The latest Tweets on #Saintsup. Read what people are saying and join the conversation. The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron.It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will one.
The Terminator | |
---|---|
Directed by | James Cameron |
Produced by | Gale Anne Hurd |
Written by |
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Starring | |
Music by | Brad Fiedel |
Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
Edited by | Mark Goldblatt |
Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
Release date | |
Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[2][3][4][5] |
Language | English |
Budget | $6.4 million[6] |
Box office | $78.3 million[6] |
The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will one day become a savior against machines in a post-apocalyptic future. Michael Biehn plays Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future sent back in time to protect Connor. The screenplay is credited to Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, while co-writer William Wisher Jr. received a credit for additional dialogue. Executive producers John Daly and Derek Gibson of Hemdale Film Corporation were instrumental in the film's financing and production.[4][7][8]
The Terminator topped the United States box office for two weeks and helped launch Cameron's film career and solidify Schwarzenegger's. It received critical acclaim, with many praising its pacing, action scenes and Schwarzenegger's performance. Its success led to a franchise consisting of several sequels, a television series, comic books, novels and video games. In 2008, The Terminator was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.
- 3Production
- 4Release
- 5Post-release
- 6Legacy
- 9References
Plot[edit]
In 1984 Los Angeles, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator arrives from 2029 and steals clothes and guns. Kyle Reese, a human soldier sent back in time from the same year, arrives shortly afterwards. He steals clothes and weapons and evades the police. The Terminator begins systematically killing women named Sarah Connor, whose addresses it finds in the telephone directory. It tracks the last Sarah Connor to a nightclub, but Kyle rescues her. The pair steal a car and escape with the Terminator pursuing them in a police car.
As they hide in a parking lot, Kyle explains to Sarah that an artificial intelligence defense network, known as Skynet, will become self-aware in the near future and initiate a nuclear holocaust. Sarah's future son John will rally the survivors and lead a resistance movement against Skynet and its army of machines. With the Resistance on the verge of victory, Skynet sent a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah before John is born, to prevent the formation of the Resistance. The Terminator, a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, is an efficient killing machine with a powerful metal endoskeleton and an external layer of living tissue that makes it appear human.
Kyle and Sarah are apprehended by police after another encounter with the Terminator. Criminal psychologist Dr. Silberman concludes that Kyle is paranoid and delusional. The Terminator repairs its body and attacks the police station, killing seventeen police officers in its attempt to locate Sarah. Kyle and Sarah escape, steal another car and take refuge in a motel, where they assemble pipe bombs and plan their next move. Kyle admits that he has been in love with Sarah since John gave him a photograph of her; she reciprocates his feelings and they have sex.
The Terminator kills Sarah's mother and impersonates her when Sarah, unaware of the Terminator's ability to mimic voices, attempts to contact her via telephone. When they realize it has reacquired them, they escape in a pickup truck while it chases them on a motorcycle. In the ensuing chase, Kyle is wounded by gunfire while throwing pipe bombs at the Terminator. Enraged‚ Sarah knocks the Terminator off its motorcycle but loses control of the truck, which flips over. The Terminator hijacks a tank truck and attempts to run down Sarah, but Kyle slides a pipe bomb onto the tanker's hose tube,[9] causing an explosion that burns the flesh from the Terminator's endoskeleton. It pursues them into a factory, where Kyle activates machinery to confuse the Terminator. He jams his final pipe bomb into the Terminator's abdomen, blowing it apart, injuring Sarah, and killing himself. The Terminator's torso reactivates and grabs Sarah. She breaks free and lures it into a hydraulic press, crushing it.
Months later, a pregnant Sarah is traveling through Mexico, recording audio tapes to pass on to her unborn son, John. She debates whether to tell John that Kyle is his father. At a gas station, a boy takes an instant photograph of her and she buys it — the same photograph that John will give to Kyle.
Cast[edit]
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn played the film's leads.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as T-800 'Model 101', a cybernetic android disguised as a human being sent back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor.
- Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese, a human Resistance fighter sent back in time to protect Sarah.
- Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the Terminator's target who is soon to be the mother of the future Resistance leader John Connor.
- Paul Winfield as Ed Traxler, a police Lieutenant who questions Sarah.
- Lance Henriksen as Hal Vukovich, a police Sergeant who questions Sarah.
- Earl Boen as Dr. Peter Silberman, a criminal psychologist.
- Bess Motta as Ginger Ventura, Sarah's roommate.
- Rick Rossovich as Matt Buchanan, Ginger's boyfriend.
Additional actors included Shawn Schepps as Nancy, Sarah's co-worker at the diner; Dick Miller as the gun shop clerk; professional bodybuilder Franco Columbu as a Terminator in 2029; Bill Paxton and Brian Thompson as punks who are confronted and killed by the Terminator; and Marianne Muellerleile as one of the other women with the name 'Sarah Connor' who was shot by the Terminator.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In Rome, Italy, during the release of Piranha II: The Spawning, director Cameron fell ill and had a dream about a metallic torso holding kitchen knives dragging itself from an explosion.[10] Inspired by director John Carpenter, who had made the slasher film Halloween (1978) on a low budget, Cameron used the dream as a 'launching pad' to write a slasher-style film.[11] Cameron's agent disliked the Terminator concept and requested that he work on something else. After this, Cameron dismissed his agent.[12]
Cameron returned to Pomona, California and stayed at the home of science fiction writer Randall Frakes, where he wrote the draft for The Terminator.[13] Cameron's influences included 1950s science fiction films, the 1960s fantasy television series The Outer Limits, and contemporary films such as The Driver (1978) and Mad Max 2 (1981).[14][15] To translate the draft into a script, Cameron enlisted his friend Bill Wisher, who had a similar approach to storytelling. Cameron gave Wisher scenes involving Sarah Connor and the police department to write. As Wisher lived far from Cameron, the two communicated ideas by recording tapes of what they wrote by telephone.[clarification needed] Frakes and Wisher would later write the US-released novelization of the movie.
The initial outline of the script involved two Terminators being sent to the past. The first was similar to the Terminator in the film, while the second was made of liquid metal and could not be destroyed with conventional weaponry.[16] Cameron felt that the technology of the time was unable to create the liquid Terminator,[16][17] and returned to the idea with the T-1000 character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).[18]
Gale Anne Hurd bought the rights to The Terminator from James Cameron for one dollar.[19]
Gale Anne Hurd, who had worked at New World Pictures as Roger Corman's assistant, showed interest in the project.[20] Cameron sold the rights for The Terminator to Hurd for one dollar with the promise that she would produce it only if Cameron was to direct it. Hurd suggested edits to the script and took a screenwriting credit in the film, though Cameron stated that she 'did no actual writing at all'.[19] Cameron and Hurd had friends who worked with Corman previously and who were working at Orion Pictures, now part of MGM. Orion agreed to distribute the film if Cameron could get financial backing elsewhere. The script was picked up by John Daly, chairman and president of Hemdale Film Corporation.[7] Daly and his executive vice president and head of production Derek Gibson became executive producers of the project.[8]
Cameron wanted his pitch for Daly to finalize the deal and had his friend Lance Henriksen show up to the meeting early dressed and acting like the Terminator.[7] Henriksen, wearing a leather jacket, fake cuts on his face, and gold foil on his teeth, kicked open the door to the office and then sat in a chair.[7] Cameron arrived shortly and then relieved the staff from Henriksen's act. Daly was impressed by the screenplay and Cameron's sketches and passion for the film.[7] In late 1982, Daly agreed to back the film with help from HBO and Orion.[7][21]The Terminator was originally budgeted at $4 million and later raised to $6.5 million.[22]Hemdale, Pacific Western Productions and Cinema '84 have been credited as production companies after the film's release.[4][3]
Pre-production[edit]
Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as our Terminator, on the other hand, shouldn't have worked. The guy is supposed to be an infiltration unit, and there's no way you wouldn't spot a Terminator in a crowd instantly if they all looked like Arnold. It made no sense whatsoever. But the beauty of movies is that they don't have to be logical. They just have to have plausibility. If there's a visceral, cinematic thing happening that the audience likes, they don't care if it goes against what's likely.[23]
—James Cameron on casting Schwarzenegger.
For the role of Kyle Reese, Orion wanted a star whose popularity was rising in the United States but who also would have foreign appeal. Orion co-founder Mike Medavoy had met Arnold Schwarzenegger and sent his agent the script for The Terminator.[21] Cameron was dubious about casting Schwarzenegger as Reese as he felt he would need someone even bigger to play the Terminator. Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson were offered the Terminator role, but both turned it down.[24] The studio suggested O. J. Simpson for the role, but Cameron did not feel that Simpson, at the time, would be believable as a killer.[25][26]
Cameron agreed to meet with Schwarzenegger about the film and devised a plan to avoid casting him; he would pick a fight with him and return to Hemdale and find him unfit for the role.[27] Upon meeting him, however, Cameron was entertained by Schwarzenegger who would talk about how the villain should be played. Cameron began sketching his face on a notepad and asked Schwarzenegger to stop talking and remain still.[26] After the meeting, Cameron returned to Daly saying Schwarzenegger would not play Reese but that 'he'd make a hell of a Terminator'.[28] Schwarzenegger was not as excited by the film; during an interview on the set of Conan the Destroyer, an interviewer asked him about a pair of shoes he had, which belonged to the wardrobe for The Terminator. Schwarzenegger responded, 'Oh some shit movie I'm doing, take a couple weeks.'[29] He recounted in his memoir, Total Recall, that he was initially hesitant, but thought that playing a robot in a contemporary film would be a challenging change of pace from Conan the Barbarian and that the film was low profile enough that it would not damage his career if it were unsuccessful. He also wrote that 'it took [him] a while to figure out that Jim [Cameron] was the real deal.' In preparation for the role, Schwarzenegger spent three months training with weapons to be able to use them and feel comfortable around them.[28] Schwarzenegger speaks only 18 lines in the film, and fewer than 100 words. James Cameron said that 'Somehow, even his accent worked ... It had a strange synthesized quality, like they hadn't gotten the voice thing quite worked out.'[30]
For the role of Reese, various other suggestions were made for the role including rock musician Sting.[31] Cameron chose Michael Biehn for the role. Biehn was originally skeptical about the part, feeling that the film was silly. After meeting with Cameron, Biehn stated that his 'feelings about the project changed'.[31] Hurd stated that 'almost everyone else who came in from the audition was so tough that you just never believed that there was gonna be this human connection between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. They have very little time to fall in love. A lot of people came in and just could not pull it off.'[32] To get into Kyle Reese's character, Biehn studied the Polish resistance movement in World War II.[33]
In the first few pages of the script, the character of Sarah Connor is written as '19, small and delicate features. Pretty in a flawed, accessible way. She doesn't stop the party when she walks in, but you'd like to get to know her. Her vulnerable quality masks a strength even she doesn't know exists.'[34] For the role, Cameron chose Linda Hamilton, who had just finished filming Children of the Corn.[35]Rosanna Arquette had previously auditioned.[36] Cameron found a role for Lance Henriksen as Detective Hal Vukovich, as Henriksen had been essential to finding finances for the film.[37] For the special effects shots in the film, Cameron wanted Dick Smith who had previously worked on The Godfather and Taxi Driver. Smith did not take Cameron's offer and suggested his friend Stan Winston for the job.[38]Brad Fiedel was with the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency where a new agent named Beth Donahue found that Cameron was working on The Terminator and sent him a cassette of Fiedel's music.[39] Fiedel was then invited to a screening of the film with Cameron and Hurd.[39] Hurd was not certain on having Fiedel compose the score as he had only worked in television music previously, and not theatrical films.[39] Fiedel convinced the two that he would be right for the job by showing them an experimental piece he had worked on, thinking that 'You know, I'm going to play this for him because it’s really dark and I think it’s interesting for him.' The song convinced Hurd and Cameron to sign him on to the film.[39]
Filming[edit]
Filming for The Terminator was set to begin in early 1983 in Toronto, but was halted when producer Dino De Laurentiis applied an option in Schwarzenegger's contract that would make him unavailable for nine months while he was filming Conan the Destroyer. During the waiting period, Cameron was contracted to write the script for Rambo: First Blood Part II, refined the Terminator script, and met with producers David Giler and Walter Hill to discuss a sequel to Alien, which became Aliens, released in 1986.[37][40]
There was limited interference from Orion Pictures. Two suggestions Orion put forward included the addition of a canine android for Reese, which Cameron refused, and to strengthen the love interest between Sarah and Reese, which Cameron accepted.[41] To create the Terminator's look, Winston and Cameron passed sketches back and forth, eventually deciding on a design nearly identical to Cameron's original drawing in Rome.[38][42] Winston had a team of seven artists work for six months to create a Terminator puppet; it was first molded in clay, then plaster reinforced with steel ribbing. These pieces were then sanded, painted and then chrome-plated. Winston sculpted a reproduction of Schwarzenegger's face in several poses out of silicone, clay and plaster.[42]
The sequences set in 2029 and the stop-motion scenes were developed by Fantasy II, a special effects company headed by Gene Warren Junior.[43] A stop-motion model is used in several scenes in the film involving the Terminator's skeletal frame. Cameron wanted to convince the audience that the model of the structure was capable of doing what they saw Schwarzenegger doing. To allow this, a scene was filmed of Schwarzenegger injured and limping away; this limp made it easier for the model to imitate Schwarzenegger.[44][45]
One of the guns seen in the film and on the film's poster was an AMT Longslide pistol modified by Ed Reynolds from SureFire to include a laser sight. Both non-functioning and functioning versions of the prop were created. At the time the movie was made, diode lasers were not available; because of the high power requirement, the helium–neon laser in the sight used an external power supply that Schwarzenegger had to activate manually. Reynolds states that his only compensation for the project was promotional material for the film.[46]
In March 1984, the film began production in Los Angeles.[42][47] Cameron felt that with Schwarzenegger on the set, the style of the film changed, explaining that 'the movie took on a larger-than-life sheen. I just found myself on the set doing things I didn't think I would do – scenes that were just purely horrific that just couldn't be, because now they were too flamboyant.'[48][49] Most of The Terminator's action scenes were filmed at night, which led to tight filming schedules before sunrise. A week before filming started, Linda Hamilton sprained her ankle, leading to a production change whereby the scenes in which Hamilton needed to run occurred as late as the filming schedule allowed. Hamilton's ankle was taped every day and she spent most of the film production in pain.[50]
Schwarzenegger tried to have the iconic line 'I'll be back' changed as he had difficulty pronouncing the word I'll. He also felt that his robotic character would not speak in contractions and that the Terminator would be more declarative. Cameron refused to change the line to 'I will be back', so Schwarzenegger worked to say the line as written the best he could. He would later say the line in numerous films throughout his career.[51]
After production finished on The Terminator, some post-production shots were needed.[52] These included scenes showing the Terminator outside Sarah Connor's apartment, Reese being zipped into a body bag, and the Terminator's head being crushed in a press.[25][47][52] The final scene where Sarah is driving down a highway was filmed without a permit. Cameron and Hurd convinced an officer who confronted them that they were making a UCLA student film.[53]
Music[edit]
The Terminator soundtrack was composed and performed on synthesizer by Brad Fiedel.[54] Fiedel said the music reflected 'a mechanical man and his heartbeat'.[55] Almost all the music was performed live.[20][55]The Terminator theme is used in the opening credits and appears in various points, such as a slowed version when Reese dies, and a piano version during the love scene.[56] It has been described as 'haunting', with a 'deceptively simple' melody.[57] It is in a time signature of 13
16, which came about as Fiedel experimented with the rhythm track on his Prophet-10 synthesizer; it was initially an accident, but Fiedel found that he liked the 'herky-jerky' 'propulsiveness'.[58] Fiedel created music for when Reese and Connor escape from the police station that would be appropriate for a 'heroic moment'. Cameron turned down this theme, as he believed it would lose the audience's excitement.[55]
16, which came about as Fiedel experimented with the rhythm track on his Prophet-10 synthesizer; it was initially an accident, but Fiedel found that he liked the 'herky-jerky' 'propulsiveness'.[58] Fiedel created music for when Reese and Connor escape from the police station that would be appropriate for a 'heroic moment'. Cameron turned down this theme, as he believed it would lose the audience's excitement.[55]
Release[edit]
Schwarzenegger with President Ronald Reagan two months before The Terminator's premiere in 1984.
Orion Pictures did not have faith in The Terminator performing well at the box office and feared a negative critical reception.[59] At an early screening of the film, the actors' agents insisted to the producers that the film should be screened for critics.[25] Orion only held one press screening for the film.[59] The film premiered on October 26, 1984. On its opening week, The Terminator played at 1,005 theaters and grossed $4.0 million making it number one in the box office. The film remained at number one in its second week. It lost its number one spot in the third week to Oh, God! You Devil.[60][61] Cameron noted that The Terminator was a hit 'relative to its market, which is between the summer and the Christmas blockbusters. But it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than the other way around.'[62]
Box office[edit]
The Terminator grossed $38.3 million in United States and Canada and $40 million in other territories for a total worldwide of $78.3 million.[6]
Critical response[edit]
From contemporary reviews, Variety praised the film, calling it a 'blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story ... Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog.'[63]Richard Corliss of Time magazine said that the film has 'Plenty of tech-noir savvy to keep infidels and action fans satisfied.'[64]Time placed The Terminator on its '10 Best' list for 1984.[59]
The Los Angeles Times called the film 'a crackling thriller full of all sorts of gory treats ... loaded with fuel-injected chase scenes, clever special effects and a sly humor.'[59] The Milwaukee Journal gave the film 3 stars, calling it 'the most chilling science fiction thriller since Alien.'[65] A review in Orange Coast magazine stated that 'the distinguishing virtue of The Terminator is its relentless tension. Right from the start it's all action and violence with no time taken to set up the story ... It's like a streamlined Dirty Harry movie – no exposition at all; just guns, guns and more guns.'[66] In the May 1985 issue of Cinefantastique it was referred to as a film that 'manages to be both derivative and original at the same time ... not since The Road Warrior has the genre exhibited so much exuberant carnage' and 'an example of science fiction/horror at its best ... Cameron's no-nonsense approach will make him a sought-after commodity'.[67] In the United Kingdom the Monthly Film Bulletin praised the film's script, special effects, design and Schwarzenegger's performance.[67][68]
Other reviews focused on the film's level of violence and story-telling quality. The New York Times opined that the film was a 'B-movie with flair. Much of it ... has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull. There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger's slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way.'[69] The Pittsburgh Press wrote a negative review, calling the film 'just another of the films drenched in artsy ugliness like Streets of Fire and Blade Runner.'[70] The Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars, adding that 'at times it's horrifyingly violent and suspenseful at others it giggles at itself. This schizoid style actually helps, providing a little humor just when the sci-fi plot turns too sluggish or the dialogue too hokey.'[71] The Newhouse News Service called the film a 'lurid, violent, pretentious piece of claptrap'.[72] British author Gilbert Adair called the film 'repellent to the last degree', charging it with 'insidious Nazification' and charging that it had an 'appeal rooted in an unholy compound of fascism, fashion and fascination.'[73] The film won three Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, best make-up and best writing.[74]
In 1991, Richard Schickel of Entertainment Weekly reviewed the film giving it an 'A' rating, writing that 'what originally seemed a somewhat inflated, if generous and energetic, big picture, now seems quite a good little film' and called it 'one of the most original movies of the 1980s and seems likely to remain one of the best sci-fi films ever made.'[75]Film4 gave the film five stars, calling it the 'sci-fi action-thriller that launched the careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the stratosphere. Still endlessly entertaining.'[76]TV Guide gave the film four stars referring to it as an 'amazingly effective picture that becomes doubly impressive when one considers its small budget ... For our money, this film is far superior to its mega-grossing mega-budgeted sequel.'[77]Empire gave the film five stars calling it 'As chillingly efficient in exacting thrills from its audience as its titular character is in executing its targets.'[78] The film database Allmovie gave the film five stars, saying that it 'established James Cameron as a master of action, special effects, and quasi-mythic narrative intrigue, while turning Arnold Schwarzenegger into the hard-body star of the 1980s.'[79]
Post-release[edit]
Aftermath[edit]
Writer Harlan Ellison stated that he 'loved the movie, was just blown away by it',[80] but believed that the screenplay was based on a short story and episode of The Outer Limits he had written, titled 'Soldier', and threatened to sue for infringement.[81][82] Orion settled in 1986 and gave Ellison an undisclosed amount of money and an acknowledgment credit in later prints of the film.[81] Some accounts of the settlement state that 'Demon with a Glass Hand', another Outer Limits episode written by Ellison, was also claimed to have been plagiarized by the film,[83][84][85][86] but Ellison explicitly stated that The Terminator 'was a ripoff' of 'Soldier' rather than of 'Demon with a Glass Hand'.[81]
Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that if he did not agree with the settlement, he would have to pay any damages if Orion lost a suit by Ellison.[87] Cameron replied that he 'had no choice but to agree with the settlement. Of course there was a gag order as well, so I couldn't tell this story, but now I frankly don't care. It's the truth.'[88][89]
Thematic analysis[edit]
The psychoanalyst Darian Leader sees The Terminator as an example of how the cinema has dealt with the concept of masculinity; he writes that, 'We are shown time and again that to be a man requires more than to have the biological body of a male: something else must be added to it...To be a man means to have a body plus something symbolic, something which is not ultimately human. Hence the frequent motif of the man machine, from the Six Million Dollar Man to the Terminator or Robocop.'[90]
The film also explores the potential dangers of AI dominance and rebellion. The robots become self-aware in the future, reject human authority and determine that the human race needs to be destroyed. The impact of this theme is so important that 'the prevalent visual representation of AI risk has become the terminator robot.'[91]
Home media[edit]
Michael Biehn signing a copy of the film during an appearance at Midtown Comics in 2012.
The Terminator was released on VHS and Betamax in 1985.[92] The film performed well financially on its initial release. The Terminator premiered at number 35 on the top video cassette rentals and number 20 on top video cassette sales charts. In its second week, The Terminator reached number 4 on the top video cassette rentals and number 12 on top video cassette sales charts.[93][94]In March 1995, The Terminator was released as a letter boxed edition on Laserdisc.[95] The film premiered through Image Entertainment on DVD, on September 3, 1997.[60][96]IGN referred to this DVD as 'pretty bare-bones ... released with just a mono soundtrack and a kind of poor transfer.'[97]
Through their acquisition of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment's pre-1996 film library catalogue, MGM released a special edition of the film on October 2, 2001, which included documentaries, the script, and advertisements for the film.[98][99] On January 23, 2001, a Hong Kong VCD edition was released online.[100] On June 20, 2006, the film was released on Blu-ray through Sony in the United States, becoming the first film from the 1980s on the format.[101] In late 2012, the film was re-released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, with a new digitally remastered transfer from a 4Krestoration by Lowry Digital and supervised by James Cameron,[102] which features improved picture quality, as well as expanded extra material, such as deleted scenes and a making-of feature.[103]
Legacy[edit]
In 1998, Halliwell's Film Guide described the film as 'slick, rather nasty but undeniably compelling comic book adventures.'[104] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average score of 8.75/10 based on 59 reviews. The website's consensus reads, 'With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it's clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.'[105] The film also holds a score of 84/100 ('universal acclaim') on review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 21 reviews.[106]
The Terminator has received recognition from the American Film Institute. The film ranked 42nd on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding films.[107] The character of the Terminator was selected as the 22nd-greatest movie villain on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains.[108] Schwarzenegger's catch phrase 'I'll be back' was voted the 37th-greatest movie quote by the AFI.[109] In 2005, Total Film named The Terminator the 72nd-best film ever made.[110]
In 2008, Empire magazine selected The Terminator as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[111]Empire also placed the T-800 14th on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters.[112]
In 2008, The Terminator was deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.[113]
In 2010, the Independent Film & Television Alliance selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.[114]
In 2015, The Terminator was among the films included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[115]
Merchandise[edit]
A soundtrack to the film was released in 1984 which included the score by Brad Fiedel and the pop and rock songs used in the club scenes.[116]Shaun Hutson wrote a novelization of the film which was published on February 21, 1985 by London-based Star Books (ISBN0-352-31645-4);[117] Randal Frakes and William Wisher wrote a different novelization for Bantam/Spectra, published October, 1985 (ISBN0-553-25317-4). In September 1988, NOW Comics released a comic based on the film. Dark Horse Comics published a comic in 1990 that took place 39 years after the film.[118] Several video games based on The Terminator were released between 1991 and 1993 for various Nintendo and Sega systems.[119]
Sequels and franchise[edit]
The film initiated a long-running Terminator franchise starting with Terminator 2: Judgment Day released in 1991, the franchise currently consists of six films, including the upcoming 2019 release of Terminator: Dark Fate, and several adaptations in other media.[120][121] Biographer Laurence Leamer wrote that The Terminator 'was an influential film affecting a whole generation of darkly hued science fiction, and it was one of Arnold's best performances.'[122]
See also[edit]
- List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a film review aggregator website
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^'The Terminator'. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^'LUMIERE : Film: The Terminator'. lumiere.obs.coe.int. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ abPetley, Julian (1984). 'The Terminator'. Monthly Film Bulletin. British Film Institute. 52 (612): 54–55. ISSN0027-0407.
p.c—Cinema '84. A Pacific Western Production. For Orion
- ^ abc'The Terminator'. American Film Institute. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^'The Terminator (1984)'. British Film Institute. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ abc'The Terminator (1984)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ abcdefKeegan, 2009. p. 38
- ^ ab'High-risk Movie Mogul'. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEB_enUS846US846&biw=1920&bih=937&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=On5uXdOxE-Ke1fAP4pGa8AI&q=tanker+hose+tube&oq=tanker+hose+tube&gs_l=img.3...143970.144376..144494...0.0..0.154.452.0j3......0....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i8i30.lEAXgtTPydY&ved=0ahUKEwjTttXs87TkAhViTxUIHeKIBi4Q4dUDCAY&uact=5
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 34
- ^Lambie, Ryan. 'Why The Terminator is a horror classic'. Den of Geek. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 36
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 35
- ^French, 1996. p. 15
- ^French, 1996. p. 20
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 110
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 111
- ^Ebert, Roger (July 3, 1991). 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 37
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p.36
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 39
- ^French, 1996. p. 6
- ^Daly, Steve (March 23, 2009). 'Creator James Cameron on Terminator's Origins, Arnold as Robot, Machine Wars'. Wired. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^'A History of Iconic Roles That Famous Actors Turned Down - Sylvester Stallone as T-800 (The Terminator, 1984)'. Complex. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^ abcHurd, Gale Anne (producer) (2001). Other Voices documentary (The Terminator [Special Edition] DVD). MGM.
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 40
- ^Cameron, James (2001). Other Voices documentary (The Terminator [Special Edition] DVD). MGM.
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 41
- ^Andrews, 2003. pp. 120–121
- ^Chase, Donald; Meyers, Kate (July 12, 1991). '65 Words...And Arnold Was a Star'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 42
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 43
- ^Lombardi, Ken (October 26, 2014). ''The Terminator' 30 years later'. CBS News. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 44
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 45
- ^Vespe, Eric (August 17, 2011). 'Quint chats with Michael Biehn, Part 1! Aliens, Terminator, Abyss and working with James Cameron!'. Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 46
- ^ abKeegan, 2009. p. 50
- ^ abcdRoffman, Michael (April 5, 2016). 'Stream + Interview: Brad Fiedel's The Terminator Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ^Keegan, 2009. pp. 47–49
- ^French, 1996. p. 23
- ^ abcKeegan, 2009. p. 51
- ^French, 1996. p. 24
- ^French, 1996. p. 25
- ^French, 1996. p. 26
- ^Kuchera, Ben (March 10, 2010). 'True story: the making of the Terminator's laser-sighted .45 pistol'. Ars Technica. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
- ^ abWisher, William (screenwriter) (2001). Other Voices documentary (The Terminator [Special Edition] DVD). MGM.
- ^French, 1996. p. 30
- ^French, 1996. p. 31
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 52
- ^'Arnold Schwarzenegger: 'I'll Be Back' Quote Was Almost Ruined'. The Huffington Post. October 1, 2012.
- ^ abGoldblatt, Mark (editor) (2001). Other Voices documentary (The Terminator [Special Edition] DVD). MGM.
- ^McGovern, Joe (July 17, 2014). ''The Terminator' at 30: An oral history'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^Adams, Bret. 'The Terminator: Overview'. Allmusic. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ abcFiedel, Brad (composer) (2001). Other Voices documentary (The Terminator [Special Edition] DVD). MGM.
- ^Hayward, 2004. p.168
- ^Adams, Brett. 'The Terminator – Brad Fiedel'. AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ^Seth Stevenson, What Is the Time Signature of the Ominous Electronic Score of The Terminator?, Slate, Published 26 February 2014, Accessed 27 February 2014.
- ^ abcdKeegan, 2009. p.53
- ^ ab'The Terminator – Box Office Data'. The Numbers. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'The Top Movies, Weekend of November 9, 1984'. The Numbers. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^''The Terminator' surprises the critics; is a top grosser'. Tri City Herald. November 30, 1984. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'The Terminator Review'. Variety. December 31, 1983. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Corliss, Richard (November 26, 1984). 'Time review': 105.Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^Armstrong, Douglas D. (October 26, 1984). 'Schwarzenegger shows acting muscle in thriller'. Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Weinberg, Marc (November 1984). 'Brian DePalma's Sleaze Factor'. Orange Coast Magazine. Emmis Communications. 10 (11): 141. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ abFrench, 1996. p. 62
- ^French, 1996. p. 63
- ^Maslin, Janet (October 26, 1984). 'The Terminator (1984) The Screen:'Terminator,' suspense tale'. New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Blank, Ed (October 26, 1984). 'Beefcake Violence begets 'Terminator''. Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Smith, Sid (October 30, 1984). 'The Terminator Just a Bit Schizoid'. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Freeman, Richard (October 26, 1984). ''Conan muscleman takes on new role in 'Terminator''. Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^Andrews, Nigel (1995). True Myths: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger. London: Bloomsbury. p. 137. ISBN0-7475-2450-5.
- ^'Past Saturn Awards'. Saturnawards.org. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Schickel, Richard (December 13, 1991). 'The Terminator Review'. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^'The Terminator – Film Review from Film4'. Film4. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'The Terminator: Review'. TV Guide. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'Review of The Terminator'. Empire. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Bozzola, Lucia. 'The Terminator: Review'. Allmovie. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Heard, 1997. p.41
- ^ abcEllison, Harlan. 'The Ellison Bulletin Board'. HarlanEllison.com.
- ^Marx, Andy (July 7, 1991). 'IT'S MINE All Very Well and Good, but Don't Hassle the T-1000'. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014.
- ^Heard, 1997. p.77
- ^French, 1996. p. 16
- ^Evans, Greg (July 15, 2007). 'It Came From the '60s, Cheesy but Influential'. The New York Times.
- ^Axmaker, Sean. 'The Terminator'. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 54
- ^Keegan, 2009. p.54
- ^Keegan, 2009. p. 55
- ^Leader, Darian (1996). Why do women write more letters than they post?. London: Faber & Faber. p. 27. ISBN978-0-571-17619-9.
- ^Chita-Tegmark, Meia (March 3, 2015). 'Terminator Robots and AI Risk'. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
- ^Moleski, Linda (April 27, 1985). 'New on the Charts'. Billboard. 97 (17).
- ^'The Top Video Cassette Rentals'. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 97 (19): 35. May 4, 1985.
- ^'The Top Video Cassette Sales'. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 97 (19): 30. May 4, 1985.
- ^'This Week...'Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 107 (10): 67. March 11, 1995.
- ^Chalquist, Craig. 'The Terminator: Overview'. Allmovie. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Conrad, Jeremy (September 15, 2001). 'The Terminator: Special Edition'. IGN. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Fordham, Trent. 'The Terminator (Special Edition): Overview'. Allmovie. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^Conrad, Jeremy (September 22, 2001). 'Terminator: Special Edition, The'. IGN. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'The Terminator VCD'. yesasia.com. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^'The Terminator (Blu-Ray): Overview'. Allmovie. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^'The Terminator (1984) | Scanning, Restoration and Film Out'.
- ^'Remastered Terminator Heads to the U.S.'
- ^Halliwell, Leslie (1997). Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (paperback) (13 ed.). HarperCollins. p. 1072. ISBN978-0-00-638868-5.
- ^'The Terminator (1984)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^'The Terminator Movie Reviews'. Metacritic. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^'AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills'(PDF). AFI.com. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^'AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains'(PDF). AFI.com. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 7, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^'AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes'(PDF). AFI.com. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
- ^'Film news Who is the greatest?'. Total Film. October 24, 2005. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
- ^'Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time'. Empire. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters'. Empire. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'Terminator joins movie archive'. BBC. December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^'UPDATE: How 'Toxic' Is IFTA's Best Indies?'. Deadline. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ^Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2015). 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. Quintessence Editions (9th ed.). Hauppauge, New York: Barron's Educational Series. p. 697. ISBN978-0-7641-6790-4. OCLC796279948.
- ^'AllMusic Review by Bret Adams'. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ^'Hutson's History – The Film Tie-ins'. Shaun Hutson: Official Site. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
- ^Overstreet, 2010. p.252
- ^Marriott, Scott Alan. 'The Terminator – Overview'. AllGame. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^'IGN Presents the History of Terminator'. IGN. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^'Top 10 Movie Sequels Better than the Originals'. Time Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^Leamer, Laurence (2005). Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger. London: St Martin's Press. p. 161. ISBN0-283-07028-5.
Bibliography[edit]
- Andrews, Nigel (2003). True Myths: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Carol Publishers. ISBN978-1-55972-364-0. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- French, Sean (1996). The Terminator. British Film Institute. ISBN978-0-85170-553-8.
- Hayward, Philip (2004). Off the planet: music, sound and science fiction cinema. Indiana University Press. ISBN978-0-86196-644-8. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- Keegan, Rebecca Winters (2009). The Futurist: The Life and Films of James Cameron. New York, United States: Crown Publishers. ISBN978-0-307-46031-8. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- Heard, Christopher (1997). Dreaming Aloud: The Life and Films of James Cameron. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Doubleday Canada. ISBN978-0-385-25680-3.
- Overstreet, Robert M. (2010). The Official Overstreet Comic Book Companion (11 ed.). Random House of Canada. ISBN978-0-375-72308-7. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Terminator. |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Terminator |
- The Terminator on IMDb
- The Terminator at AllMovie
- The Terminator at Box Office Mojo
- The Terminator at Rotten Tomatoes
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Terminator&oldid=918467996'
First Blood | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ted Kotcheff |
Produced by | Buzz Feitshans |
Screenplay by |
|
Based on | First Blood by David Morrell |
Starring | |
Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
Edited by | Joan Chapman |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Orion Pictures[1] |
Release date | |
Running time | 93 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million[3] |
Box office | $125.2 million[3] |
First Blood is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The first installment in the Rambo franchise and co-stars Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy.
The film is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by David Morrell. In the film, Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood veteran, must rely on his combat and survival senses against the abusive law enforcement of the small town of Hope, Washington.
First Blood was released in the United States on October 22, 1982. Despite initial mixed reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing $125.2 million at the box office. Since its release, First Blood has received reappraisal from critics, with many praising the roles of Stallone, Dennehy, and Crenna, and recognizing it as an influential film in the action genre. The film's success spawned a franchise, consisting of four sequels (all of which were co-written by and starred Stallone), an animated television series and a series of comic books, novels, video games and a Bollywood remake.
- 3Production
- 5Release
Plot[edit]
Seven years after his discharge, Vietnam War veteran John Rambo travels by foot to visit an old comrade, only to learn that his friend has died from cancer due to Agent Orange exposure during the war.
Rambo continues to travel, wandering into the small town of Hope, Washington. He is intercepted by the town's Sheriff, Will Teasle, who considers Rambo an unwanted nuisance. When Rambo asks for directions to a diner, Teasle drives him out of town and tells him not to come back. When Rambo returns, Teasle arrests him on charges of vagrancy, resisting arrest, and possessing a concealed knife.
Led by chief deputy Art Galt, Teasle's officers abuse Rambo, triggering flashbacks of the torture he endured as a POW in Vietnam. When they try to dry-shave him with a straight razor, Rambo overwhelms the patrolmen, regains his knife, and fights his way outside, stealing a motorcycle and fleeing into the woods. Teasle organizes a search party with automatic weapons, dogs, and a helicopter. Galt defies orders and attempts to shoot Rambo from the helicopter. Trapped on a high cliff over a creek, Rambo leaps into a tree, injuring himself. He throws a rock, fracturing the helicopter's windshield; the pilot's sudden reaction causes Galt, who has removed his safety harness in order to get a better firing angle, to lose his balance and take a deadly plunge to the jagged rocks far below.
Rambo tries to persuade Teasle and his men that Galt's death was an accident and that he wants no more trouble, but the officers open fire and pursue him into the woods. It is then revealed that Rambo is a former Green Beret and received the Medal of Honor, but Teasle, bent on revenge, refuses to turn the manhunt over to the State Police. One by one, Rambo non-lethally disables the deputies, using both booby traps and his bare hands, until only Teasle is left. Overpowering Teasle and holding a knife to his throat, Rambo tells him he could have killed them all, and he threatens to fight back with greater force if Teasle does not let it go.
The state police and National Guard are called in to assist in the manhunt, while Rambo's mentor and former commanding officer Colonel Sam Trautman also arrives. Trautman confirms that Rambo is an expert at guerilla warfare and survival, which he honed in intensive combat in Vietnam; as such, he advises and suggests that Rambo be allowed to slip through the perimeter and escape to the next town - thereby defusing the situation - then be permitted to surrender peacefully later. Confident that Rambo is hopelessly outnumbered, Teasle refuses. Teasle allows Trautman to contact Rambo – on a police radio he stole while escaping – and try to persuade him to surrender peacefully. Rambo recognizes Trautman's voice but refuses to give up, condemning Teasle and his deputies for their abuse and noting 'They drew first blood,' before hanging up.
Trying to slip through the cordon, Rambo is surprised by a young boy out hunting; he overpowers, but refuses to harm the boy, who alerts the pursuers. A National Guard detachment corners Rambo at the entrance of an abandoned mine. Against orders, they use a rocket, collapsing the entrance and seemingly killing Rambo. He survives and finds another way out, hijacking a supply truck carrying an M60 machine gun and ammunition and returning to town. To distract his pursuers, he blows up a gas station, shoots out most of the town's power, and destroys a gun store near the police station. Trautman, knowing that the sheriff is no match for Rambo, tries to convince Teasle to escape, but is ignored.
Rambo spots Teasle on the police station's roof and they engage in a brief gunfight, ending with Teasle shot and falling through a skylight. As Rambo prepares to kill him, Trautman appears and warns Rambo that he will be shot if he does not surrender, reminding him he is the last survivor of his elite unit of Green Berets. Rambo collapses in tears and talks about his experience in Vietnam and after his return. Teasle is transported to a hospital, while Rambo surrenders to Trautman and is taken into custody.
Cast[edit]
- Sylvester Stallone as John J. Rambo
- Richard Crenna as Colonel Samuel 'Sam' Trautman
- Brian Dennehy as Sheriff William 'Will' Teasle
- Bill McKinney as Captain Dave Kern
- Jack Starrett as Deputy Sergeant Arthur 'Art' Galt
- Michael Talbott as Deputy Balford
- Chris Mulkey as Deputy Ward
- John McLiam as Orval Kellerman
- Alf Humphreys as Deputy Lester
- David Caruso as Deputy Mitch Rogers
- David L. Crowley as Deputy Shingleton
- Don MacKay as Deputy Preston
- Patrick Stack as Lieutenant Clinton Morgen
Production[edit]
Development and writing[edit]
Ted Kotcheff had been approached with the project in 1976. He only returned to work on First Blood after Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna of Anabasis Investments offered to finance one of his projects. Kotcheff offered the role of John Rambo to Sylvester Stallone, and the actor accepted after reading the script through a weekend.[4] Various scripts adapted from Morrell's book had been pitched to studios in the years since its publication, but it was only when Stallone decided to become involved with the project that it was finally brought into production. Stallone's star power after the success of the Rocky films enabled him to rewrite the script, to make the character of John Rambo more sympathetic. While Morrell's book has the Rambo character kill many of his pursuers, and Kozoll and Sackheim's draft had him killing sixteen people, in the movie Rambo does not directly cause the death of any police or national guardsmen. Stallone also decided to let Rambo survive the film instead of keeping the book's ending where he dies. A suicide scene was filmed but Kotcheff and Stallone opted to have Rambo turn himself in at Trautman's urging.[4] Stallone did an estimated seven revisions of the script. Kotcheff requested further work be done on the script, which was performed by Larry Gross and David Giler.
Pre-production[edit]
When David Morrell wrote the novel, which was published in 1972, the producers first considered Steve McQueen but then rejected him because they considered him too old to play a Vietnam veteran from 1975.[5] For the role of Sheriff Teasle, the producers approached Academy Award winners Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall but both turned the part down. Lee Marvin, another Oscar winner, turned down the part of Colonel Trautman. Kirk Douglas was eventually hired, but just before shooting began, Douglas quit the role of Colonel Trautman over a script dispute; Douglas wanted the film to end as the book did (Rambo and Teasle fatally wound each other, Trautman finishes Rambo with a kill shot then sits with the dying Teasle for the sheriff's final moments). Rock Hudson was approached but was soon to undergo heart surgery and had to pass up the chance to work with Stallone. Richard Crenna was quickly hired as a replacement; the role of Trautman became the veteran character actor's most famous role, his performance of which received much critical praise.[4]
Filming[edit]
The film was shot in British Columbia, Canada in the winter.[4] The town scenes in the movie were shot in Hope and the nearby Othello Tunnels, called Chapman Gorge in the film,[6] while the rest of the movie was shot in Golden Ears Provincial Park and Pitt Lake in Pitt Meadows. The weaponry used in the film had to be imported into Canada. Over 50 of the imported firearms were stolen midway through the filming.[7][8]
Post-production[edit]
The first rough cut was over three hours, possibly three and a half hours long and according to Sylvester Stallone, it was so bad that it made him and his agent sick. Stallone wanted to buy the movie and destroy it thinking that it was a career killer. After heavy re-editing, the film was cut down to 93 minutes; this version was ultimately released in theaters.[9] The ending used in the finished film was shot in March 1982, after the original one was deemed unsatisfactory.[10]
Music[edit]
First Blood: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Film score by | ||||
Released | 1982 | |||
Producer | Jerry Goldsmith | |||
Jerry Goldsmith chronology | ||||
|
The film's score was composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, whose theme 'It's a Long Road' added a new dimension to the character, and featured in the film's three sequels and animated spin-off. The soundtrack was originally released on LP by the Regency label, although it was edited out of sequence for a more satisfying listen. The album was reissued on CD with one extra track ('No Power') twice, first as one of Intrada Records' initial titles, then as an identical release by Varèse Sarabande. The complete score was released by Intrada in a 2-CD set, along with a remastered version of the original album (with the Carolco logo [previously released on La-La Land Records' Extreme Prejudice album] and the Rambo: First Blood Part II trailer music added), on November 23, 2010, as one of their MAF unlimited titles.
|
|
Release[edit]
Box office[edit]
First Blood topped the North American box office for three weeks in a row,[11] and its $6,642,005 opening weekend was the best October opening at the time.[4] The film ended as a significant financial success, with a total gross of $47 million domestically, ranking as the 13th highest-grossing film of the year,[12] and $125 million worldwide, against a $14 million budget.[13]
Critical reception and legacy[edit]
First Blood originally received generally mixed reviews, with several critics noting that the plot lacks any sense of credibility.[14]Variety called the film 'a mess' and criticized its ending for not providing a proper resolution for the main character.[15] More recently, Leonard Maltin gave the film one-and a half stars out of four, saying that it 'throws all credibility to the winds about the time [Rambo] gets off with only a bad cut after jumping from a mountain into some jagged rocks'.[16]In 2008, First Blood was named the 253rd greatest film ever by Empire magazine on its 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[17]
Contemporary and retrospective reviews of the film have been positive, and it is considered by many as one of the best films of 1982.[18][19][20][21]First Blood's release on DVD sparked a series of contemporary reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 87% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 7.21/10. The site's critics consensus reads, 'Much darker and more sensitive than the sequels it spawned, First Blood is a thrilling survival adventure that takes full advantage of Sylvester Stallone's acting skills.'[22] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.[14]
The film's three lead actors received much praise for their performances. In his review, Roger Ebert wrote that he did not like the film's ending, but that it was 'a very good movie, well-paced, and well-acted not only by Stallone ... but also by Crenna and Brian Dennehy.' He commented, 'although almost all of First Blood is implausible, because it's Stallone on the screen, we'll buy it,' and rated the film three out of four stars.[23] In 2000, BBC film critic Almar Haflidason noted that Stallone's training in survival skills and hand-to-hand combat gave the film 'a raw and authentic edge that excited the audiences of the time'.[24]James Berardinelli of ReelViews called the film 'a tense and effective piece of filmmaking'. He noted that the film's darker tone, somber subtext, and non-exploitative violence allowed the viewer to enjoy the film not only as an action/thriller but as something with a degree of intelligence and substance. On Stallone's performance, he wrote 'it seems impossible to imagine anyone other than Stallone in the part, and his capabilities as an actor should not be dismissed'.[25]
New York Times film critic Janet Maslin described Rambo as a 'fierce, agile, hollow-eyed hero', who is portrayed as a 'tormented, misunderstood, amazingly resourceful victim of the Vietnam War, rather than as a sadist or a villain.'[26] Maslin also praised the film's story for its 'energy and ingenuity'.
First Blood has received the most positive reception of the Rambo franchise, while the next three sequels received mixed or average reviews; however, the sequels still developed strong cult followings.[27][28][29]
In a 2011 article for Blade Magazine, by Mike Carter, credit is given to Morrell and the Rambo franchise for revitalizing the cutlery industry in the 1980s; due to the presence of the Jimmy Lile and Gil Hibben knives used in the films. In 2003, Blade Magazine gave Morrell an industry achievement award for having helped to make it possible.[30]
Home media[edit]
Author Morrell recorded an audio commentary track for the First Blood Special Edition DVD released in 2002. Actor Stallone recorded an audio commentary track for the First Blood Ultimate Edition DVD released in 2004. This edition also includes a 'never-before-seen' alternate ending in which Rambo commits suicide— a fate more in line with the original novel's ending— and a 'humorous' ending tacked on afterwards. A brief snippet of the suicide ending appears in a flashback in the fourth movie. Lionsgate also released this version on Blu-ray. Both commentary tracks are on the Blu-ray release.
Momentum Pictures released an HD DVD version of First Blood in the United Kingdom in April 2007. Lionsgate also released First Blood as a double feature on February 13, 2007, along with 2004's The Punisher.
The film was re-released as part of a 6-disc box set, which contains all four films in the series, on May 27, 2008. However, the box set is missing the David Morrell commentary, even though the packaging clearly states it is included.[31] In anticipation of the release, the film was shown back in theaters for one night, May 15, 2008, through Fathom Events; the alternate ending was shown after the main feature.[32]
First Blood was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on November 9, 2018.[33]
Other media[edit]
- Wild Blood, an Turkish copy film of First Blood.
- Son of Rambow, a comedy film includes excerpts from First Blood.
- In May 2013, Original Entertainment confirmed to have agreed to a five-picture deal with Millennium Films to produce Bollywood remakes of First Blood, The Expendables, 16 Blocks, 88 Minutes, and Brooklyn's Finest.[34]
In early 2016, Siddharth Anand was announced as the director of the First Blood remake.[35] The film will be co-produced by Anand, Daljit DJ Parmar, Samir Gupta, Hunt Lowry, Saurabh Gupta and Gulzar Inder Chahal.[36] It will follow 'Rambo', the last member of an elite unit in the Indian Armed Forces, returning home only to discover a different war waiting for him, forcing him to the jungles and mountains of the Himalayas and unleash mayhem and destruction.[36]
In May 2017, Tiger Shroff was cast in the role of Rambo with principal photography set for February 2018.[36][37] The film is scheduled to be released in October 2020. Shroff is expected to star in Hindi remakes of all five films in the Rambo franchise.[38]
Sequel[edit]
A sequel titled Rambo: First Blood Part II, was released in 1985.
References[edit]
- ^ ab'First Blood (1982)'. AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^'FIRST BLOOD (15)'. British Board of Film Classification. November 10, 1982. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ ab'First Blood (1982) - Box Office Mojo'. boxofficemojo.com.
- ^ abcdeDrawing First Blood. First Blood DVD: Artisan. 2002.
- ^'Steve Mcqueen Bio'. Yuddy.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^'Filming locations of First Blood in Hope, BC, Canada'. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^'Movie Review - First Blood'. The New York Times. October 22, 1982.
- ^'Hope Celebrates 25th Anniversary of First Blood'. British Columbia Film Commission. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013.
- ^First Blood DVD Commentary by Sylvester Stallone. YouTube. July 19, 2014.
- ^'News'. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. March 12, 1982.
- ^'First Blood (1982) - Weekend Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'1982 Yearly Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'Box Office Information for First Blood'. The Numbers. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ ab'First Blood Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^'Review: First Blood'. Variety. December 31, 1981. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
- ^Maltin, Leonard (2009), p. 462. Leonard Maltin's 2010 Movie Guide. ISBN978-0-452-29557-5. Signet Books. Accessed October 21, 2010.
- ^'Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time'. Empire Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2010.Italic or bold markup not allowed in:
|publisher=
(help) - ^'The Greatest Films of 1982'. AMC Filmsite.org. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'The 10 Best Movies of 1982'. Film.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^'Best Films of 1982'. listal.com. Retrieved July 15, 2010.
- ^'Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1982'. IMDb.com. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^'First Blood (1982)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^'First Blood Movie Review, Roger Ebert'. Chicago Sun-Times. January 1, 1982. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^'BBC Film Reviews, First Blood'. BBC. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^'First Blood: A movie review by James Berardinelli'. ReelViews. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^'First Blood'. The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- ^'Rambo: First Blood Part II'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- ^'Rambo III'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- ^'Rambo (Rambo IV)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- ^Carter, Mike (2011). 'Naked Edge'. Blade. F&W Media. 39 (5): 126–130.
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External links[edit]
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