This is the first time product placement has ever made me laugh out loud.Īlthough Kyle’s ability to feel pain is one thing that differentiates him from the Terminator, he’s had to become a bit machine-like himself to survive. He definitely proves himself to be a competent action hero through car chases, shootouts, and a lot of pipe bomb making. However, Kyle quickly proves his resourcefulness as he acquires weapons, clothes, and (awesome) shoes within mere minutes of his arrival. It would seem that the T800 has the automatic advantage, being a ruthless robot assassin. They can’t bring any weapons or other items from the future to help them (or in Kyle’s case, try to prove he’s actually from the future). The stipulations of time travel in the movie mean that both the hero and villain arrive with nothing but their own bodies. His numerous scars indicate vulnerability when compared to a machine, but also a persistent will to survive. Kyle’s much smaller than the Terminator, with a thin, wiry build he developed as a soldier and as a starving kid growing up in a death camp. Upon his arrival, he hits the pavement curled up in a fetal position, wracked with pain. He’s a mere human sent to protect Sarah Connor from this mechanical monstrosity. Shortly after, Kyle Reese, our underdog hero, arrives. One of his first actions is ripping someone’s heart out of his chest. Due to Schwarzenegger’s body-building physique, this guy immediately exudes power and intimidation. The T800 materializes in a crouch and rises slowly and menacingly. And does kind of make sense for Reasons of Plot. The T800 and Kyle both arrive in 1984 LA the same way: time travel in the nude. His parallels to the T800 provide for an interesting commentary on the nature of man and machine. He’s allowed to be a mixture of tough and vulnerable, determined and fearful. Kyle’s also great because he gets to subvert the tropes of the generic macho action hero. (Plus, she has a pet lizard, which I find to be a delightful quirk). Sarah could have been written as a shrill damsel-in-distress, yet she’s likeable, sensible, and gets to be the one to save herself and her future child in the end. One of the pleasant surprises about Terminator is the fact that the two protagonists could have easily been one-note, stock characters, but instead they’re believable human beings with multiple facets. We’ll blame that other 1980s time travel movie Back to the Future for my confused predictions). (In fact, up until the point in the film when he introduced himself, I mistakenly assumed that he was John Connor. ![]() ![]() After watching T1 (and T2) for the first time recently, I found that my favorite character wasn’t any of those three. These are the three characters I would have been able to name before seeing any of the films. I’d say he’s pretty important and memorable (even though he is, you know, a mere fetus in the original film). If asked to name a second character, I’d hope that a large number would say, “Sarah Connor.” After all, she’s the person that the whole first film centers around, and it’s amazing to watch her level up in toughness over the course of T1 and T2.Īnd then there’s John Connor, Sarah’s son, the guy who’s destined to save the world and all. Schwarzenegger’s performance in the films was iconic, and the reason that people will still be quipping “I’ll be back” until 2029 at the very least. There’s about a 99% chance that they would name “Arnold Schwarzenegger” in a heartbeat – and I’d probably quibble with them, given that Ahhnold is the name of the actor, not the titular cyborg itself. Let’s play a game: approach a random person and ask them to name any character from the Terminator films. Men and Machines: Let’s Talk About Kyle Reese
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