There have been six Terminator movies over the past four decades, but which ones stood the test of time? And which ones changed the timeline for the worst?
The Terminator franchise is one of the most iconic in Hollywood history. Starting all the way back in 1984 when the titular cyborg literally walked out of James Cameron’s nightmares and onto our screens in The Terminator, the saga made stars out of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Cameron himself.
The success of the low-budget ’84 thriller changed the game for cinema and paved the way for multiple sequels. Yes, when the T-800 told us all that he’d be back, he meant it, as the Terminator franchise has (thus far) spawned five movie sequels and a TV series. And even though only one of them ever lived up to its predecessor’s hype, they have all entertained audiences around the world over the years.
James Cameron might be busy with Avatar right now, but he is also keeping an open mind about the future of the Terminator franchise. After the failure of Dark Fate in 2019, who even knows if another movie is still an option. Regardless, it gives us a chance to look back on the iconic franchise and rank each of its cinematic installments from worst to best.
Which of the Terminator movies have truly stood the test of time?
6. Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation‘s very existence is blasphemy for a franchise that spent so much time fighting to make sure a future where it was possible would never happen. No, I’m not talking about the movie itself, but rather the fact that we have a Terminator that focuses solely on the one thing the saga never wanted to happen: The future war.
Starring Christian Bale as John Connor, Salvation is also notable for being the only movie in the franchise not to feature Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg (though we do get a CGI nod to him). Why? Well, the world doesn’t need a killer cyborg to protect it, because the world is fighting against killer cyborgs and it’s up to humanity to stop them. Them, and a human/cyborg hybrid named Marcus.
It’s hard to look past the fact that this is a Terminator movie that shouldn’t exist. The war shouldn’t have happened. And that makes the better adventures feel like failed missions. However, if you can look past all that, it’s a pretty solid war movie that toys with some interesting ideas. It doesn’t exactly fulfil its potential or justify its existence, but it’s solid. And the late, great Anton Yelchin’s performance as the young Kyle Reese is easily one of its greatest attributes.
Something else that sets Salvation apart? The fact that it’s a direct sequel to Terminator 3. Yeah, we don’t get many of those.
5. Terminator Genisys
It’s bizarre to look back on the era of Terminator Genisys, it really is. Seen as the next chapter of the Terminator franchise after the lukewarm success of Salvation, there were already two sequels and a TV series lined up for this one before it even arrived in movie theaters, as Skydance looked to relaunch the Hollywood heavyweight. But it didn’t exactly go to plan.
Genisys brought Arnold Schwarzenegger back as the iconic T-800 in a story that saw him sent back earlier in time to protect a young Sarah Connor. “Pops”, as he would become known as, would then raise little Sarah and train her to be the hardened warrior she was destined to become. So when Kyle Reese arrived in 1984, he found a very different Sarah than the one he was expecting.
The movie tries some different things with the familiar story, but the most interesting aspects are almost too convoluted to actually understand. It’s also more reboot than sequel, with the time travel antics essentially wiping the two iconic Terminator movies out of existence – a story move that fans didn’t take too kindly to. There’s also the fact that this one’s inherently lighter tone looked like a blatant attempt to franchise Terminator for a Transformers audience, and Jai Courtney’s action hero makes him feel like a miscast for Reese.
That said, the first half of the movie is pretty darn great and it’s a shame it couldn’t have stayed in the ’80s for longer. Moreover, Emilia Clarke does a great job channelling the badass T2 Sarah Connor and mixing it with the youth of the T1 Sarah. And Schwarzenegger is, as always, brilliant.
Honestly, this one is a guilty pleasure of mine and I always enjoy a good rewatch of it. In fact, I almost ranked it above our next entry…
4. Terminator: Dark Fate
Despite being the fourth sequel that never really needed to happen, Terminator: Dark Fate is probably the most divisive of all. And yet, it’s the T2 sequel that the critics were most kind to. That in itself makes it a must-watch so that you can make up your own mind.
It’s easy to see where the divisive reputation comes from. As a longtime Terminator fan, I hated the decision to kill off John Connor in the opening flashback. No, I despised it. Especially since the movie replaces him with characters few fans of the franchise actually care about. Nonetheless, I’d be lying if I said a pretty good movie doesn’t follow that controversial decision.
The movie’s story isn’t anything we haven’t seen in previous sequels and the new characters aren’t as interesting as their predecessors, but Dark Fate has a grit about it that the two previous movies didn’t have. It feels like a Terminator sequel in style in that it isn’t afraid to get violent and it isn’t afraid to tug on your heartstrings. While Genisys turned up the light, the action, and the one-liners, Dark Fate returns the franchise to its visual origins, giving it a classic, mature action movie feel.
As much as the movie wants the new stars to shine, the real star is Linda Hamilton who effortlessly brings Sarah Connor back to the big screen after almost three decades. She doesn’t lose a step, and the biggest tragedy of the film’s underperformance is that we probably won’t see her in action as the character again.
3. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
It’s pretty ironic that a franchise that has spent much of the past two decades telling us “this is the real third Terminator movie” still hasn’t been able to produce an entry as strong as the actual T3.
Released in 2003, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the long-awaited follow-up to the iconic second movie that many never thought would happen. And the fact that it didn’t have James Cameron behind the camera pretty much highlighted that it probably shouldn’t have. Nevertheless, it did, and this time, a new Terminator known as the T-X was on the hunt for John Connor and Katherine Brewster, only to find herself face-to-face with the another Terminator assigned to protect them.
T3 is certainly derivative of the second movie, but not at its own expense. It adds to the lore, updating Arnie’s Terminator model ever so slightly, producing a logical new threat in the T-X and adding Connor’s future wife to the mix. It also makes a bold creative choice that forced the franchise into new territory that should have been followed up on much sooner. And above all else, it’s one heck of a good time.
Sure, Terminator 3 technically shouldn’t exist. None of the Terminator movies after T2 should really. But it does, and they do. And T3 is by far the best of them all. So if you want to watch the real Terminator trilogy, close it out with this one.
2. The Terminator
In the early 1980s, up-and-coming director James Cameron had a terrifying nightmare and he wanted us all to see it. We’re so thankful he decided to share it with us all, because from that nightmare The Terminator was born.
The basic plotline is simple, focusing on a monster-of-a-man intent on killing a young woman he never met. Beneath that plot is a much deeper story about the dangers of technology, for that man is a cyborg sent back in time with a mission to destroy the mother of the man who would one day save the world from the machines.
The beauty of The Terminator is that it never buckles under that complex story, not once losing sight of its basic premise. It isn’t a war movie, a time travel movie, or an action movie; it’s a story about one woman’s will to survive so that her unborn son can save the future. And Linda Hamilton’s performance as the young Sarah Connor is impeccable.
It’s wild to think that the movie that started it all is the franchise’s most different, but that’s just because The Terminator doesn’t operate as a big-budget action movie with explosive set pieces. It’s a low-budget thriller that sometimes verges on horror, leaning more on the thrill of the chase than the actual chase itself. And the result is nothing short of, well, thrilling.
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?