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The Terminator
Movie

The Terminator

1984 • Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Woke Score
1.4
out of 10

Plot

Sent back from a dystopian 2029--where the cold machines have conquered the entire world--to 1984 Los Angeles, the indestructible cyborg-assassin known as the "Terminator" commences his deadly mission to kill humankind's most important woman: the unsuspecting Sarah Connor. However, from the same war-torn post-apocalyptic future comes a battle-scarred defender--Kyle Reese, a brave soldier of the human Resistance Army--bent on stopping the cybernetic killer from eliminating the world's last hope. But, the Terminator has no feelings, he doesn't sleep, and above all, he won't stop until he carries out his grim task. Does our future lie in our past?

Overall Series Review

The Terminator (1984) is a lean, relentless science-fiction thriller focused on a desperate chase to preserve the future of humanity. The story pits a simple woman, Sarah Connor, and her protector, Kyle Reese, against an implacable machine sent from a post-apocalyptic future. The narrative does not employ modern identity politics but instead emphasizes universal themes of survival, destiny, and the value of human will against cold, amoral technological power. The film portrays a compelling character arc for Sarah, transforming her from an ordinary waitress into a resilient warrior-mother by the story’s conclusion, demonstrating a struggle earned through immense suffering rather than an instant, unearned perfection. The primary villain is an artificial intelligence system (Skynet) created by humans, which critiques the unchecked militarization and technological hubris of the modern world. Family and the concept of motherhood are the central anchors of the entire plot, serving as the ultimate objective good that the evil machine seeks to destroy.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The plot's central conflict revolves entirely around the survival of humanity against machines, which is a universal struggle. Characters are judged solely by their courage, capability, and merit in the fight against an existential threat. Casting is colorblind without any evident political lecturing or narrative focus on intersectional characteristics. There is no vilification of 'whiteness' or forced insertion of diversity for ideological purposes.

Oikophobia2/10

The movie does not exhibit civilizational self-hatred but instead depicts a desperate fight for the survival of the human race and its future. The villain, Skynet, originated as a US military defense system, which serves as a significant critique of technology and the unchecked military-industrial complex of the Western world. This skepticism of institutions and self-made technology is a criticism of a society's failings, but the entire struggle is to defend human life, culture, and civilization from total destruction by the machines.

Feminism1/10

Sarah Connor begins the film as a vulnerable figure, the opposite of a 'Girl Boss' or 'Mary Sue,' and her transformation into a strong, determined character is hard-earned through trauma and necessity. The entire premise is built on the necessity of her motherhood and the birth of her son, the leader of the human resistance, which is an anti-anti-natalist and pro-family theme. The relationship with Kyle Reese is one of complementary roles: the male soldier as protector and the woman as the vital key to the future.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie adheres to a normative structure, centering on the romantic and procreative bond between a man (Kyle Reese) and a woman (Sarah Connor) as the foundation for future human resistance. Sexuality is treated privately, and the narrative does not introduce or center alternative sexualities or gender ideology. The focus is exclusively on survival, time travel, and the family unit's vital role in saving humanity.

Anti-Theism2/10

The film operates in a secular science-fiction universe, but it does not contain direct hostility or villainization of traditional religion, specifically Christianity. The story features a transcendent theme of 'hope' and the power of human will against a predetermined fate, which implies an objective good (humanity) that must be protected from the amoral, purely rational machine. The machines themselves represent the spiritual vacuum of a hyper-rational, emotionless existence.