The ‘best sci-fi of all time’ with a coveted 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is now available to stream for free online.
The 80s blockbuster classic became the launchpad for James Cameron’s directorial career.
Released back in 1984, The Terminator became a smash hit, with Arnold Schwarzenegger starring as the lead.
As the titular role, Schwarzenegger’s character as a robotic assassin is sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is set to save humanity from extinction in the future.
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However, Kyle Reese is also sent back to protect Sarah.
The flick received an overwhelmingly positive reception, grossing an incredible $79.3 million at the box office.
On Rotten Tomatoes, critics hailed the movie as one of the greats, with one critic writing: “The Terminator is a blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story.”
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Another said: “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.”
And a third added: “An efficient, cold-blooded sci-fi splatter movie that never makes the mistake of forgetting that on some level it is deeply ridiculous.”
Off the back of its success, the movie morphed into a full-blown franchise, with further sequels, video games, novels, merchandise and even a TV series released as a result.
Talking about the movie’s success back in 2021, Cameron explained how he got the inspiration for The Terminator, saying: “The Terminator came from a dream that I had while I was sick with a fever in a cheap pensione in Rome in 1981.
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“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.”
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Now, the movie is finally available to stream online for free - but there’s a catch.
Only viewers in the UK will be able to access the streaming service as it is now available to watch on ITVX.