Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator has been a pop culture sensation over the years. Several reasons, from the casting of the Governator to some of the iconic pop culture dialogues like “I’ll be back” made it a monumental event in the history of cinema. It added a new definition to the science fiction genre and marked a new CGI era in Hollywood.
The Terminator franchise had a primary contribution to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. With his height, look, and voice, Schwarzenegger embodied the role and made a name in the history of cinema. As recently the actor announced his departure from the franchise and refused to return in any potential sequel, let’s take a look at where his Terminator films stand.
Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in five of the six films in the franchise. Terminator: Salvation, which tried to take a new route by starring different faces failed miserably. So here’s our ranking of all of Schwarzenegger’s Terminator films from best to worst.
1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
There is often a common notion among fans that iconic films usually have a very disappointing sequel. Terminator 2: Judgement Day proved it wrong by earning critical acclaim from critics and audiences. The story focuses on a reprogrammed T-800 (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent back in time to protect John Connor, the future savior of humanity. James Cameron did an incredible job by turning Arnie’s character into a hero in this film. Besides that, it also featured some of the best action, visual effects, and make-up seen in a blockbuster. The film collected over $515 million (via The Numbers) at the box office and skyrocketed the franchise’s popularity.
2. The Terminator
The Terminator is not far behind its sequel. James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi drama established Arnold Schwarzenegger as the new face of action in Hollywood. The film showed how Schwarzenegger’s titular character goes back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor, whose son is set to be the savior of humanity from extinction. Despite its low budget, the film features some of the most memorable and creepiest moments of cinema.
3. Terminator: Dark Fate
Terminator: Dark Fate has been a highly controversial entry in the franchise. Despite earning a positive critical reaction, has a highly polarizing audience reception. The 2019 film served as a direct sequel to the 1991 film, Terminator: Judgement Day and promised a lot by bringing back Schwarzenegger, Hamilton, and even James Cameron as one of the producers. It is widely considered as an improvement over the sequels that came before it but the opening twist of John Connor’s death still raises debates among fans. The film also became a commercial flop and canceled the hopes for a new trilogy.
4. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Following the monstrous success of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the fans had a lot of hope for Rise of the Machines. The threequel also performed well at the box office and ended its run close behind its predecessor. However, this was also a controversial addition and divided everyone. While the critics were very positive about the film, many fans hated the undoing of the events of T2. There are many haters of this 2003 film but it is not the worst in the franchise.
5. Terminator: Genisys
Terminator: Genisys aimed to reboot the franchise by ignoring its predecessors and weaving a new story based on the premise of the first film. Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, none of the original cast returned, and we got to see Emilia Clarke as the new Sarah Connor. It failed to find the perfect balance and continuously tried to pay tribute to the original movies despite being a reboot. It did not sit well among fans and critics who thought a standalone storyline could have been a better route for the film. The writing, action, and CGI also received a lot of backlash from the fans.
According to rumors (via Screen Rant), James Cameron is developing a seventh film in the franchise. However, with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s departure from the franchise, it will require an incredibly written story and brilliant performances to bring back the fans into the theaters.
All the Terminator films can be rented on Apple TV+.
