Why does ``The Terminator'' never get old? “Fear” and “compositional power” that transcend time

“Transforming” T-800

Another great achievement of ``The Terminator'' is that it turned the T-800, the enemy, into a machine that could be defeated (but was too powerful), rather than a monster that was impossible to defeat.

This T-800's appearance changes as it receives damage. There are no special abilities such as instant recovery or passing through physical attacks. In other words, this attack works properly. But it won't stop. The ``endurance battle'' that never knows when it will end gradually incites fear in both the protagonist and the audience.

Now, let's take a look at how the T-800 is depicted in this work.

In fact, it is not revealed who the T-800 is (its true identity as a mechanical android) until after 35 minutes. Although it looks like a human, it has been carefully designed to appear as something mysterious and eerie.

“The Terminator” (C)2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.

Then, around the 37th minute, the T-800's "sight" is shown for the first time, and the audience is convinced that this is a machine. Steam then rises from his body, demonstrating his voice-changing ability, and his "mechanical feel" becomes more and more emphasized. At around the 40 minute mark, an explanation of what The Terminator is is finally introduced, and the battle between humans and T-800 accelerates. The T-800, engulfed in flames, loses its eyebrows and transforms into a more sinister presence, and its destructive power escalates, including destroying the windshield.

The highlight is the surgery scene that begins after 52 minutes. T-800 has his busted eyeball gouged out, his arm cut open, and by the 55th minute he's donning sunglasses and a leather jacket. Combined with the double-gun style of a shotgun and a machine gun, the famous lines of "I'll Be Back" pop out at the 59th minute. The running time of ``The Terminator'' is 108 minutes, so more than half of the movie is spent developing the T-800's character. By the way, it's only after 90 minutes that he becomes the iconic metal body.

Looking at it this way, you can see that the T-800's body accumulates damage and continues to change throughout. “Continuously changing shape” and “unchanging tenacity”. It can be said that this character perfectly expresses the ``terrifyingness'' of a machine that does not stop moving until it accomplishes its purpose.

Sarah Connor's ``effortless'' growth