action film
directed by James Cameron
, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.
, and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
, Michael Biehn
, and Linda Hamilton
. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation
and distributed by Orion Pictures
, and filmed in Los Angeles
. Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a cyborg
assassin sent back in time from the year 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, played by Hamilton. Biehn plays Kyle Reese
, a soldier from the future sent back in time to protect Sarah.
Though not expected to be either a commercial or critical success, The Terminator topped the American box office for two weeks and helped launch the film careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Come with me if you want to live.
[Saying the message that John made him memorize] Sarah, thank you. For your courage through the dark years. I can't help you with what you must soon face, except to tell you that the future is not set...You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive, or I will never exist.
John Connor gave me a picture of you once. I didn't know why at the time. It was very old - torn, faded. You were young like you are now. You seemed just a little sad. I used to always wonder what you were thinking at that moment. I memorized every line, every curve. I came across time for you Sarah. I love you; I always have.
Come on. Do I look like the mother of the future? I mean, am I tough, organized? I can't even balance my check book!
[moving a wounded Reese] Come on, Reese! On your feet, soldier!
The thing that won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.
Your future is in his hands.
In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created 'THE TERMINATOR'