I have been teaching The Terminator to students since the early 2000s, initially as part of degrees related to modern US history, and since 2006 as part of the film studies degree programme at Bangor University.
This has allowed me to appreciate the film and study it in depth. It has made a deep and lasting impression on me as not only one of the best science fiction films of the 1980s, but as one of the best sci-fi films ever made.
WHEN director James Cameron's The Terminator hit cinemas in 1984, it forever altered the landscape of science fiction.
Released 40 years ago, the plot unfolds against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic future, where an artificial intelligence [AI] defence network, Skynet, has turned against humanity.
It triggers a nuclear holocaust and creates a dystopian world, where machines hunt down the last remnants of human life.
Desperate to avoid defeat by the human resistance, Skynet sends a Terminator back in time. This lifelike cyborg is almost indistinguishable from a person, but superior in strength, agility and intelligence.
Its mission : eliminate Sarah Connor [ Linda Hamilton ], the mother of the future human resistance leader. The Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is relentless in its pursuit and a near unstoppable force.
Meanwhile Sarah's son, John, sends back a lone warrior, Kyle Reese [ Michael Biehn ], from the future to protect his mother. Though human and vulnerable, through his determination and resourcefulness, Sarah is able to defeat the Terminator.
The movie explores themes of fate and free will. It's underpinned by the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement in the era of Ronald Reagan and his strategic defence initiative '' Star Wars '' , as it was popularly known, was conceived to defend the US from attack from Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles.
'' The Terminator still resonates.''
The World Students Society thanks Professor Nathan Abrams, who teaches film studies at Bangor University in the UK.
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