The Terminator Essay -- Film Movie Terminator Essays

The Terminator James Cameron’s 1984 film, The Terminator, is about a cyborg, called a terminator, that is sent back into the past to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. A soldier, named Kyle Reese, is also sent back to protect Sarah (Terminator). In the film’s 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (T2), the Terminator returns, not to kill Sarah, but to protect young John from the T-1000 (T2). During the course of these two films, the character of Sarah Connor dramatically changes from weak woman to a warrior woman. She transforms mentally, physically, and emotionally. Not only does she change in this manner, but her role in the films changes as well. Sarah’s purpose and significance as a character changes over the course of the two films. In Terminator, Sarah is of great importance to the story. Without her there would be no human resistance in the future, so it is imperative that she live. The movie revolves around her, as she is the main protagonist in the film. At the end of Terminator, it is she, not Kyle, that destroys the Terminator. Though she is the main protagonist, her purpose in the film was to be a vessel. She was only valued because of her body, her ability to give birth to John. It only mattered that she live so that she could give birth to John. In Terminator 2, Sarah is pushed into the background. She becomes merely a secondary character. Her presence in the movie is not as important. She has already completed her job of giving birth to John and raising him to be able to take care of himself, so there is no reason for her to be there. Her presence even puts John into more danger. John wanted to save his mother from the mental institution, but the Terminator... ...tor films are good for study because of their rarity and the character of Sarah Connor. Works Cited Cranny-Francis, Anne. "The Body in the Text." Internet. 10 Dec. 2001. http://www.univie.ac.at/Germanistik/schrodt/vorlesungsmaterialien/the_body_in_the_text.htm. Cunningham, Kim. "Shaping the Stars." People Weekly 10 January 1994: 50-56. Internet. 24 Nov. 2001. http://www.iwu.edu/library/subjres.htm. Pfeil, Fred. "Revolting Yet Conserved: Family Noir in Blue Velvet and Terminator 2." 1992. Internet. 24 Nov. 2001. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/postmodern_culture/v002/2.3pfeil.html. Terminator, The. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Arnold Swarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton. Artisan Entertainment, 1984. Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Arnold Swarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong. Artisan Entertainment, 1991.