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?
James Cameron's The Terminator (1984) is a landmark science-fiction thriller charged with relentless action. In a future ruled by hostile machines, a cyborg assassin is sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead the human resistance, while a lone soldier races to protect her. The tone is lean, dark, and propulsive, fusing chase-movie intensity with bleak futurism. Themes of fate, technology run amok, and the fragility of human survival give the spectacle real weight. With a MagicMovieScore of 7.7, it's essential viewing for fans of sci-fi action and inventive, influential genre filmmaking.
An automated summary to help you decide what to watch — not a user review or critic rating.

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
14,542 ratings, tightly clustered. This score is unlikely to move more than 0.03 with new ratings.
Why we're confident →Click icons to visit streaming services directly. Streaming service names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners.
Release Date
October 26, 1984
Runtime
1h 48m
Rating
R
Genres
Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
Director