mixes science fiction, action, and certain horror movie elements into one of the best things to ever come out of Hollywood [...] Cameron's well-structured script is pure polish, with zero fat and a surplus of riveting tension that helps make it the timeless classic it is today." Merchandise A soundtrack to the film was released in 1984 which included the score by Brad Fiedel and the pop and rock songs used in the club scenes. Shaun Hutson wrote a novelization of the film which was published on February 21, 1985, by London-based Star Books (); Randal Frakes and William Wisher wrote a different novelization for Bantam/Spectra, published October, 1985 (). In September 1988, NOW Comics released a comic based on the film. Dark Horse Comics published a comic in 1990 that took place 39 years after the film. Several video games based on The Terminator were released between 1991 and 1993 for various Nintendo and Sega systems. Sequels Five sequels followed The Terminator: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), though none replicated the successes of The Terminator or Terminator 2. Schwarzenegger returned for all but Terminator Salvation, while Cameron and Hamilton returned only for Dark Fate, a direct sequel to the events of Terminator 2. Although better critically received than other post-Terminator 2 sequels, Dark Fate is also considered a failure; analysts blamed audience disinterest on the diminishing quality of the series since Terminator 2, and repeated attempts to reboot the series. Fans also criticized Dark Fate opening scene, in which a T-800 kills Furlong's teenage John Connor; entertainment website Collider wrote this retroactively damages the ending of Terminator 2. A television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009) also takes place after the events of Terminator 2, and ignores the events in sequels Terminator 3 and beyond. References Citations Bibliography External links The Terminator essay by John Wills at National Film Registry 1984 films 1980s science fiction action films 1984 independent films American chase films American independent films American post-apocalyptic films American science fiction action films Cyborg films Drone films American dystopian films Films about time travel Films about violence against women Films directed by James Cameron Films involved in plagiarism controversies Fictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police Department Films set in 1984 Films set in 2029 Films set in Los