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Recent releases:
- Reawakening
- Third Man, The (reissue)
- Lee
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Count of Monte-Cristo, The
- Blink Twice
- Alien: Romulus
- Swan Song
- Borderlands
- Longlegs
- Hundreds of Beavers
- Greyhound of a Girl, A
- Exorcism, The
- Freud's Last Session
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
- Dead Don't Hurt, The
- House in Jerusalem, A
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Letters from Greece
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Terminator, The (reissue)
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich, Bill Paxton, Dick Miller
Director: James Cameron
A 4K restoration of the iconic 1980s classic, good for a laugh and a thrill, and pounded along in sensational style by director Cameron, who gets an 'A' for cinema craft right from the opening scene.
Schwarzenegger and Biehn come back from the future: Arnie, first seen (from behind) naked, is an android who starts killing women called Sarah Connor. The one he wants is, of course, bound to be last on the list, or we wouldn't have any suspense, and Cameron makes sure there's plenty of that, as well as electrifying action, as Biehn, who's returned from the future to save the relevant Sarah, has to find a way to stop the Terminator - and that's not easy.
Schwarzenegger, though, dominates the film as Mr T, and his famous line 'I'll be back' has passed into legend. And the prolonged climax is one of the most nail-biting and brilliantly edited of the 1980s.
There are a few dull patches and poor supporting performances; however, Cameron made sure there were none of either in the sequel seven years later.
David Quinlan
USA 1984. UK Distributor: Park Circus (originally Rank). Colour by CFI/Print by De Luxe.
108 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.
Review date: 28 Aug 2024