The Terminator at 40: James Cameron’s dark vision is more relevant than ever

When director James Cameron’s The Terminator hit cinemas in 1984, it forever altered the landscape of science fiction.

Released 40 years ago, the plot unfolds against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic future where an artificial intelligence (AI) defence network, Skynet, has turned against humanity. It triggers a nuclear holocaust and creates a dystopian world where machines hunt down the last remnants of human life.

Desperate to avoid defeat by the human resistance, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time. This lifelike android is almost indistinguishable from a person, but superior in strength, agility and intelligence. Its mission – eliminate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the mother of the future human resistance leader. The Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is relentless in its pursuit and a near unstoppable force.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s son, John, sends back a lone warrior, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), from the future to protect his mother. Though human and vulnerable, through his determination and resourcefulness, Sarah is able to defeat the Terminator. In so doing, Reese impregnates Sarah and fathers his son, John, the very man who will send him back in time.

The movie explores themes of fate and free will. It’s underpinned by the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement in the era of the presidency of Ronald Reagan and his strategic defense initiative. “Star wars”, as it was popularly known, was conceived to defend the US from attack from Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles.

I have been teaching The Terminator to students since the early 2000s, initially as part of degrees related to modern US history, and since 2006 as part of the film studies degree programme at Bangor University. This has allowed me to appreciate the film and study it in depth. It has made a deep and lasting impression on me as not only one of the best science fiction films of the 1980s but as one of the best sci-fi films ever made.

Inspiration

James Cameron has said he initially conceived the idea for the film during post-production of the monster horror, Piranha II: The Spawning (1982). He wrote a 45-page treatment, which he intended to direct, with his future wife Gale Anne Hurd as producer. When several studios showed interest, the couple became concerned about losing control of the project. Cameron hired Schwarzenegger for the title role in late April 1983, to ensure their continued involvement.

Filming began in February 1984 on a budget of US$6.5 million (£5.2 million). After 15 weeks of shooting and post production, a rough edit was assembled. It opened on October 26 1984 in 1,012 cinemas across the US. While the critical reviews were mixed, audiences responded enthusiastically, earning the picture more than $9.7 million in its first ten days.

The Terminator was part of a new sub-genre in science fiction known as “tech noir”, taking its name from the nightclub in the movie. It presents technology as a destructive force. Other films of this genre include THX 1138 (1970), Westworld (1973), Logan’s Run (1976), and Blade Runner (1982).

Influenced by the murderous supercomputer HAL-9000 in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Terminator feeds into fears generated by the revolution in computerisation since the 1970s. It is no coincidence that the cyborg’s eyes are red like HAL’s. While reflecting on the implications of technology and manifesting a fascination with hi-tech industry, computer technology, the rise of multinational corporations and genetic engineering, it projected a dystopian, pessimistic view of the future.

Read more: 2001: A Space Odyssey still leaves an indelible mark on our culture 55 years on

Schwarzenegger first appeared on screen as the iconic T-800 at the age of 37. He would go on to the play the machine until age 72. Schwarzenegger’s distinctive bodybuilder’s physique played into the invincibility of the machine. But it also dovetailed with what have been called the “hardbodied” politics of the Reagan era that favoured such tough and hyper-masculine action heroes as Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris.

The Terminator’s innovative storyline, pacing, special effects and music helped to establish James Cameron as a major force in Hollywood. Before it, he had only helmed one movie. Thereafter, he went on to direct some of the biggest blockbusters of the 1980s and 1990s, including Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994) and Avatar (2009).

‘I’ll be back’

The film’s legacy in pop culture is enduring. Cameron’s dark vision of the future created a cultural shock that continues to resonate to this day. “I’ll be back,” remains one of the most iconic one-liners in movie history.

What started as a film has now become a multimedia universe consisting of sequels, a television series, web series, comics, video games, board games, novels and even theme park rides. The franchise is also frequently cited in debates related to multinational corporations, robotics, biopolitics, transhumanism, AI and nuclear apocalypse.

This is because the film’s message on technology and the future is even more relevant today than it was 40 years ago, as Gale Anne Hurd explained earlier this year: “We considered the film to have a cautionary perspective on the future of technology, if we don’t pay attention. Jim and I knew that AI and robotics were going to be developed. There was no question in anybody’s mind and we wanted people to consider the consequences. Once you open Pandora’s box, you can’t put everything back in again.”

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Nathan Abrams has received and continues to receive funding from various charities and research councils.