The Terminator- Much like Alien and Aliens this is in many ways superior to the sequel but also a totally different type of movie than it's sequel. Much like Alien this is at it's core a fairly simple horror movie. I definitely appreciate it's grittier low rent, back alley portrayal of LA more than the slickness of T2. Aside from a couple of stop motion and animatronic shots the effects hold up extremely well and the action while sloppy is still highly engaging. While Arnold's performance is obviously quite limited he is used perfectly, Michael Beihn looks great in the role but his acting is less than stellar. Linda Hamilton on the other hand does an excellent job and really carries the movie.
Obviously it's a classic and I am very glad to have grown up with stuff like this, Robocop, Predator, Die Hard etc. rather than stuff like the Fast & Furious series, disposable PG13 fodder and shitty unnecessary sequels and remakes.