The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction action thriller film directed by James Cameron.
It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose un𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 son will one day save mankind from extinction by a hostile artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future. Michael Biehn plays Kyle Reese, a soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah. The screenplay is credited to Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, while co-writer William Wisher Jr. received a credit for additional dialogue.