The Terminator (1984)
97%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 6 nominations
With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it’s clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.
The Terminator is one heck of a movie! The action scenes are so cool, the direction is tight and the pace is faster than a cheetah on Red Bull. It’s no wonder this flick is still inspiring sci-fi and action movies today.
Production Company(ies)
Cinema ’84 Euro Film Funding, Hemdale
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Artisan Entertainment, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
720 S Hill Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1984
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono (original release)
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 48m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 1984 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 2, 2001
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, Rick Rossovich, directed by James Cameron, written by James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, action, sci-fi, box office success, budget, reviewed by Michael Blowen, Paul Attanasio, Jason Bailey, Hank Gallo, Kirk Ellis, Peter Bradshaw, Howard Gorman, Mike Massie, Leigh Paatsch, Emmet Asher-Perrin, Sean Chandler, Terminator franchise, artificial intelligence, time travel, cyborg assassin, nuclear holocaust, Skynet, Sarah Connor, Kyle Reese, MPAA rating R, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., Artisan Entertainment, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Terminator collection, Terminator photos
Worldwide gross: $78,371,200
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $229,496,620
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 620
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 25,026,894
US/Canada gross: $38,371,200
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $112,363,479
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 668
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,020,663
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $11,773,822
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 905
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,400,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $18,741,302
Production budget ranking: 1,396
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $10,092,191
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $200,663,126
ROI to date (est.): 696%
ROI ranking: 180
Linda Hamilton – Sarah Connor
Michael Biehn – Kyle Reese
Paul Winfield – Lieutenant Ed Traxler
Lance Henriksen – Detective Vukovich
Rick Rossovich – Matt Buchanan
Show all Cast & Crew
Director(s)
James Cameron
Writer(s)
James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd
Producer(s)
Gale Anne Hurd
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (65) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (65)
Forget that the premise is silly and the acting second-rate because director James Cameron has the action formula down pat.
April 27, 2018
Michael Blowen
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
“The Terminator” brings film violence into the realm of the surreal.
January 4, 2018
Paul Attanasio
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Much of Terminator’s greatness is due to its low-budget aesthetic and lo-fi energy; perhaps out of necessity, Cameron’s sense of storytelling has a lean efficiency that both he and the series have long since abandoned.
May 28, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
You almost forget the film’s flaws – like the cartoony look of the war-ravaged future. Here, the most absurd excursion is believable and we go along willingly – stopping now and then for a breath or a laugh.
October 26, 2015
Hank Gallo
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
The havoc makes for a genuine steel metal trap of a movie that may very well be the best picture of its kind since The Road Warrior.
October 3, 2015
Kirk Ellis
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Getting the extraordinary physical specimen of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the lead was a stroke of genius and a stroke of fortune. Each of his pecs is the size of a bull’s flank.
June 25, 2015 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Although not a horror movie in the strictest sense, the film also introduced us to one of cinema’s most iconic final girls…
June 10, 2021
Howard Gorman
NME
Never has a role been so perfectly sculpted for the Austrian bodybuilder, who possesses a powerful screen presence with little more than his menacing silhouette.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Though the production design is a bit flimsy at times, both the big ideas at work and director James Cameron’s brilliance as a proactive, inventive filmmaker generate a powerful flow that cannot help but sweep viewers totally away.
May 12, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Sarah Connor’s origin feels real and grounded in a way that most (super)hero stories never manage. She doesn’t have wealth or fame. She doesn’t get dosed with super juice.
November 25, 2019
Emmet Asher-Perrin
Tor.com
A fantastic blend of horror, action, and sci-fi.
October 2, 2019 | Rating: A
Sean Chandler
Sean Chandler Talks About
Normally, Schwarzenegger’s wooden on-screen presence is laughably bad, but his limited range works perfectly in this role.
July 4, 2019
Jennifer Lind-Westbrook
Culturess…
Plot
In The Terminator, a cyborg assassin travels back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, but she is protected by Kyle Reese who reveals the coming of Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that will spark a nuclear holocaust.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The critic reviews for The Terminator praise Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as the titular character, with one critic stating that “each of his pecs is the size of a bull’s flank.”
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