73 Years Later, the Greatest Opening Line in Sci-fi History Is Still an Unbeatable Classic

Catch it now for free on YouTube, as there’s no telling when it’ll be back Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the rare sequel where just about everybody likes it better than the original. That’s for good reason. The 1991 sci-fi action thriller redefined the blockbuster with a relentlessly exciting story, mind-blowing special effects, and the superstar presence of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie is so good it often outshines its predecessor, which also redefined the action thriller in the 1980s and is still exhilarating to watch for an entirely different reason than its sequel. Directed and co-written by James Cameron, The Terminator, which is currently free to stream on YouTube (with ads), is the story of two opposing time travelers from the year 2029 who venture back to the year 1984 to the city of Los Angeles. The first of these time travelers is a robot (Schwarzenegger) with living tissue over its body. Called a “Terminator,” the robot is a killing machine sent back to murder a woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton).

Elijah is a freelance news writer at Polygon. He was an associate editor at The A. V. Club and Paste, and has been featured in outlets like Game Informer, Fanbyte, Unwinnable, and more. He loves media in all forms, from fighting games and horror flicks to slow cinema and visual novels. He's from the Greater Boston area. 'Path to Doomsday' pits 50 players against Thanos

Sam covers TV, movies, games and books at Polygon, making recommendations about what to watch and play while interviewing actors, writers, and designers about their work. She has spent 15 years working as a journalist and critic, with bylines across numerous publications including IGN, GamesRadar+, The A. V. Club, The Verge, and Windows Central. Show your Klingon honor with an aggressive new deck strategy