Watch: Video Essay Explores The Marriage Of Action And Narrative In James Cameron's 'The Terminator'

Action sequences have gotten a bit messy in recent years, and we're talking about the increasing use of shakey cam. While Paul Grenngrass and his 'Bourne' movies have mastered the art, most every film that has followed has been nearly nauseating. More than the rise of shaky cam though, action sequences suffer under their own lack of narrative necessity.

READ MORE: ‘Terminator Genisys’ Sequels On Indefinite Hold

Here to help us flesh out the complexities of a valuable action scene is the short video essay “Action Masterclass: ‘The Terminator’ — Action As Storytelling.” “The Terminator,” the essay argues, is the perfect example of action serving story. Until the shootout in the Tech Noir bar, we as the audience know nothing about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s assassin. Here is when we learn — and Sarah (Linda Hamilton) along with us — that Schwarzenegger is an unstoppable robotic terminator and that Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is there to keep her alive.

The video is an intriguing look at...