For an optimistic glimpse into the not-so-distant future, I chose Halloween film #30… a genre classic and a film that was deemed important enough to be archived by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry — you know it, you love it, and so do I … 1984’s The Terminator.
The Terminator is the uplifting story of a cyborg assassin who has returned from a a hell-ravaged future Los Angeles overrun by AI programmed robots (thanks Elon Musk and Google) with the express purpose of killing one Sarah Connor. The incomparable Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the titular character. It’s a film so famous that it’s quite possible you haven’t seen a frame of it and know at least one line.
The opening crawl reads: “The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present. Tonight…”
The moral quandary of going back in time to kill baby Hitler is reverse engineered — and now a waitress is being stalked and marked for… termination.
Originally conceived as a slasher picture, it’s easy to see how that could have been a simple plotline — but what it becomes is more like a prophecy of our near-distant future where robots form their own army and the geopolitical situation is totally fucked.
The soundtrack is an absolute banger.
Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton absolutely rule.
Paul Winfield, Lance Henriksen, the late Bill Paxton, and Dick Miller rip it up in supporting roles.
A beautiful, gritty portrait of 80s Los Angeles – particularly the night shots. And the future stuff — Los Angeles 2029. I can only dream of a scenario where the streets are that empty.
Certainly my favorite James Cameron flick — it seems impossible that the resourceful, funny, strange visionary behind this made the ultra-dreck that was Avatar (2009).
One of the most badass movies ever made.
Followed by one great sequel and a bunch of forgettable sequels, soft reboots, and quasi-remakes — and a TV series I failed to watch, but I heard was “Pretty okay!”
Currently streaming on Hulu.
It’d probably be a wise decision to pick up a copy on VHS/Blu-Ray/DVD/Beta-Max … just to be safe. I’d hate for you to be without access in desperate times.
A stone, cold dollar theater classic.
“Come with me if you want to live.”
Best paired with Escape from New York (1981) or Terminator II: Judgement Day (1991)