In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
Practical Effects
Stop-motion endoskeleton still slaps harder than most modern CGI.
Direction
Cameron turned a fever dream into cinema's most unstoppable villain.
Acting
Schwarzenegger's 17 lines created an icon through pure physical menace.
Director
James Cameron
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Terminator
Michael Biehn
Kyle Reese
Linda Hamilton
Sarah Connor
Paul Winfield
Traxler
Lance Henriksen
Vukovich
Rick Rossovich
Matt
Bess Motta
Ginger
Earl Boen
Silberman
Dick Miller
Pawnshop Clerk
Shawn Schepps
Nancy
Franco Columbu
Future Terminator
Bill Paxton
Punk Leader
Brad Rearden
Punk
Brian Thompson
Punk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
O.J. Simpson was considered for the Terminator; Cameron rejected him because 'nobody would believe a nice guy as a killer.'
The film's 'tech-noir' aesthetic — night shoots, neon, industrial locations — became the visual language of 1980s anxiety about Japan's rising tech dominance.
US
