The Terminator (1984)
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The story
In 1984 Los Angeles, a cyborg assassin known as the Terminator is sent back in time from the year 2029. Its mission is to assassinate Sarah Connor, a woman whose future son is destined to lead a resistance against Skynet, a hostile artificial intelligence that has seized control of the world. To ensure the mission's success, the Terminator must hunt Sarah down in the present day. However, a soldier named Kyle Reese also travels back in time to protect her. The two must navigate a dangerous landscape of pursuit and survival as they attempt to prevent the rise of the machine uprising.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1984 Los Angeles, a cyborg assassin (the Terminator) is sent back from 2029 to kill Sarah Connor, whose son will one day lead a resistance against the AI Skynet. Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future, travels back to protect her. After a series of violent encounters, Sarah and Reese flee together, eventually discovering that Reese is the father of the child she is destined to have. The Terminator relentlessly pursues them through various locations, including a nightclub, a police station, and a motel. After several attempts to destroy the machine, Reese is killed by the Terminator in a final confrontation in a factory. Sarah eventually destroys the cyborg using a hydraulic press. The film ends with a pregnant Sarah traveling through Mexico, hiding from Skynet and recording tapes for her son, John.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Cameron
- Writers
- James Cameron · writer; Gale Anne Hurd · writer
- Cast and characters
- Arnold Schwarzenegger · The Terminator; Michael Biehn · Kyle Reese; Linda Hamilton · Sarah Connor; Paul Winfield · Ed Traxler; Lance Henriksen · Hal Vukovich; Bess Motta · Ginger; Rick Rossovich · Matt; Earl Boen · Doctor Peter Silberman
- Genres
- science fiction; action
- Themes
- AI dominance; humanity vs. machines; fate; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent; action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- time travel; cybernetic; dystopian; survival
- Franchise connections
- Terminator
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was a box office success, outperforming expectations and launching the careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It received mixed but generally positive reviews from critics, praised for its action and tension, while some criticized its violence.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: letter
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Science Fiction Film · win; Saturn Award · Best Make-up · win; Saturn Award · Best Writing · win
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2008.; Arnold Schwarzenegger's line 'I'll be back' became a famous catchphrase.; The film's special effects included miniatures and stop-motion animation.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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