KnockBack, Episode 226: The Terminator (Patreon)

James Cameron's 1984 sci-fi/horror flick The Terminator isn't so much underappreciated as it is oft-overlooked. After all, this film's sequel is one of the most famous action and sci-fi movies of all-time, but its predecessor is something more stayed, grounded, and thrilling. Intertwining themes of nuclear war and time travel with a very recognizable 1980s Los Angeles and a handful of wonderful performances, The Terminator does a lot of heavy lifting, not only in catapulting forward a series that still exists to this day, but in proving what science fiction can accomplish outside of the tried-and-true themes of space travel and spaceships and space battles and... space, generally. And yes: Arnold is awesome. Of course he is! So let's get you up to speed on this classic flick, starting with what year it is.