Terrifying - a cult classic

Rating: 10/10 (8 June 2009)

The explosive sci-fi thriller that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into a superstar is now acknowledged as a cult classic, but it's certainly worth remembering that it did only modest business at the box office. Nevertheless, big Arnie hasn't gone hungry since.
The plot line of an unstoppable killer robot has become one of the most overused concepts in sci-fi cinema, but director James Cameron has imbued the film with plenty of wit and a relentless sense of pace. Even with today's standards, the make-up effects and the prosthetics are just as terrifyingly effective as they were in 1984. However, this is much more than the usual guns-blazing action B-movie: at the heart of the story lies a woman's reluctance to come to terms with what she must soon face, and the tragedy of a love that can never be.