Not always from beginning to end.
Not always with my full attention.
But if its on TV, Ill put it on.
It never gets boring.
It never makes me cringe.
Something else that never fails to impress?
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Plenty of films have fantastic introductions.Jaws.Star Wars.The Dark Knight.Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
The firstTerminatormovie itself, of course.
Lets break it down.
We start with a few establishing shots of early-90s Los Angeles.
Just another day in the City of Angels.
All of this ties in with the first two films theme of lost innocence.
The playground is a place where innocence reigns.
A breeze stirs the ashes.
This graveyard is eerily silent, devoid of any of the life we saw flourishing only seconds earlier.
The camera then pans across the remains of a playground, no doubt the same one weve already seen.
Now, there are no children, no parents.
Just a mangled set of swings, a twisted slide, see-saws, and dozens of skulls.
And this is where Sarah Connors voiceover kicks in.
To put it bluntly, this is one war you wouldnt want to survive.
The first we see of a machine is a T-800 endoskeleton crushing a human skull beneath its heel.
Then, however, the action kicks off, and we realize this is actually a battlefield.
Explosions light up the sky beyond the T-800.
Bursts of purple plasma beams pass over the skeletons head.
We then cut to the rolling treads of a HK (Hunter-Killer), crushing skulls as it goes.
A deep industrial droning replaces the silence, signalling the coming of the machines.
Were now in full battle-mode.
We then see what theyre up against and its terrifying.
The cuts come faster now, showing just how chaotic, relentless, and horrific this world is.
Discordant music helps to reinforce the sense of panic, of uncertainty.
The sequence then cuts to the inside of a human stronghold.
Brad Fiedels score becomes more militaristic, rousing, yet more gentle and hopeful.
The second was set to strike at John himself, when he was still a child.
Weve seen the nightmare humanity now endures, and the brutality of the enemy.
Weve seen the organisation of the soldiers, how well-trained they are, how loyal.
Fiedels score becomes more and more anthemic, adding to the weight of the story were being told.
It was just a question of which one of them would reach him first.
From there, the theme kicks in, with the same percussive beats we know from the first film.
The title sequence itself is outstanding, combining Fiedels score with images of fire, of destruction.
Did anyone really care what happened to Nick Stahls John or Claire Danes Kate inTerminator 3?
Did anyone give a hoot when Christian Bales John took a spike through the heart inTerminator Salvation?
It just doesnt even come close.
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
