The Terminator (1984)

An unmodernized version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Same story, same scenes, same shots, same lines. But genius, for sure.

Movies of the early 80’s were not all close-ups like they are in the 90’s. They used a lot more medium shots and long shots. It’s refreshing. His “feet stepping on stuff” shots are cool. “Tech-Noir”, an interesting name for the nightclub. Looks a lot like Bladerunner. Come to think of it, James Cameron and Ridley Scott are very similar in terms of visual style. The effects are pretty cool, but, in retrospect, kinda cheesy at times. No bass in this movie, something that would really add to the soundtrack and effects. Like most other early 80’s movies, the dialogue is a bit stale.

Schwarzenegger, when working with Cameron, is hilarious. Biehn is great. Cameron adds Henrikson and Paxton to his troupe.

The Heroic Trio is perhaps the most blatant and hilarious rip-off of this movie.