Sci-fi thriller that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a megastar Certificate: 15 The Terminator is one of the most influential sci-fi films ever made. It's a genre in which it's increasingly difficult to innovate without relying on computers to do all the work, but way back in 1984, James Cameron - who has since made impressive, if perhaps a little too insistent, use of technological advances - had little to play around with. All he had were low-tech thrills, a nightmarish soundtrack and inspired plotting. It was enough. Cameron also makes perfect use of blank-canvas star Arnie Schwarzenegger - then little more than a body-building beefcake having a stab at acting, now a global megastar (and that's mainly down to the Terminator franchise). The whole film is well cast, but it's hard to imagine anyone other than Arnie, with his curious mix of foreignness and physicality, as the indestructible, monosyllabic cyborg - sent from the future to stop Resistance leader John Connor from ever being born. Interestingly, the studio initially suggested OJ Simpson for the role, but Cameron didn't think anyone would accept OJ as a cold-blooded killer... All science fiction movies have plot craters, and this one has its fair share - in fact, the central premise is an absolute corker that monkeys around with the space-time continuum in a way that will make your brain scream if you think about it too hard - but, surely, that's what suspension of disbelief was invented for. This film has got it all: good-looking leads, action in spades, humour and heart-pounding tension - the classic James Cameron blend. (108 minutes)