# I watched The Terminator last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486 "2010-05-23T18:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/41 "2010-05-24T00:45:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Except for the stop-motion animated skeleton at the end. I think they would have been better off with an animatronic for that, too, with either marionette strings that they then edited out, or a cantilevered arm supporting it hidden behind the figure. Definitely disagree – we saw little enough of Ernie Farina’s work in other films. As a big fan of stop-motion, i loved these scenes. my personal opinion is that Teminator 1 is far and away the best. It’s filled with lots of hidden dark humor and lots of things that fit together well. It also avoided the whole “machine conquered by the power of love” crap that infects too many otherwise good pieces of SF (including, to some degree, T2). And I _hated_ T3. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/42 "2010-05-24T00:50:39Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Are you kidding me? I love Sarah Conner in T2. A badass female character who doesn’t absolutely have to have a romance. I mean, when she’s all dressed up in commando gear and shit? She looks fucking awesome. Buffed up definitely trumped soft and wimpy from T1. It was a natural progression from a creampuff who had the living shit scared out of her to a tough broad who took no shit and gave no quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/43 "2010-05-24T01:40:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just skip over T2 and go straight to the third one. Terminator 3 is what Terminator 2 should have been. > > Although I seem to be in the minority with this opinion. Holy screaming fuck. Throw this man away. This may be the only person on the face of the planet that holds this opinion. I’m flabbergasted. I can’t imagine anyone ever saying that, even in jest. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/44 "2010-05-24T01:43:01Z")
I just thought of this: I saw _The Terminator_ in the theatre when it came out. A couple of people in an adjacent row didn’t figure out the origin of John Connor until it was stated in the tape recording. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/45 "2010-05-24T01:47:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just skip over T2 and go straight to the third one. Terminator 3 is what Terminator 2 should have been. > > Although I seem to be in the minority with this opinion. Seriously? Inflato-tits over Ahnold? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/46 "2010-05-24T02:26:52Z")
My favorite fanwank is that the machines finally managed to dig an old parking ticket out of the rubble of what had once been City Hall, and that was the sole surviving record of Sarah Connor’s whereabouts at a particular point in time. There should have been a scene of Sarah getting the ticket and then flash forward to the future where the tattered remnents of that ticket are found. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/47 "2010-05-24T02:41:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just skip over T2 and go straight to the third one. Terminator 3 is what Terminator 2 should have been. > > Although I seem to be in the minority with this opinion. In the minority, as in you are the only one? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/48 "2010-05-24T02:47:17Z")
I can imagine a remastered version of T1 to clean up the now-seems-cheesy effects, but I don’t personally feel it necessary. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/49 "2010-05-24T02:48:22Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I can imagine a remastered version of T1 to clean up the now-seems-cheesy effects, but I don’t personally feel it necessary. They might replace Arnold’s gun with a walkie talkie. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/50 "2010-05-24T03:50:14Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I could tell when the Terminator was stop motion and it was still scary it was a cool effect not cheesy Yeah, I totally agree with you. That scene freaked me out… And how great is it when Sarah slams her hand down on the Big Red Button? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/51 "2010-05-24T05:25:08Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > I’m curious..if he had shot the little kid also, would it bother you , or since it is just a movie, is it ok to kill innocent women AND children? Um, did you miss how skynet was on a genocidal mission to pretty much wipe out all humans? I consider T2 on the short list of sequels that surpass the original, T3, not so much but still fun. I thought they overshot the mark with Sarah in T2 though ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/52 "2010-05-24T06:56:08Z")
I re-watched _The Terminator_ recently, and it’s held up remarkably well, i think. A young Bill Paxton plays the leader of the punks near the beginning of the film. Paxton has the distinction of being the only actor to be killed by a Terminator, an Alien, and a Predator. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/53 "2010-05-24T07:07:33Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > \ so Arnold looks in a phone book and goes to a house, rings the bell and shoots some poor innocent woman to death WHILE HER CHILD IS WATCHING because she might be the woman he is looking for? > > I have hated that egotistical untalented asshole Arnold ever since I saw that disgusting \ It’s probably a lost cause, but might I get you to consider that scene had PRECISELY the impact they were going for? It was a cold, horrific act that clearly affected you. This was a machine that had no moral limitations, and was near-unstoppable with current technology. I understand some scenes being difficult to watch, and if you’d prefer to not see it again, or even if you’d prefer that you had never seen it in the first place, but any anger and resentment against the actor is, well, misplaced. Instead, understand that it’s an effectively crafted and performed scene. See Chronos’ explanation as to why they didn’t know which Sarah Conner to kill. This, incidentally, is quite clearly explained in the movie itself, makes perfect sense, and I’ve never heard of another individual having an issue with it. I think that, perhaps, the real issue here is that this sort of movie is not your cup of tea. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/54 "2010-05-24T17:37:26Z")
To explain further my distaste for T2: It felt to me like they were trying too hard to showcase their fancy new computer-driven special effects. It’s like instead of deciding what the robot would be like and what it would do, and then figuring out how to do the special effects to show that, they figured out some cool FX scenes they could create, and then decided what the movie should be to highlight those effects. This was made even worse by how quickly the technology became dated: At the time the previews for the movie came out, we’d never seen anything like it, but by the time I actually saw it, we were seeing that kind of morphing regularly on a weekly TV show. So they were hanging everything on the impressive special effects, that were no longer impressive. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/55 "2010-05-24T17:48:31Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > … rings the bell and shoots some poor innocent woman to death WHILE HER CHILD IS WATCHING because she might be the woman he is looking for? > > I have hated that egotistical untalented asshole Arnold ever since I saw that disgusting scene and … this is why the movie is rated R you know, there should have been someone beside you to explain how it’s all a performance. it’s not real. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/56 "2010-05-24T17:50:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The film was made on a tiny budget, even for 1984, and once you see Terminator 2, I think you’ll see what a bigger budget allows. Both of these films are excellent. And I’d also recommend Aliens as well, as it’s another excellent SF film by James Cameron. I was surprised that the same actress played Vasquez in Aliens and also John’s stepmom in T2. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/57 "2010-05-24T17:56:43Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > I’m curious..if he had shot the little kid also, would it bother you , or since it is just a movie, is it ok to kill innocent women AND children? Henry Fonda shot a kid at point blank range in Once Upon a Time in the West. Sleezy scumbag Henry Fonda! ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/58 "2010-05-24T18:14:49Z")
> [@koufax](#): > > Correct me if I am wrong, but is this the one where they have the technology to send a human back from the future, but they couldn’t go thru public records beforehand (where I am sure their computers were far more advanced to what we even have today) and find the correct mother of the bad guy This might shed some light on your confusion: it’s the mother of the GOOD guy Arnold is trying to kill. Arnold is the BAD guy in T1. What he does here is _supposed to be_ systematic, mechanistic and horrifying. Oh, and as has been pointed out, the bad guy and his side want to kill _every human being on earth_, by the way. > [@koufax](#): > > so Arnold looks in a phone book and goes to a house, rings the bell and shoots some poor innocent woman to death WHILE HER CHILD IS WATCHING because she might be the woman he is looking for? > > I have hated that egotistical untalented asshole Arnold ever since I saw that disgusting scene Forget Arnold. You really need to concentrate on hating Ralph Fiennes. How’s this for a list of doing unspeakable deeds on film: Amon Goeth in charge of Auschwitz in _Schindler’s List_ Lord Voldemort in the _Harry Potter_ series Pharaoh Ramesses II in _Prince of Egypt_ Serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in _Red Dragon_ The god Hades in _Clash of the Titans_ Considering Arnold came back as a good guy in the second and third terminator movies, Fiennes’ record of evildoing completely blows his away. Have fun hating! ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/59 "2010-05-24T18:16:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So they were hanging everything on the impressive special effects, that were no longer impressive. I’m _still_ impressed, frankly, and I don’t understand your objection. The T-1000 does some pretty cool stuff (I still get a chuckle at the instant-turnaround scene after Arnold face-slams Patrick into a boiler). I have to admit, I didn’t even notice the four-hands bit during the helicopter chase, but once I found out about it, I thought it was hilarious and perfectly logical. Of course, I still think the Genesis demo from _Wrath of Khan_ is pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486/60 "2010-05-24T18:36:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To explain further my distaste for T2: It felt to me like they were trying too hard to showcase their fancy new computer-driven special effects. It’s like instead of deciding what the robot would be like and what it would do, and then figuring out how to do the special effects to show that, they figured out some cool FX scenes they could create, and then decided what the movie should be to highlight those effects. This was made even worse by how quickly the technology became dated: At the time the previews for the movie came out, we’d never seen anything like it, but by the time I actually saw it, we were seeing that kind of morphing regularly on a weekly TV show. So they were hanging everything on the impressive special effects, that were no longer impressive. That may be the case, but I still think that they were able to use that new sfx technology in a way that added to the plot. The new Terminator uses his shapeshifting abilities in some very innovative and creative ways. The “morph” effect isn’t just a gimmick, it’s integrated very tightly into the plot. Contrast with _The Matrix_. The whole, “pause, rotate, unpause” thing that first showed up there looked really cool, but it didn’t really mean anything. It doesn’t add anything to the story, reveal anything about the characters, or advance the plot. It’s pure gimmick, and could be removed from the movie entirely without changing it in any fundamental way. Take out the morphing sfx from Terminator 2, and you have to completely rewrite the movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-watched-the-terminator-last-night/540486.md?page=4)