2. The Terminator
In the early 1980s, up-and-coming director James Cameron had a terrifying nightmare and he wanted us all to see it. We’re so thankful he decided to share it with us all, because from that nightmare The Terminator was born.
The basic plotline is simple, focusing on a monster-of-a-man intent on killing a young woman he never met. Beneath that plot is a much deeper story about the dangers of technology, for that man is a cyborg sent back in time with a mission to destroy the mother of the man who would one day save the world from the machines.
The beauty of The Terminator is that it never buckles under that complex story, not once losing sight of its basic premise. It isn’t a war movie, a time travel movie, or an action movie; it’s a story about one woman’s will to survive so that her unborn son can save the future. And Linda Hamilton’s performance as the young Sarah Connor is impeccable.
It’s wild to think that the movie that started it all is the franchise’s most different, but that’s just because The Terminator doesn’t operate as a big-budget action movie with explosive set pieces. It’s a low-budget thriller that sometimes verges on horror, leaning more on the thrill of the chase than the actual chase itself. And the result is nothing short of, well, thrilling.