The Terminator: Critic Reviews

This is a monster movie, and the monster's role fits Mr. Schwarzenegger just fine.

As a souvenir of a kind of B-grade action cinema that has all but vanished, The Terminator should find a small place in the heart of every movie addict.

The Terminator is a blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story.

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

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.

Throughout his extraordinary, legend in his own time career, James Cameron has done very little that cannot be legitimately considered well ahead of its time.

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

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

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

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

"TECH%u2022NOIR" indeed. He's a futuristic machine and this movie is pitch black with menace.

The original and best film from the franchise -- iconic, heady, dark and exciting.

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

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.

A sci-fi actioner as relentless as its cyborg title character. The megabudget sequels are very good, but the low-budget original is still the best.

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

Arguably among the very best science-fiction contemporaries.

The movie's scares are intense, but the notion that the Terminator would move on to politics is even more frightening.

Relentlessly entertaining

This was the film that demonstrated to the dubious everyone that the musclebound fellow with that outrageous accent might be more than just another passing blip on our pop culture radar screens.

At the end of both movies, I find myself overcome by an extraordinary swell of emotion.