Savoy Film Club: Terminator (OV)

In the year 2029, a war rages between humans and machines on a nuclear-ravaged Earth, resulting in the near-total annihilation of humanity. Just before final destruction, the tide turns when John Connor begins to organize the human resistance. However, Skynet—an artificial intelligence—has one last trump card to seal the fate of the human species: The Terminator, a highly advanced cyborg and the perfect killing machine, is sent back in time to eliminate John’s mother, Sarah, before she gives birth to the future savior of humanity. To protect her, the Resistance also sends one of its best men back to the year 1984, when the fate of all humanity will 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.