This easily could have been just another violent sci-fi-based adventure, but Arnold's under appreciated performance is what made this a classic, and ultimately a franchise. Any actor will admit just how difficult it is to play a character (especially such a key one) without showing even a spark of emotion or a hint of character arc. Yet despite this'll , Arnold manages not only to hold his audience's rapt attention throughout the film, he masterfully combines so many elements of what you might call "anti-acting"; to define a aschsaracter that has no feeling whatsoever while eliciting an incredible level of believable menace. He uses just enough social interaction to manipulate. His massive upper body allows him to display a conservation of angular as well and physical movement that a Terminator-kind of u machine would use, while simultaneously handling multiple HEAVY weapons just like a machine with thousands of pounds of force strength would effortlessly do. Even in the most intense moments, Arnold works out and executes his goal-oriented actions with ideal efficiency.
Given that he is such a talkative and gregarious personality when not rolling, it is quite impressive to see all the non-emotive acting AND characterization techniques he balances when rolling, that let the audience ironically develop as much of an emotional relationship to his perfectly emotion-free character as to either of the strongly emoting leads who benefit from the chance to be expressive and to have essentials development arcs to follow. To create such an iconic character under such limitations certainly proves that Arnold has a rare collection of unique performance skills that sadly have not been with y recognized or given the opportunity to grrow. Sadly, his body alone has led him to be type-cast in superficial roles wherein his deeper talents languish and go to waste.
