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The Terminator
Director: James Cameron
Actors: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Paul Winfield, and Lance Henriksen
Rated: R (Restricted)
Retail Price (not our price): $14.98
Release Date: 2001-10-02
Theatrical Release Date: 1984-10-26
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Run Time: 107 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Discs: 1


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com essential video
This is the film that cemented Schwarzenegger's spot in the action-brawn firmament, and it was well deserved. He's chilling as the futuristic cyborg who kills without fear, without love, without mercy. James Cameron's story and direction are pared to the bone and all the more creepy. But don't overlook the contributions of Linda Hamilton, who more than holds her own as the Terminator's would-be victim, Sarah Connor--thus creating, along with Sigourney Weaver in Alien, a new generation of rugged, clear-thinking female action stars. It's surprising how well this film holds up, and how its minimalist, malevolent violence is actually way scarier than that of its far more expensive, more effects-laden sequel. --Anne Hurley

2) Description
In the year 2029, the ruling super-computer, Skynet, sends an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) before she can fulfill her destiny and save mankind.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Terminator   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I also like this movie very much. Saw it in a theator when it first come out. That is the reason I bought it.

2) Great movie, video not from an HD source   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
The Terminator is one of the great action movies of our time. That's not what this review is about.This review is about the video quality of this Blu-ray disc. The menus are fantastic 1080p resolution, but the actual movie looks as though it was pulled from the same source used for the DVD, which may as well have been the same source they used for VHS so long ago.The movie is a fantastic one, but I'd say to save your money and get the standard definition DVD since the picture quality is about the same.

3) Quality Sci-fi   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
A wonderful film that at its heart has a well thought out story, and for the most part does not betray the fact that it was filmed 25 years ago. I've just re-watched it for the first time in ten years and none of the elements that made it so good in the 1980's have really dated at all. Sure there are no mobile phones to assist Sarah Conner, and the stop motion photography near the end betrays the films relatively low budget, but all in all its a roller coaster ride that takes some beating.The first hour is relentless action with a high degree of tension as well. If by chance you've never seen it before you are really won't be sure who wants to kill Sarah Conner. Of course if you've seen T2 first you may be even more confused....Schwarzenegger was made for this role, and the idea of him being a cyborg with real flesh is entirely believable. If theres one criticsm of the film its perhaps that they should have dubbed a different voice (a bit like they did with Dave Prowse in Star Wars) when The Terminator speaks.Credit must go to James Cameron the director, who was responsible for so many quality Action/Sci-fi/Horror films in the 80's and early 90's. Sadly Cameron hasn't maintained that standard and since directing Titanic (which itself wasn't that good and was 10 years ago now) hasn't made another as good as The Terminator.

4) Great franchise   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Man... this movie's great. I brought this movie 'cause. I wanted to see from the very start.

5) The sequels only diluted it.   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
The Terminator still remains one of the great Science Fiction B-Films. It has a sexed-up "Outer Limits" plot with a brilliant conception of a futuristic war against self-generating machines. And in the best 1970s Escape From Planet of the Apes tradition...it even takes place in the present day.The Terminator was a breakthrough film that altered the Sci-Fi mainstream. Its nihilism and violence killed off the Star Wars era, and ushered in the second half of the 80s, during which McTiernan/Cameron thrived. But all of this cultural relativism aside, The Terminator is a well-constructed, skillfully shot lower budget film. and the unrelenting pace has a become a textbook for subsequent directors.I think it is unfortunate that there were sequels made. "T2" immediately does away with the Del James-esque poetics of the first film and goes for pure commercialism. It has neither the nihilism nor the urgency of the first, and the science fiction element is simply rehashed, with mediocre results. Terminator 3 does a decent job of continuing with the story, but it too just makes the same point (in a much less subtle way) than this first film, which stands on its own. And the blu-ray looks great.