Frequent language includes "f--k," "f--ker," "motherf--ker," "s--t," "bulls--t," "ass," "a--hole," "d--k," "hell," "damn," "son of a bitch," "bitch," "bastard," and exclamations of "goddamn," "God," "Christ," and "Jesus."
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Passionate kissing. Sex is portrayed on screen twice—bare breasts and buttocks are shown. Full male nudity (mostly in shadow, but genitals can briefly be seen) in a non-sexual context. One person tells another what sexual acts they'd like to perform on them over the phone, including running his tongue over her breasts and taking her underwear off with his teeth.
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Graphic and gory violence, with lots of fights, stabbing, explosions, gunfire and laser shooting, and intense high-speed car chases and accidents. People are shot dead, and blood spatter and bullet wounds are shown. Close-up, gory injury detail includes a cyborg cutting its arm with a scalpel and removing its eye from its socket, with plenty of blood. Physical fights include punching, biting, strangling, and throwing people through glass and walls. A person is punched through the chest (off-screen), and a bloody hand emerges, holding his heart. A character is seen engulfed in flames, walking out of wreckage with their skin burning. There's a very high body count, with dead bodies shown—one zipped in a body bag. A person is carried on a stretcher with tubes in their nose and arm. Parts veer into horror scariness when the Terminator seems unstoppable and keeps surviving various things that would kill a human. Mention of nuclear war and people being rounded up and put into camps for "orderly disposal." Reference to a father beating a son. A dog is shot off-screen.
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Porsche, Cadillac, and Ford cars mentioned. Coca-Cola signs at a gas station.
Positive Messages
a little
Seemingly small actions in the present can have a huge impact on the future. It's important to make sacrifices for the greater good. The world can be a dark place, and sometimes survival is the only important thing. Left unchecked, corporate culture and technological advancement can lead to disaster.
Positive Role Models
a little
Sarah is terrified and overwhelmed when she finds herself the target of the Terminator, but she gradually learns to trust Kyle, who has been sent back to protect her from the cyborg. She respects and cares for him and, though she seems helpless at times, tries to protect him when he's in danger, too. Kyle is fighting for the good of the future and will stop at nothing to protect Sarah, continually placing himself in danger. He shows care and respect for her but is used to resorting to violence toward others.
Diverse Representations
very little
Main characters are all White. The two male leads provide the action, showing physical strength and skill, and supporting police characters are all men. (Female police officers are only shown briefly in non-speaking roles.) For most of the film, Sarah Connor's character is defined by the need to be protected and saved, as well as by her role as a mother (her future offspring will be important in history). But the ending sets up her role in a positive way, and in sequels she develops into a smart, strong, and respected hero. The only other female character, Sarah's friend Ginger, isn't developed beyond talking about her boyfriend and having sex with him. A criminal psychologist uses words like "crazy" and "loon." Though directed and written by James Cameron, the script was co-written by female writer-producer Gale Anne Hurd.
Parents need to know that The Terminator is a sci-fi action movie about a cyborg that travels back through time to kill a woman and alter future events. Kids may want to see it due to its reputation as a "classic" action film, but the Terminator's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) systematic destruction of the inhabitants of Los Angeles is unsettling even for adults. Expect virtually nonstop tension and violence, including shooting, car crashes, explosions, gory injury detail, and lots of dead bodies. A bloody hand emerges from a chest, holding a heart. Strong language includes "f--k," "s--t," and "a-hole," as well as exclamations of "Christ" and "goddamn." Full-frontal nudity is shown in shadow, and breasts and buttocks are seen during a sex scene. There's occasional drinking and smoking, and at one point a character says "this is gonna make me puke" but doesn't actually vomit. Central character Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) goes on to become a strong female lead in Terminator sequels but is helpless for much of this film, falling into gender stereotypes and leaving the action to the male leads. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Other reviews haven’t mentioned this, but soon after Arnold first manifests, naked, and right after we see the punks, Arnold approaches them and we see ***full frontal nudity on Arnold*** (his privates swinging, somewhat shadowed but clearly visible). Then a sex scene at 81 minutes that’s about a minute and a half to two minutes long. If you can skip these parts and don’t mind cursing and violence, a child could watch it, depending on your morals. As others have mentioned, each time the two men appear right after time travel, you see their buttocks. But I hadn’t seen mention of full frontal nudity on The Terminator (again, the movie shows the punks, and right after that Arnold approaches them naked, then camera pans to their reaction and they make fun of him). After they start making fun of him you don’t see his front privates anymore.
Great film with a bit of cursing being the first film I saw with the f word and even with a bit of nudity (breasts, butts) I was able to see it when I was 10 and I think it is appropriate for 10 year olds
What's the Story?
In THE TERMINATOR, a cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the post-apocalyptic future where machines have taken over the world is sent back in time to 1984 Los Angeles. His mission is to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the woman who will eventually become the mother of the leader of the future resistance. Soldier Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is sent back, too; in this case to prevent the Terminator from carrying out his mission. Reese must protect Sarah long enough for her to give birth to her son, who will lead the fight against the machines.
Co-written and directed by James Cameron, this is an excellent vehicle for his talent with sci-fi action and spectacle. The Terminator also highlights themes like humans vs. machines, the destructiveness of war, and capitalism. It also sets up the questioning of traditional gender roles that are common in Cameron's films through the character of Sarah, though for this particular film she remains mostly a damsel in distress.
The Terminator is more serious than the second two movies in the series. Schwarzenegger's character here bears none of the playful ambiguity of the sequels; he simply kills. True, he does utter the infamous phrase, "I'll be back," a promise that the character utterly fulfills, but the effect is less ironic than horrifying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the conventions of action movies like The Terminator and director James Cameron's statements regarding corporate culture, unchecked technological development, and nuclear war. What messages did you notice? Can you think of other movies that approach similar themes? How do they compare?
What do you think of the way Sarah's portrayed in this first movie of the franchise? Although she's known to later become a strong female lead, she spends much of her time here as a damsel in distress. Why is it important to challenge gender stereotypes on screen?
The franchise has gone on to include many sequels and a TV show. What about this story makes people keep going back for more? Have you seen any of the other Terminator movies or Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? How do they compare? Do you think they stand on their own and expand the world in a good way, or are they unnecessary?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
