All 6 Terminator movies ranked from worst to best

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in Skydance Productions and Paramount Pictures' "TERMINATOR: DARK FATE."
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in Skydance Productions and Paramount Pictures' "TERMINATOR: DARK FATE."
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1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The Terminator could have functioned as a standalone thriller. It also could have spawned a franchise of standalone sequels with similar plots about killer cyborgs sent back in time to take out new targets. But James Cameron wanted to take the franchise in a new direction with its second installment, leaning into the lore that its predecessor only alluded to. As a result, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was every bit as fresh as its predecessor.

Picking up a decade after the first film, T2 sees a new, more advanced Terminator sent back in time to kill 10-year-old John Connor. To stop him, the resistance send back another warrior of their own; a reprogrammed T-800 assigned to protect John, who forms an unlikely bond with the kid as he stops at nothing to keep him safe. And in their corner is the hardened Sarah Connor, who is more willing to protect her son than the unflinching cyborg.

Robert Patrick is chilling as the unstoppable T-1000 while Schwarzenegger delivers his finest work as the Terminator. The biggest star, of course, is Linda Hamilton who offers up a career-defining performance as Sarah Connor.

As frustrating as it is that almost every Terminator movie after T2 copied its format, you also can’t really blame them. The movie was a major game-changer for many reasons and it has earned itself a place among the greatest movies of all time.

What’s your favorite Terminator movie? Would you like there to be another one or do you think it’s time to leave the franchise alone?