30th anniversary of The Terminator's release

[AkydefGoldberg]

I still remember catching on a VCR but loving it, even at a young age.

Without this film, there wouldn't have been T2, a truly brilliant and entertaining sequel.

[PorkChop]

30 years, jesus.

I like to pretend that the series ends with T2 - it had the perfect ending and T3 was shite. I haven't seen T4, but I don't really have the enthusiasm to either.

[Viazon]

Can people please stop making posts that make me feel old?

Anyway, 30 years? That's insane. I have always preferred T2 though. One of the finest action/sci fi movies ever made.

[Kirbi]

Ah, The Terminator... T2 was great, but the first one was still a solid movie.

And the effects; they're practically adorable now!

[Westcoastvibes]

Can people please stop making posts that make me feel old?

Anyway, 30 years? That's insane. I have always preferred T2 though. One of the finest action/sci fi movies ever made.

No shit, the fact that I was alive when it was released really makes me feel old. Even though I couldn't even talk yet

[VaderBomb]

The first is by far and away the best of the series, and alongside Aliens it is the best that James Cameron has given us.

[PorkChop]

The first is by far and away the best of the series, and alongside Aliens it is the best that James Cameron has given us.

Whaaat.

No way is T1 better than T2.

[Matteo]

It's up there as one of my very favourite science-fiction works. Considering its minimal budget and numerous other resource constraints, it still remains an extremely effective slice of dark and eldritch filmmaking. It seldom - if ever - loses any of its momentum and the sheer artistry Cameron exhibited on what was (essentially) his debut feature continues to impress me. It's one of the best examples I can think of where its budget restriction essentially maximised the creativity of the piece. It has such a sinister undercurrent to it - something that various filmmakers have often tried to emulate but ultimately failed.

The sequel is a blast and one of the finest action films of all time, but it's not as aesthetically impressive as its predecessor, in my opinion. The 'boy-and-his-dog' sensibilities gets a bit tiresome after a while, too, I thought. But that's only a minor quibble, in what is, an accomplished work.

[Everlong]

I haven't seen T4, but I don't really have the enthusiasm to either.

I thought it was pretty decent. Wasn't as good as T1 or T2, but it definitely saved the series after T3. It's a movie that you don't need to go out of your way to see, but you'll likely at least enjoy it if it were to come on TV or something.

T1 and T2 are probably 2 of my favorite action movies of all time. I forgot that T1 had came out so long before T2!

[Daz]

I haven't seen T4, but I don't really have the enthusiasm to either.

I thought it was pretty decent. Wasn't as good as T1 or T2, but it definitely saved the series after T3. It's a movie that you don't need to go out of your way to see, but you'll likely at least enjoy it if it were to come on TV or something.

T1 and T2 are probably 2 of my favorite action movies of all time. I forgot that T1 had came out so long before T2!

We must have watched very different T4's if you think Salvation saved the series. The whole third act makes little to no sense, the ending was a giant cop-out, John Connor was almost entirely worthless throughout the film and Marcus ... don't even get me started. The only redeeming qualities that it had, was two nice nods to the continuity (the GNR song and Kyle Reese learning the trick with the shotgun), and the fact it looked phenomenal. Story wise and character wise, it was just a mess.

The best iteration of the the Terminator franchise in recent years was the Sarah Connor Chronicles and it's so often overlooked.

[AkydefGoldberg]

It's up there as one of my very favourite science-fiction works. Considering its minimal budget and numerous other resource constraints, it still remains an extremely effective slice of dark and eldritch filmmaking. It seldom - if ever - loses any of its momentum and the sheer artistry Cameron exhibited on what was (essentially) his debut feature continues to impress me. It's one of the best examples I can think of where its budget restriction essentially maximised the creativity of the piece. It has such a sinister undercurrent to it - something that various filmmakers have often tried to emulate but ultimately failed.

The sequel is a blast and one of the finest action films of all time, but it's not as aesthetically impressive as its predecessor, in my opinion. The 'boy-and-his-dog' sensibilities gets a bit tiresome after a while, too, I thought. But that's only a minor quibble, in what is, an accomplished work.

Yes, it's amazing to look at the work done to create T1/T2 - namely the use of models to create some of the nuclear scenes and the images of the war at the start of T2.

T3 was shit. A re-hash of T2 with a "unique" baddie in the form of the T-X. Salvation was ok but underwhelming at the same time. It was supposed to be an insight into the future yet the scenes of the future were minimal barring the odd shots here and there.

[VaderBomb]

The first is by far and away the best of the series, and alongside Aliens it is the best that James Cameron has given us.

Whaaat.

No way is T1 better than T2.

Bigger budget, slicker production and a lot more special effects for T2, I'll give you that. But the first is the better film. It's a stand alone movie made with a much smaller budget. It's a total work of passion. The first is also more thrilling and made with a more unique craft. It resembles a horror movie at times, and at others it maintains a certain cyberpunk dreamlike feel. It doesn't feel like a hollywood movie. There aren't any other movies with the same vibe as The Terminator.

The sequel, while a great movie in it's own regard is one of the most hollywood-esque films of all time. It's the definition of a big, slick, explosive sequel. It's a lot of fun but lacks the artistry and depth of the first one. It's still highly original in it's concept but it has more cliches. The first didn't really have any.

[Matteo]

It's up there as one of my very favourite science-fiction works. Considering its minimal budget and numerous other resource constraints, it still remains an extremely effective slice of dark and eldritch filmmaking. It seldom - if ever - loses any of its momentum and the sheer artistry Cameron exhibited on what was (essentially) his debut feature continues to impress me. It's one of the best examples I can think of where its budget restriction essentially maximised the creativity of the piece. It has such a sinister undercurrent to it - something that various filmmakers have often tried to emulate but ultimately failed.

The sequel is a blast and one of the finest action films of all time, but it's not as aesthetically impressive as its predecessor, in my opinion. The 'boy-and-his-dog' sensibilities gets a bit tiresome after a while, too, I thought. But that's only a minor quibble, in what is, an accomplished work.

Yes, it's amazing to look at the work done to create T1/T2 - namely the use of models to create some of the nuclear scenes and the images of the war at the start of T2.

T3 was shit. A re-hash of T2 with a "unique" baddie in the form of the T-X. Salvation was ok but underwhelming at the same time. It was supposed to be an insight into the future yet the scenes of the future were minimal barring the odd shots here and there.

Regardless of what one may have to say about James Cameron, he's one of the most passionate, determined, and brilliant technical directors working in the business today. He's very much revolutionised the industry, especially with his remarkable breakthroughs in Avatar.

It's a shame he doesn't have a proper grasp for screenwriting, though.

[UTK]

I haven't seen T4, but I don't really have the enthusiasm to either.

I thought it was pretty decent. Wasn't as good as T1 or T2, but it definitely saved the series after T3. It's a movie that you don't need to go out of your way to see, but you'll likely at least enjoy it if it were to come on TV or something.

T1 and T2 are probably 2 of my favorite action movies of all time. I forgot that T1 had came out so long before T2!

We must have watched very different T4's if you think Salvation saved the series.

So it didn't live up to its name, eh?

[Westcoastvibes]

I thought salvation was decent, not as good as 1 or 2 but a fucking masterpiece compared to 3.