The Terminator

The Terminator grabs you from the start and never slows down. The pacing is spot on and every scene pushes the story forward. The music is a huge part of it too, those dark synths make everything feel tense and dangerous. Linda Hamilton is brilliant, tough and very hot while still feeling real. Schwarzenegger is perfect as the Terminator, he barely talks and still manages to be completely terrifying. The gritty look, the practical effects and the tight style all hold up today. It proves you do not need big modern CGI to make something exciting.