To start with let me just say I adore the ever loving living s*** out of this movie. Why you may ask? Not ONLY is it a classic and vastly inspirational science fiction, horror film, not only is it paramount viewing for ANYONE wanting to get into practical effects, NOT ONLY does it have an amazing theme song and electronic score by Brad Fidel (who later went on to score another favorite film of mine Fright Night), but, the most important reason to me as to why The Terminator is awesome is, I feel it’s James Cameron’s version of Friday the 13th film.
Now I know that this may be a stretch, BUT HEAR ME OUT, as I’ve stated in a previous article on moviepilot.com (http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/03/07/how-no-country-for-old-men-is-a-modern-take-on-halloween-1266905?lt_source=external,manual#!Ul8xf), I argued that The Coen Brothers movie No Country For Old Men, was their version of Halloween. However, while that may be a stretch to some; I feel that I made a strong argument for my opinion and now here’s another.
I feel that The Terminator, like Jason is an unstoppable killing machine, but unlike Michael Meyers (or what Michael Meyers was supposed to be in the early films) he (like Anton Chigur in No Country For Old Men), is just a human. Where as Jason, on the other hand, evolved from being a human, to a zombie, to a cyborg. That cyborg comparison proves my point, Jason, like The Terminator purely exists to kill. While Michael Meyers represented a certain emptiness, or lack of empathy with man where as Jason, like the Terminator has no link what so ever to his humanity (after his drowning and his mother was killed cemented this completely).
Keep in mind, we’re just talking about the first Terminator here, when “Ahnold”, played the bad ass T800 not that T850 flowers and sunshine father figure crap from Terminator 2 (as well as the first continuity of Friday the 13th pre Jason Goes to Hell because JASON ISN’T IN IT). HOWEVER, the comparisons don’t end with the main character alone. Like the best Halloween movies, the setting and characters are more timeless, representing the fact that the evil of Michael Meyers and evil within humanity is eternal. HOWEVER, much like Friday the 13th the movie, The Terminator is EXTREMELY 80’s cementing it’s self within the decade with it’s soundtrack, neon soaked setting and hair and clothes. I hope that this argument makes sense and has valid points and isn’t too opinionated or scattered. Thank You for reading and enjoy your week.