Long before he planted the trees of Pandora or put Leo DiCaprio on a ship, James Cameron was busy saving the world from an army of futuristic robots. Set in 1984 Los Angeles, The Terminator follows two entities who time travel back from 2029 to find Sarah Connor — AKA the woman whose unborn son will one day lead humanity to victory in a man vs. machine doomsday war. The first traveler is a cyborg assassin sent by the machines to kill her (and thus prevent the birth of her son), while the second is a male soldier, Reese, appointed by the humans to stop it. Featuring Linda Hamilton as Sarah and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the iconic Terminator, the film is a high-thrills masterpiece that is subtly humorous, surprisingly emotional, and ultimately irreproducible. To this date, it remains one of the best action movies of all time.
Photo: Orion Pictures
