Released: 1984

Directed By: James Cameron

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton

Budget: $6.5 Million

Gross Revenue: $106,000,000 (approx.)

Awards:

None

Starting off in a post-apocalyptic 2020, machines roam the world in search of humans who have survived the nuclear war. It's the humans vs. Skynet, a super computer defense system built by humans to completely control the US Government’s defense system, before becoming self-aware and attacking the human race. John Connor, the leader of the human resistance in this time, is to be targeted by a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) before he is even born. A cyborg assassin programmed to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), John's mother, the Terminator is ruthless and emotionless.

To counter this move by Skynet, John sends one of his soldiers, whom he knows has an important part in human history, to protect his mother in the past from the murderous machine.

The setting is Los Angeles, 1984, the very same place where the future war will take place. Using only the clothes and weapons he finds in this time, Kyle must not only protect Sarah from the Terminator, but also from the authorities. The two form an emotional - and important - bond, and together they must take on The Terminator, only to live on and fear the future they know is fast approaching.

How it came about

James Cameron originally thought of the Terminator as a small man that would blend in better with society. Because of this, Lance Henriksen, who would eventually go on to play a wise-cracking police officer in the final cut, was initially heavily considered for the role of the machine. O.J. Simpson was also short-listed for the role, however at the time, Cameron didn't think that "such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer". Funny, hey?

Schwarzenegger was first considered for the role of Kyle Reese, and Michael Biehn the role of the Terminator.

Shooting began in Spring, 1983 in Toronto, however it was eventually pushed back to 1984 in LA due to Schwarzenegger having to film Conan the Destroyer.

The Actors

Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator - Originally considered for the role of Kyle Reese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would go on to portray one of the most memorable villains of all time.

Michael Beihn as Kyle Reese - Considered for the role of the Terminator, Beihn eventually was cast as the hero Kyle Reese, the man sent back in time to protect John's mother, Sarah.

Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor - The little-known Hamilton went on to play the part perfectly, earning her a role in the critically acclaimed sequel.

Review

By Gaetano Prestia

Watching The Terminator now isn't quite the experience it was 10 years ago. It's aged terribly, and is nowhere near the ageless quality of its sequel in Terminator 2. Still, The Terminator is a fantastic and thrilling sci-fi, with brilliant acting, a somewhat awesome soundtrack and plenty of memorable scenes. Cameron's direction is perfect, and his uncanny ability to mix emotion, action and horror together would lead the way for some of the best action films of all time throughout the 90s. Arnold Schwarzenegger is absolutely chilling as the Terminator and without a doubt one of his greatest ever performances, while Michael Biehn is strong as our hero Kyle Reese. The story is rock solid and still holds up today. If there's one thing great about The Terminator, is that it's perfectly shot entirely on the run, as Kyle and Sarah move from place to place from the never-say-die machine.

Released: 1991

Directed By: James Cameron

Starring: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

Budget: $102 Million

Gross Revenue: $724,000,000 (approx.)

Awards: Best Cinematography and Film Editing.

* Academy Award : Best Sound

* Academy Award: Visual Effects

* Academy Award: Best Sound Editing

* Nomination: Best Cinematography

* Nomination: Best Film Editing

Set in 1995, T2 introduces us to a young John Connor. In the future, Skynet sends the advanced prototype T-1000 to hunt and kill John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. Connor himself sends a protector back in time, this time hijacking a Terminator and reprogramming it to protect John in the past. Sarah, being held up in a mental institution because of her constant and seemingly psychotic telling of the future, is now totally different to the person we remember in the first story. Her mind has been transformed into that of a soldier, as she prepares herself for the future war.

How it came about

Production began on October, 9, 1990 and went through until April, 1991. Industrial Light and Magic provided most of the film's special effects, while all of the shots at Cyberdyne Systems were shot on location in a Bayside suburb near LA. Surprisingly, only six of the 15 minutes of morphing that the T-1000 did throughout the film were done with special effects. The rest were done by puppetry and other features created by the Stan Winston studio.

The Actors

Arnold Schwarzenegger asT-800 - Reprising his role as the Terminator, Schwarzenegger this time appears as a protector to a young John Connor.

Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor - Having changed significantly since the first movie, Sarah is now a strong (physically and mentally) personality, preparing herself for the future war against the machines.

Edward Furlong as John Connor - In his first ever film, Furlong plays a young John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance in the war against the machines.

Robert Patrick as T-1000 - One of the most horrifying villains of all time, the T-1000 is played perfectly by Patrick as he chases down a young John Connor.

Review

By Stephen Heller

Terminator 2: Judgment Day has more than just action on offer. It delivers a compelling and interesting look at the human condition, albeit lacking from a more serious film, it still delivers a very human and real story, with sections of the film offering more than enough food for thought. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a must see film for everyone.

Released: 2003

Directed By: Jonathon Mostow

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken

Budget: $200 million

Gross Revenue: $580,000,000 (approx.)

Set almost a decade after Terminator 2, John Connor (Nick Stahl) has been living “off the grid” in Los Angeles. Although Judgment Day hasn’t happened, John still lives in fear of the machines and Skynet. With his mother dead, John lives life under a different name, moving from job to job and home to home.

In the future, Skynet is unable to locate John, so it sends back a new model of Terminator, called the T-X (Kristanna Loken), to travel back to 2003 and kill all of John’s lieutenants before they grow on to become part of the Resistance. The Resistance once again sends back a protector for John and his future wife, Kate (Claire Danes), in the form of a T-850 (Schwarzeneggar).

How it came about

Terminator creator James Cameron originally announced T3 sometime in the early 90s, but never wrote a script for it. John Brancato and Michael Ferris would eventually go on to write the script with no involvement from Cameron.

Initially hesitant that Cameron would not be involved, Schwarzenegger eventually joined on to reprise his role as the Terminator. He tried to persude Cameron to produce T3, but ultimately failed. Cameron believed he had already finished telling the story and that he didn’t want to commit to something he no longer had any real passion for.

However, Cameron encouraged Schwarzenegger to do the film, stating that the Terminator brand was just as much Arnold’s as it was his. Arnold would go on to earn $30 Million of the films $200 Million budget, not including the 20% of the profits from the films box office takings.

The film was initially intended to be filmed in Vancouver, however Schwarzenegger put forward $6 Million of his own money to keep the production in Los Angeles. This move is often cited as a stunt to help his chances of becoming Californian Governor, for which he was planning to run for at the time.

The Actors

Arnold Schwarzenegger as T-850 - A slightly upgraded version of his previous model, the T-850 was sent back in time to protect John and his future wife, Kate.

Nick Stahl as John Connor - After Edward Furlong was overlooked to reprise his role as the leader of the Resistance, Stahl joined on to put in a convincing if not decent performance as Connor.

Claire Danes as Katherine Brewster - A vet nurse, Kate is swept up by fate as she is suddenly the target of the T-X and Skynet.

Kristanna Loken as T-X - The female Terminator may have made the Terminator faithful cringe, but Loken did a reasonable job as the main enemy and assassin.

Review

By Gaetano Prestia

Heavily anticipated by the Terminator faithful, T3 lived up to the expectations of being a good action film, but not for being a good Terminator film. It threw out any sense of human emotion right out the window, and totally disregarded the entire “fate” subplot that Cameron made so crucial in the first two films. Some fantastic action sequences and an actual progression into the previously teased future war gave the film some hope, but the terrible dialogue and inconsistent acting from Danes and Stahl couldn’t save this film. A genuine popcorn film that can be entertaining, but as a Terminator film, it totally spat all over the main mythology and meanings that the first two films established.

Released: 2009

Directed By: McG

Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common

Budget: $200 Million

Gross Revenue: $370,000,000 (approx.)

Set in 2018, Terminator Salvation takes places in the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Los Angeles and surrounding cities. Skynet has raged war on the human race and our hero from the previous films, John Connor (Christian Bale), is still trying to work his way up the ranks to lead the human Resistance in the war against the machines.

Connor and his team soon come across a unique individual called Marcus (Sam Worthington), who had donated his body to Cyberdyne Research Systems while on death row shortly before Skynet became self-aware.

Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) meanwhile has been captured by Skynet for research into the T-800, the same Terminator model that Schwarzenegger played in the first two films. Teaming up with Marcus and his band of trustworthy soldiers, Connor infiltrates the Skynet HQ to take down the machines and save his past, present and future.

How it came about

Following the release of Terminator 3 in 2003, T4 quickly went into post-production, only for it to be shelved shortly after. Contractual issues with T3’s stars in Nick Stahl and Claire Danes meant they wouldn’t appear in any new Terminator film, and Arnold’s commitment as Governor of California meant he wouldn’t make an appearance either (personally, at least).

As law suits flew around the place between MGM and Halcyon, Warner Bros. eventually forked out the cash to finance the picture and writing soon got underway. McG was hired as director and big-name Hollywood actor Christian Bale, who had just finished the critical acclaimed The Dark Knight, signed on as John Connor.

The Actors

Christian Bale as John Connor - Knowing his fate, John is trying to work his way up the ranks of the Resistance to lead the human race to survival against Skynet and the machines.

Sam Worthing as Marcus - After donating his body for research to Cyberdyne Systems while on deathrow in 2003, Marcus awakes 15 years later, unaware of what has happened to the world around him.

Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Brewser

Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese

Review

By Gaetano Prestia

Terminator Salvation is a sad entry for the Terminator franchise. I didn’t think it was possible to be worse than the comedy-action film we got with Terminator 3, but Salvation proved me wrong. I put it totally down to the writers, because the story and characters are terribly dull. There’s no wonder why there were multiple rewrites before filming started (and even after filming had began) and even solid performances from Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin and Moon Bloodgood don’t save this emotionless film. If it does one thing well when it comes to the story, it shows off a future war we’ve only ever seen through short flashbacks. On that front, it does a good job of showing that war on a bigger scale. It can only get bigger, but we need more emotion. We need that debate about fate and the value of human life, all of which are lacking in Salvation.

Sources: Wikipedia Box Office Mojo Examiner Web Wombat IMBD MTV NNDB

Article by: MMGN 113Kudos 15/09/2009

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