Great action film limited only by budget constraints. The success of this picture led to T2 which had much better special effects. Arnold was at his peak in this and T2.

Another good experiment in the paradox of time travel. The story is credible and well conducted, the suspense is well balanced and the end is surprising. Evidently, producers left the open door for a sequel. Acting is mediocre, except for Sarah Connors.

I really like the Terminator movies. The first one, of course, had the most impact on me.

Wow, what a great movie! 80's movies make me laugh, and this is no exception, but it's captivating as well as unintentionally funny. A great action sci-fi that almost makes me want to forgive Arnold for being a republican and proud of it. This movie has one of the coolest endings ever.

The original and still best of the trilogy. "I'll be back..."

Before the over-dependence on CGI effects, there were movies like this one. . .a lean, dark film with good action sequences and some memorable lines.

Yes, yes, yes, this was a good outing for Ahnold. The first sequel was pretty fair also. The dread of this machine that couldn't be stopped was gut wrenching when you first watched it.

very good. i can't say if it's better than the second or not.

Still the best of all the Terminators. Yeah the effects look really dated but they are still effective and Arnold is an awesome special effect all by himself. The story moves along better than the other two and unlike in T2 there is no heavy handed message bogging the movie down.

Very good movie. Arnold is perfect as the Termintator. He is fearless and relentless as the time traveling assassin. It is what an Sci-Fi movie should be.

probably my favorite sci fi flick. the special effects dont look bad even 20 years later. arnold was born to play the role of the terminator. pretty tight script, if you of course discount the absurdity of time travel.

The movie quality and action would have been 4 stars. No were near as good as Judgement Day and the quality was very early 1980's! But I still don't like the morality message. See my comments in Judgement Day.

Really a classic, lovely movie that is still good to watch, of course great actors in it too

This movie was definitely revolutionary for its time. It had a very interesting plot mixed in with good action scenes. The main reason this movie is not a five star in this category is because of all the 80's references throghout the movie. Sure, that is how the timeline of the story goes. However, they were unavoidable. You know how people can look at a movie and say, That was made in that time period. That can definitely be said about The Terminator. Also, T2 does have its 90's refernces as well. Yet, they are not as frequent and blatant as the first one. Other than that, Terminator is a good movie to watch.

A fine movie, with good performances all around. Good script, good direction.

I have always loved this movie. It was the stepping stone to stardom for Cameron and Arnold and you could even make a case for Hamilton. An all-time great sci-fi movie.

This movie unquestionably is a classic. It redefined the movie industry, with its awesome special effects (although not like that of T2). This was Arnold's step to stardom. He was perfect as the Terminator. This movie was perfectly cast, and Linda Hamilton was exceptionally good as Sarah Connor. The directing was astounding as was the musical score.

Very cool. The terminaor had a great story and very good action. I`ll be back

Still Arnold's best movie. It's very dark in tone, but it does have some small tongue in cheek moments. Once the story is set into motion, the movie doesn't let up until the very end, and you will be on the edge of your seat!

Far better than the second installment.

I do love this film. The only problem I have is the script. No doubt Cameron put his hand in it big time. I really do think he should stick to teh producing and directing. To me Terminator is more a love story than anything else. The main storyline is to keep Sarah Conner alive so she conceives her son John who will help mankind to beat the Cybertech computer system. Reece gets sent back by John Conner, John knows that Reece is his dad and has to be sent back (I know, it gets complicated) Arnie was originally meant to play the part of Reece, but both himself and Cameron thought he'd be better as the Terminator. The SFX are very good considering when it was done.

Camerons first foray into major filmmaking is a triumph showing technical virtuosity and great skill with his limited budget. Allowing the story to be the main driving force, bringing three unknown actors a real chance with Arnold being the real star in this pounding, action thriller.

One of the best movies of all time. The scene where the terminator is in a bathroom cutting his eye is pretty bad, but that is the only thing I dislike about this great film. If you don't like roller coaster rides and great one-liners, stay clear of this one.

The Terminator is an OK 1984 sci-fi film starring Linda Hamilton and Arnold Scwartzengger. Arnold plays a killer cyborg who is after a waitress, played by Linda Hamilton. I could have gone without the blood and guts, and the scripts needed some work, but the rest was OK.

A classic! Although obviously not as visually impressive as its sequel (its not bad, though!) 'Terminator' has a dark and menacing atmosphere that 'T2' just cannot replicate. This propelled Arnie into super-stardom and he is a force of nature in this movie - perfectly cast. Linda Hamilton & Mike Beihn are also great (Beihn does seem to die in a lot of his films, though) and you really feel for them all the way as their attempts to escape the terminator become more desperate. A very tense, very gripping action/sci-fi movie helped by a good soundtrack that interweaves the action sequences seamlessly. Brilliantly directed, and definitely a milestone of the genre.

Cameron's first masterpiece, proved that he was a likely contender with already-appreciated directors like Spielberg or Scorsese. The man made Arnold the star that he is. And, made several more unforgettable classics along side the superstar. Why-o-why can't Cameron and Arnold get together to do True Lies 2? I know that Terminator 3 can't add up to it's predecessors without these two icons of film. Terminator, the original has impressive effects given it's 6 million dollar budget, and for the times in which it was made. They didn't have THE MATRIX EFFECTS yet (sarcastic). But, you people have to realize Cameron revolutionize effects enough so that they could actually make The Matrix. Action, like most of Cameron movies is relentless and intense... as it should be. Comedy, subtle but all also can be sinister. Romance and nudity, as most of these kind of movies should have (which adds to the story instead of dipletes the integrity). This is the model for every action picture since, that I've seen at least.

This movie was great, I can't wait to see Schwartzenegger in the 6th day.

A good original movie. A lot of movies are based from this one. Good special effects for that time. One of the best storylines.

james cameron and arnies big breaks came from this film this was far the best film for effects and whod of thought a everyday storyline would become so great this film struck up fear among millions and the acting was not short of oscar class!!!!!!

For 1984, this was good. I was frightened out of my wits, and I'd already seen the sequel!

A great, great sci-fi movie. How cool was Schwarzenegger as the unstoppable killer robot from the future? I remember reading somewhere that Arnold was offered the role of either the hero or the villan in this movie, and, against the advice of his friends and managers, he decided to be the villan. Turns out it was the smartest move he could have made. Schwarzenegger's acting is so terrible that he plays a semi-human robot to perfection.

Ahnold at his best! This movie kicks ass!