The Autopsy of a Thriller
A scene-by-scene analysis of The Terminator
Each scene is either good (+), Bad (-) or Neutral (0) for Sarah Conner, the protagonist.
Watch the movie and rate each scene. You will see that through the first 2/3s of the film things don’t go well for Sarah but she overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to win in the end.
This is how a good thriller is plotted.
The Terminator (1984)
T = The Terminator
R = Kyle Reese
S = Sarah Conner
T appe...
The Autopsy of a Thriller
A scene-by-scene analysis of The Terminator
Each scene is either good (+), Bad (-) or Neutral (0) for Sarah Conner, the protagonist.
Watch the movie and rate each scene. You will see that through the first 2/3s of the film things don’t go well for Sarah but she overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to win in the end.
This is how a good thriller is plotted.
The Terminator (1984)
T = The Terminator
R = Kyle Reese
S = Sarah Conner
T appears in ball of light, takes clothes from punk after being stabbed and ripping out his heart. + - 0
R appears in ball of light, takes vagrants clothes, steals shotgun from police car, escapes from police, finds 3 Sarah Conners in phone book.
+-0
S works at Big Boy, ditsy and clumsy. + - 0
T steals guns from gun shop, kills owner + - 0
T finds 3 Sarah Conners in phone book. + - 0
T kills Sarah Conner #1. + - 0
S sees TV broadcast of Sarah Conner’s murder. + - 0
S date stands her up, she goes out alone. + - 0
Police learn of murder of 2nd Sarah Conner. + - 0
S heads out for night, R follows. + - 0
S in restaurant sees TV news of 2nd Sarah Conner murder, tries to call police, phone out of service + - 0
S senses she’s being followed by R, ducks into disco, R follows, S calls police, can’t get through. + - 0
T goes to S’s apartment, kills roommate and boyfriend, hears call from Sarah who leaves message about where she is, sees photo ID of S. + - 0
S reaches police, they are coming to disco. + - 0
(Inciting Incident)
T arrives, R and T have shoot-out. T shot multiple times but gets up. + - 0
S and R escape, T steals police car and chases + - 0
R explains that he is there to protect her and that she has been targeted for termination and that T is a cyborg that will not stop until S is dead. R tells Sarah that in the near future machines take over and start a nuclear war, then set out to destroy all humans. T must kill her to prevent her from having her son, John Conner, mankind’s savior from the machines that will rule the future world. + - 0
Chase resumes between R & S, T, and the police. S and R crash car, arrested by police, T escapes. + - 0
S learns that roommate was killed. + - 0
T repairs injured forearm and removes injured eye, revealing that he is indeed a cyborg. + - 0
Psychiatrist explains to S that R is crazy and that T was likely on PCP and wearing a flak jacket. + - 0
(1st Turning Point)
T attacks police station, killing many cops. + - 0
S and R steal car and escape. + - 0
T looks through Sarah’s address book, finds mother’s address. + - 0
S and R get room in motel out of city. Sarah calls her mother, tells her where they are, but she is talking to T. + - 0
S and R make sticks of nitroglycerine and then make love. + - 0
T arrives, but S and R escape in stolen truck, T chases on motorcycle. + - 0
T avoids nitro sticks, S knocks T off bike, crashes truck, T is run over by 18-wheeler. + - 0
T gets up, takes over 18-wheeler, and chases S and R. + - 0
R slips nitro stick into truck, blowing it up in huge fireball, T burns in fire. + - 0
(2nd Turning Point)
T rises from fire, now reduced to a metallic skeleton.
+-0
R and S hide in industrial building, T follows. + - 0
T corners S and R in building. + - 0
R places nitro stick in T’s ribs and blows him to pieces. + - 0
Upper half of T keeps coming, forcing S into corner. + - 0
(Climax)
S leads T into crushing machine and crushes him. + - 0
(Denouement)
R dies, pregnant Sarah leaves country to prepare for coming war.
+-0
