An iconic 80s sci-fi film lauded as the ‘best of all time’ is streaming for free right now on ITVX.
Released in 1984, The Terminator launched director James Cameron’s career while solidifying leading man Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action hero.
It stars the actor as the titular cybernetic assassin who is sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 in a bid to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son will save mankind from extinction in the future.
At the same time, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is a soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah from the threat of Skynet, a hostile artificial intelligence.
Defying studios’ low expectations, The Terminator grossed a whopping $79.3 million (£59M) against a budget of just $6.4M (£4.7M).
It spawned sequel films, a TV series, video games, novels, and a whole plethora of merchandise while regularly featuring on lists of the greatest sci-fi films of all time.
The Terminator holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading: ‘With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it’s clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.’
In their review, The Spectator said: ‘It’s engrossing, suspenseful, has a personality all of its own and absolutely stands the test of time.’
The Washington Post added: ‘The Terminator brings film violence into the realm of the surreal.’
Flavorwire wrote: ‘Much of Terminator’s greatness is due to its low-budget aesthetic and lo-fi energy; perhaps out of necessity, Cameron’s sense of storytelling has a lean efficiency that both he and the series have long since abandoned.’
Time Out said the film was ‘damn close to perfect’, while the BBC hailed it as ‘one of the most effective science fiction films of recent decades.’
The Hollywood Reporter echoed the same sentiments, saying: ‘The havoc makes for a genuine steel metal trap of a movie that may very well be the best picture of its kind since The Road Warrior.’
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Speaking in 2021, Avatar director Cameron reflected on the unlikely inspiration behind The Terminator.
‘The Terminator came from a dream that I had while I was sick with a fever in a cheap pensione in Rome in 1981,’ he told the British Film Institute.
‘It was the image of a chrome skeleton emerging from a fire. When I woke up, I began sketching on the hotel stationery.
‘The first sketch I did showed a metal skeleton cut in half at the waist, crawling over a tile floor, using a large kitchen knife to pull itself forward while reaching out with the other hand. In a second drawing, the character is threatening a crawling woman.
‘Minus the kitchen knife, these images became the finale of The Terminator almost exactly.’
The Terminator is streaming now on ITVX
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