This year, this great cinema classic celebrates its 40th anniversary, an opportunity to remember that it left a lasting mark on science fiction and action cinema, and why.
On October 26, 1984, the second film by a Canadian director who was still completely unknown although he had shot Piranha 2 – The Flying Killers two years earlier was released in the United States: Terminator, directed by James Cameron! A film which is already celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and which has left a lasting mark on the SF genre!
2029. Robots are waging war against humanity. As the fight drags on, the artificial intelligence Skynet sends an almost invincible killer cyborg into the past to assassinate Sarah Connor, before she gives birth to John Connor, who will become the leader of the human resistance. The latter sends a certain Kyle Reese to protect poor Sarah.
Netflix is preparing a Terminator series, and a major studio will be responsible for the animation!
MGM
40 years later, what is it worth?
Watching the film again 40 years after its release, it remains a suspense and a rhythm brought by James Cameron which have not aged a bit! Its pitch is simple and original: the heroine (played by Linda Hamilton) has no awareness of having given birth to a charismatic leader and – like the spectator – has everything to learn about this future of which she obviously knows nothing.
MGM
It is the ideal gateway, and information about John Connor and the future is often mixed into the action, since the Terminator could appear at any moment. A very good idea since as the tension is permanent, the exposition scenes disappear: “those who know” must get to the point!
He influenced the action/SF cinema of the 80s and 90s
Left in 1985 with the Grand Prix of the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, awarded by its president Robert De Niro, Cameron’s feature film was released in theaters on April 24, 1985 and attracted 3 million curious people to discover Arnold Schwarzenegger as a relentless robotic killer .
MGM
The film’s influence was such that some of its lines like “I’ll be back” / “I’ll Be Back” have almost entered everyday language and its murderous stalking scenes, preceded by a question from the Terminator: “Sarah Connor?” have been parodied for decades.
Many sequels will see the light of day under the direction of director or producer of James Cameron, but also many films wanting to ride on this sci-fi success, such as Future Cop (1984), Decapitron, Atomic Cyborg, Annihilator (1986), RoboCop (1987). ), Ganheddo (1989) and Space Killer (1990).