Prelude (Terminator)

Perhaps one of the most effective moments in the franchise is the opening sequence of the first film, largely due to Cameron’s superb special effects, accomplished with a minimal budget. Cameron’s vision of a post-apocalyptic future leads into a title card, setting up the entire series with a few chilling words. It’s not quite as effective as the voice over in The Road Warrior, but it’s unsettling enough for anyone who can read.

Face-Lift (Terminator)

25 years later, the effects may seem dated, but Arnold’s facelift in Terminator still makes for a great scene. As a child, my parents forbade me to see this movie. But managed to sneak a peek regardless – and sure enough, the scene I happened to walk in on was that of Arnie removing the flesh from his face and taking out his robotic eye. Perhaps my folks were right.

Crane Chase  (Terminator 3)

Critically panned and hated by most Terminator fans, Jonathan Mostow’s T3 still delivers an outrageous, over-the-top car chase involving a crane, a fire engine, a pick-up truck, a half-dozen police cars, and Sunday afternoon traffic. The chase uses up most of the first act and destroys a good chunk of downtown Los Angeles.

Shopping for Ammunition (Terminator)

There is  a rule in the Terminator universe that states you can’t go back in time with any inorganic matter, which explains why future warriors pop up naked. So how else would the Terminator find  some ammunition? The answer is some afternoon shopping at a gun store. Leave it to America to provide  all the weapons one needs to begin a high school massacre, or a city wide killing spree, an about 12oo square feet of floor space. In this memorable scene, Schwarzenegger walks into a gun shop and demands an extensive list of ordnance:  ”The .45 long slide with laser sighting…phased plasma rifle in the 40-watt range….” Things go downhill from there.

“‘I know now why you cry.” (Terminator 2)

Suprisingly, “T2″ has a humanist message. Here’s a sci-fi click that’s anti-technology,  and takes pains to make a statement about the value of human life. This theme is best reflected in its final scene, when Arnold is voluntarily lowered into a pit of molten metal. Following that touching moment, we’re reated to a thematic wrap up through voice over:

“‘The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it, for the first time, with a sense of hope. Because if a machine, a Terminator, can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too.”

Bad to the Bone (Terminator 2)

Some may complain that Terminator 2 simply revisits many of the great moments of the first film, but perhaps audiences would have come away disappointed had it been otherwise. Take the scene at the start of T2, when the Terminator manages to time-warp and land right next door to a biker bar called The Corral. What better way for the nude Terminator to recover some clothes than by starting up a barfight? If not for the extinguishing of the cigar on Armie’s massive pecks, or the reactions of the waitress, it will always be remembered for the simple delivery of the following line:

“I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.”

With George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone” blaring, off rides Arnold with a sawed off shotgun, a Harley, his leather jacket, and some cool shades to match.

Love Story (Terminator)

What separates the first two Terminator from the most recent entries is heart. James Cameron’s 1984 original blends action, science fiction, horror, comedy and just enough of a love story to keep its audience interested. Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor may have only spent one night together, but their love feels more genuine than most romantic comedies. Though chased by the Terminator for the entirety of the film, the two manage to stop twice in the night to rest, and bond. In the first great scene, Kyle informs Sarah of the future, and her son’s legacy.

“This is burned in by laser scan. Some of us were kept alive…to work…loading bodies into dumpsters and incinerators. The disposal units ran night and day. We were that close to going out forever. But there was one man who taught us to fight, to storm the wire of the camps, to smash those metal motherfuckers into junk. He turned it around. He brought us back from the brink. His name is Connor. John Connor. Your son, Sarah, your unborn son.”

Later, Kyle and Sarah hide out at a motel. Kyle turns to Sarah and tells her, ”I came across time for you, Sarah. I love you. I always have.” It’s a pivotal moment in the film, and the lynchpin of the series.

“I’ll be back.” (Terminator)

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice may only be used to speak 15 sentences in The Terminator, yet the line, “I’ll be back,” ranked #95 in Premiere magazine’s “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines.” Reportedly, the original line in the script was “I’ll come back”, but a simple switch of words, coupled with Schwarzenegger’s robotic acting, treated movie audiences to what became one of the most quoted movie lines in history – so much so, that it makes me cringe every time I hear it uttered in another film. That’s not what makes this scene great, however – rather, it’s watching the T-800 crash his car through the police station, eventually massacring a total of 17 police officers.

No Skin Off My Ass (Terminator)

The car chase sequence in the original film was short but sweet, delivering more thrills than any Michael Bay film could ever dream of. The question on viewer’s mind was, “Is there any stopping the Terminator?”. Watching this film when I was a child, I was convinced the Terminator was dead when blowing up along with the oil tanker. Of course, I was wrong. I stood up, ready to head to the kitchen, but to my surprise Arnold arose from the ashes and just kept coming . Skin or no skin, the machine was on a mission. The creepy metal endoskeleton with its red eyes wouldn’t stop for a second.

Pumping Iron (Terminator 2)

There’s a lot of gun-cocking in the Terminator franchise, but one of the scenes that sticks out most is the final battle of Terminator 2, where Sarah Connor pumps a fistful of lead from her shotgun into Robert Patrick’s T-100. Wounded, she’s forced to cock the weapon one handed. Just as the Terminator is about to lose balance and fall into the pit of molten metal, she runs out of ammo.  As Sarah desperately fumbles for a final round, Arnold arises from the factory line, making one final shot to save the day.

Robert Patrick As T2′S Liquid Metal T-1000 (Terminator 2)

Special effects maestro Stan Winston is a genius, helping to create the T-1000 with the inestimable help of ILM. It was groundbreaking F/X work at the time, setting a new standard. T2 cost a reported $100 million, and unlike many action films, you can actually see where the money went. It’s hard to pick the best moment involving Robert Patrick, so to save myself from tearing out all my hair, I will arbitrarily select the chase sequence following the hospital escape.

The Chase (Terminator 2)

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eddie Furlong feature in the best scene from any Terminator film, as they blaze off on a motorcycle, chased at high speed by a semi-truck with Robert Patrick’s T-1000 behind the wheel. Arnold wears the trademark shades and leather jacket, while driving the Harley and firing his shotgun one handed. One of the best action sequences in any film, and one of the best chase sequences ever devised.