The Terminator

Director: James Cameron

1985 / 107min / DCP

Too many sequels and an incalculable cultural impact later, it’s sometimes forgotten what a hot and nasty little movie Cameron’s original Terminator was, dropping peak-physique Schwarzenegger into a sleazy Los Angeles of leather bars, punk rockers, and skid rows, where he quickly proceeds to killing cops by the score and tracking down mother-to-be of humankind’s savior Linda Hamilton. Working for the very last time with budget constraints, Cameron—and FX gurus Stan Winston and Gene Warren Jr.—deliver the goods and how, in a grimy lil’ chef d’oeuvre that gave us Cyberdine, Skynet, and a whole lexicon for discussing extinction-level singularity events.

Distributor: Park Circus

Part of A Cyberpunk Canon