Best of Cinema: Terminator

For decades, the war waged by machines to destroy humanity has raged on, but the final battle will not be fought in the future: The Terminator, a highly advanced cyborg and the perfect killing machine, is sent back to the year 1984 to eliminate Sarah Connor before she can give birth to the future leader of the Resistance. To protect her, he also sends his best man back in time, where the fate of all humanity will now be decided …

The 1984 surprise hit not only marked the beginning of James Cameron’s remarkable career but also signaled the definitive international breakthrough for lead actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today, this sci-fi action thriller—produced on a relatively low budget—is considered a pop-cultural milestone and one of the most significant films of the video era, whose iconic one-liners and original storytelling set new standards in genre cinema. Schwarzenegger’s famous line, “I’ll be back,” was ranked No. 37 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest movie quotes of all time.