It’s been 40 years since The Terminator, and by extension, Arnold Schwarzenegger, were introduced to the world. It was James Cameron’s first movie (he apparently doesn't count Piranha II) and it's arguably still Cameron's best movie. To say it would successfully launch his career is quite an understatement. The Terminator is one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, and James Cameron is still quite proud of it, especially in his willingness to change his original vision.
While it’s difficult now to see the character of The Terminator as anything other than the physically imposing killing machine that never blinks, that wasn’t originally Cameron’s plan for the character. Originally, the Terminator would be a more subtle monster that could more easily blend into a crowd. But Cameron tells Empire he’s glad he was willing to compromise that vision because it made a huge difference. He explained…
I think a lot of filmmakers, especially first-time filmmakers, get very, very stuck in a vision, because of insecurity. I’m proud of the fact that we weren’t stuck enough to not be able to see how it could work with Arnold, because it wasn’t our vision. Sometimes, when you look back from the vantage point — at this point 40 years — we could have made a great little film from a production-value standpoint, and it would have been nothing if we hadn’t made that one decision that captured the imagination of people.
We’ll never know what sort of movie The Terminator would have been if James Cameron had stuck to his original concepts, but it’s difficult to imagine that it could have possibly been more successful. Arnold’s face became the face of the film and it became a massive franchise.
Cameron would eventually go with his more subtle antagonist in the sequel Terminator 2: Judgement Day. That movie was an even bigger hit, with Arnold now playing the hero, but the original film’s success certainly had a lot to do with that. Clearly, the original idea was a sound one. As per usual Cameron knew what he was doing, but it just means his decision to go against that the first time was that much more vital.
Cameron does say he thinks the production value is a bit “cringeworthy” but other than that he’s still quite proud of what The Terminator did. Considering the budget was fairly small and it was Cameron’s first movie, it wouldn’t have been a shock if he had stuck to all his original concepts. Cameron says insecurity is why directors sometimes do that, and he would have had every reason to be insecure.
Of course, today, confidence is one thing James Cameron is not lacking, and it seems that may have been the case even at the beginning. That includes the confidence to change his mind when he thinks it's the right choice. Considering Cameron has made some of the highest-grossing movies of all-time, he clearly is doing something right.
