept literally came from James Cameron’s nightmares, with the T-800’s shiny chrome skull coming to him in a fever dream. It’s no wonder the first movie feels like a proper slasher, complete with blood and gore, a final girl, and an unstoppable killer.
Later Terminator Sequels Abandoned The Original Movie’s Slasher Roots For The Worse
The Franchise Desperately Needs To Go Back To Basics
Really, the only reason The Terminator is referred to as a straight science fiction movie at all is because it’s lumped in with the sequels. While Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the best action films of all time, it still retains some horror elements, with the T-1000’s arm blades evoking more slasher fare. That being said, it’s mostly straightforward action.
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From there, the Terminator films have continued to critically devolve, with each new sequel seemingly being worse than the last. Their failures could easily be attributed to the utter lack of horror elements that made the first film work so wellturning to generic and confusing future war segments that cause eyes to glaze over.
Compared to the striking and evocative mood created by the dim neon lighting and smaller-scale action of the original film, the series’ bloated spectacle and confusing timelines have only served to distract from the simple formula that made the T-800 so compelling. Clearly The Terminator should have stayed a slasher villain.
The Terminator
- Release Date
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October 26, 1984
- Runtime
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108 minutes
- Producers
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Gale Anne Hurd, John Daly
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