The Terminator: A Masterclass in Pacing and Suspense

For my 45th article, I want to talk about how much I absolutely love James Cameron's "The Terminator." I'm not going to be one of those critics who sits around sipping chardonnay while pretending that I don't get a kick out of cheesy 1980s action flicks, because I do. However, neither am I a nostalgia-blinded 20-something YouTuber who makes videos complaining about The Last Jedi seven years after its release while pretending that good movies haven't been made since the year 1990. So The Terminator was something of a bridge between these two worlds for me in the best ways possible. Even though this movie is wildly entertaining, what makes it special to me is that it is also intricately woven together in every way, in terms of its plotting, characters, and atmosphere. It's the complete package, maintaining those super-fun action movie tendencies while also being super precise and well-made from a technical standpoint. It's simultaneously an audience member's fantasy and a critic's playground. I think I can start my review off by stating the obvious: Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese are two very well-written and well-acted characters, and Arnold Schwarzenneger brings an undeniable menace to the titular terminator. However, what truly makes this movie great is its impeccable grasp of plotting, pacing, and suspense, as well as the ways it blends all of these aspects together so that they complement each other and, by extension, the characters involved, rather than competing for screen time. Now, I'm not going to throw out the synopsis I usually do before I get into a review, because this article is going to contain a lot of spoilers. So, if you haven't seen the movie, this is your last chance to bail and go watch it before I dissect this piece of cinematic history. If you're curious, yes, I am putting my obligatory score at the bottom of this article, if you're interested. And yes, it is very high.

Sarah Connor is a member of the human resistance. She just doesn't know it yet. One day, she will give birth to a son, John Connor, who will become the ultimate thorn in the side of Skynet, an artificially intelligent worldwide defense system that will eventually turn on its users and trigger a nuclear holocaust, deeming its creators the very enemy it was designed to destroy. Skynet isn't too happy about John and the guerilla war he's waging against them, so they send a humanoid cyborg assassin, a terminator, back in time to find and kill Sarah before she ever has a chance to conceive and give birth to John, triggering a lethal game of cat-and-mouse in 1980s Los Angeles.

I want to start by saying that this movie's plotting is sincerely some of the best I've ever seen. The Terminator is a simple film and fully aware of that fact, which is a blessing and a half. It's a cat-and-mouse movie, and not an especially long one at that, clocking in at a mere one hour and forty-seven minutes. By keeping the movie shorter and being willing to kill his darlings (filmmaker slang for "cutting out anything not entirely necessary"), director James Cameron molded The Terminator into a sleek, suspenseful, and minimalistic film that got in, did what it needed to do to tell the story it wanted to tell, and got out with zero unnecessary fat attached. Every subsequent event in this movie gradually raises the stakes for Sarah, building on what came before rather than striking it in favor of starting a new plot line or focusing on another aspect of the story. For a good example of this effect, the progression of this movie's stakes could be summed up as this: the normal world > Terminator arrives > Sarah notices that several people that share her name are ending up dead > Sarah encounters the Terminator > the plot thickens when Kyle Reese arrives to protect her. Every single one of these plot points not only raises the stakes, thickens the plot, and intensifies the suspense, but is also cognizant of what came before it, never letting any plot point get dropped or go to waste. As far as the pacing of this movie goes, it's pretty hand-in-hand with the plotting, maintaining an absolutely and ruthlessly methodical stakes-raising mindset and focus throughout the film's duration, not unlike the T-1000's phonebook-killing tendencies. The momentum at which this film works toward it's finale is nearly unmatched and leaves the possibility that Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor may just avoid the Terminator altogether entirely out of the question. Not everyone is going to make it out of this movie alive. Escape is not an option. It's just a question of who lives and who dies. On top of the film's pristine momentum, its minimalistic plotting leaves room for us to focus on Sarah, Kyle, and their budding relationship that may or may not be crucial to the survival of the human race as a whole. The cherry on top of this whole movie, and one thing that helps its atmosphere (which we will discuss in length later on), is the air of mystery that is aided by the film's relative lack of exposition dumps. Cameron doesn't just spell out everything for you immediately. He lets some of your questions burn for a little while before answering them, which is gloriously infuriating and only adds to the overall tension that this film is already working so hard and so delicately to procure.

Aiding the film's impeccable plotting is a very strong core cast of characters as well as some spectacular acting. This movie leans very heavily on Sarah's initial confusion over the dangerous and ominous situation she's been thrown into, successfully involving you in her internal struggle and, as the movie progresses, the duty to mankind itself that has been thrust upon her of all people. The Terminator is ultimately a film about duty and trust, and that duty and trust is the throughline of everything Sarah does in this movie. She's not trying to save human society. She doesn't even know for sure if Kyle is even telling her the truth. And if he is, humanity will be destroyed no matter what she does. All she's trying to do is give humanity a chance. This raises some weighty questions and adds layers to what seems to be, on the surface, a mere 1980s action flick. On top of everything that happens in this movie is one of the key aspects that I believe elevates the original film over even Terminator 2: Judgement Day. That key aspect is an atmosphere that is undeniably pervasive. The Terminator is a moody movie, and it wears some very heavy film noir influences and settings on its sleeve. This atmosphere was unfortunately lacking in the second film, despite and regardless of how well-written it was. This atmosphere was incredibly immersive and lent an undeniable sense of darkness, danger, and believability to the film, something that even some admittedly dated visual effects can't undo.

If you haven't seen this movie, I would consider it a must-watch, with a few caveats that might turn some potential viewers off to the film. This movie contains a little bit of R-rated language, some frequent violence that can be graphic at points, and a couple of sex scenes, one of which contains nudity while the other one only shows the heads of the lovers involved. But if you've got a level head on your shoulders and/or a skip button, I would recommend this film to just about anyone. It's an incredible tale of trust amidst trial and responsibility to future generations, as well as sincerely one of the best movies I've ever seen, and no amount of fanboying it receives will ever strip it of that label.

The Terminator - 10/10

Jeremiah 29:11-14