“It can’t be bargained with, can’t reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and it absolutely will not stop, ever… until you are dead!”

There was a time in the eighties when technology and our fears became one. The Cold War was at its peak, and supercomputers were used to control nuclear defense systems. Mankind had entrusted its fate to machines.

It was during this time that an aspiring filmmaker was recuperating from illness. Bedridden, the young man had a feverish nightmare. Waking with a fright and drenched in sweat, an image had burned into his mind. A paradoxical vision: a metallic skeleton rising from the flames.

The image stayed in the young man’s mind, troubling him in its implications. A skeleton made of metal was technologically impossible. Its anachronistic appearance could only be explained in one way:

It hadn’t yet been invented.

It was this image, borne of a manic fever dream, which gave birth to one of the finest movies ever made. Also, the movie contains one of the greatest cinematic villains of all time: The Terminator.

Such was the film’s impact, that most people now know the story even if they haven’t seen the film. In addition, the movie has been paid homage to, stolen from and blatantly ripped off by many, many others. Being so famous, an analysis of the film borders on redundant. However, watching the film through a specific lens results in a rich experience for film fans.

To do so, before watching, imagine an alternate timeline:

It’s 1984 and you are watching The Terminator for the first time.

In our present. Tonight…

Neon streaks of laser fire pierce the darkened sky and spotlights hover over a sea of crushed skulls. In the darkness, human figures scurry through the ruins of civilization. A synth score slowly infiltrates the scene as the opening text appears:

