I saw Terminator 2 before I saw this one(probably because I was 4 when it came out) so I’ve always thought that it seemed a bit primitive.
1984
Now, I’m sure in 1984, when Apple released the Macintosh OS, the visuals were awesome so I’m not going to focus on that too much.
The main difference between T1 and T2 is the tone of the movie.
The Terminator is very dark.
It only gets worse from here on
Sarah Connor is the only “fun” part of the movie and we watch her slowly realize her life is over.
Imagine working as a waitress in the 80s and going to clubs with your friends at night.
Then turn on the news to find out there is a serial killer targeting everyone with the same name as you.
And then just when you think you’re dead, you find out that you have a protector, from the future, and you are some key element in the survival of the human race.
THE ARNOLD
Arnold is much stiffer in this role. Whether intentional or not, it shows us that this is an early model Terminator
Skynet has not had to evolve their infiltration units. All they need the human covering for is to blend in visually and they haven’t realized yet that this is not good enough.
Again, it could be the 1980s filming but I find The Terminator to be very gritty. It’s probably due to Michael Biehn’s portrayal of Kyle Reese. We don’t know if he’s had any time to prepare for this time travel journey(we find out more in Terminator Genisys though). We don’t know anything about his life and how hard it was.
But we can tell that his future is not the same as ours.
There is no more luxury, only survival.
“Come with me if you want to live.”
This line becomes a running theme throughout the entire series. Said by probably every character at some point in every movie because the phrase says it all.
It says:
I know things that you don’t know, unbelievable things, and I will explain them to you when we have time. But in this moment, you have to trust me, and do exactly what I say. Because I know how to survive in this situation, and I’m the only who can help you.