I saw The Terminator again last night from way back in 1984 when all things felt Orwellian.
Personally I think its a great Sci-fi film, up there with Predator and ALIEN. After all Stan Winston was involved so what's the worst that can happen! Arnie is like Marmite I know. I think he's great and adore all his early stuff.
The music by one Brad Fiedel [born on Long Island and was the erstwhile keyboardist with Hall and Oates] is sublimely futuristic and menacing and I would recognise it anywhere. Very Tubeway Army.
Linda Hamilton is excellent as the legendary Sarah Connor, as is the serious Kyle Reece character played by Michael Beihn [ of ALIENS and the Abyss too]. Traxler and Hal, the two cops, played by Paul Winfield and Lance Henriksen, have a comical relationship, with Traxler stopping Hal before he can tell another one of his stories! Between them they drink coffee and smoke fags like they're going out of fashion. I always wanted to try out Traxler's 'comfortable' couch after hearing him describe it! And who can forget Silberman the shrink, dreaming of the book rights to Reece's' mad story of the future.
As for the future in the film .... was it 2039?, the HK's - Hunter Killers - look like a superb chrome war craft as do the huge machine tanks. I wonder if they ever made it as toys, but then again, its certainly not a kids' film is it, so its surprising there were any toys at all.
I picked up the Terminator board game in the early 1990's at a boot sale, along with a large plastic action figure of Arnie from T2, with half of his chest mangled. I think he spoke. It might have been 18 inches tall that figure and looked great on my toy stall.
I never really saw any smaller action figures but I did see a presentation DVD set [or was it VHS?] in a chrome tin, like a biscuit tin. Come to think of it it may well have been T2 as well and not the first flick. Did anyone get that presentation set? What was in it?
Do you like the Terminator?
