Terminator and Me

My treasure - a copy of the 35mm film stock of a scene in 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'.

How 'The Terminator' becomes my favorite film of all time.

My first impression of the existence of ‘The Terminator’ film was in 1994, when I was studying Primary 4 in Hong Kong. We had a subject known as ‘General Studies’. When I skimmed through my textbook, at Chapter 7, which I remembered the topic was about Taxation, a picture caught my immediate attention. It was showing a cinema known as ‘Park Theatre’ (in Tin Hau), and the film ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ was showing at that time.

When I first saw a handsome and stone-faced Arnold Schwarzenegger, holding a Winchester-type rifle and riding on a motorcycle, I was literally blown away. At that point I did not know that The Terminator was a robot, and I would guess this cool male character was some sort of an action hero. The inquisitive me of course imagined many storylines and plots for him, and asked many questions. What adventure will he run into? Is he like a Western hero, who will ride with the girl into sunset eventually? Can the shotgun take down as many bad guys as possible? Many of these questions would remain unanswered until a few years later, but this image has left a lasting impression on me. To be honest, this is very successful advertising – as the image becomes imprinted in my mind thereafter. If you want to make a successful poster, be inspired by the one from ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’!

This is the Laser Disc Version of 'The Terminator' I have first watched in 1997.

Then, I watched ‘The Terminator’ on Laserdisc (!!) in 1997 or 1998. I found that I have never been so engaged in watching a movie before, and every single moment in the film has been able to captivate my attention, and my inquisitive mind. This was by far the most wonderful film experience I have ever had in my life, and ‘The Terminator’ easily became my favorite film of all time. I have watched Terminator 1 and Terminator 2 for more than 100 times each! I should also credit ‘The Terminator’ as a catalyst to start my serious interest in cinema. It is then I start to look into many different areas in film theory, and explore various films by Akira Kurosawa and Stanley Kubrick.

My visit to the Terminator ride in Universal Studio Theme Park, Osaka.

The reason why I think ‘Terminator’ is cool is because, while it is popular, it is also an intelligent film. It is like a person who is popular and yet contributes important insights to the peers around. It is capable to strike a balance in both areas, and I always look upon to it as a model. If I can become a film, I want to be something like ‘The Terminator’.

It is also great to learn that, while Terminator has established itself as a cultural icon, and people starts to look closer at the film’s artistic merits. As an action / sci-fi film, Terminator has more substances than most of its counterparts, and the issues it has addressed have found more relevance to the real world than ever. The film has become an almost classic example of POSTMODERNISM, and it is studied in the field of Literary Theory, Cultural Studies and Philosophy. Open a reference book from any of these fields, and don’t be too surprised that this seeming pop-corn film has been cited as an example!  

30 years after this steely robot has emerged from the silver screen, it is fair to state that ‘The Terminator’ has long established itself as a modern classic.

by Ed Law

5/7/2015

Film Analysis - 50