Every Arnold Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best

9. Terminator: Salvation (2009)

A naked CG Arnold cameo circa 1984 is the best thing about director McG’s disappointing sequel, the fourth in the Terminator franchise. Christian Bale plays future resistance leader John Connor as a man who either screams or actually screams, as his two-note performance seems lost in the film’s plot and low emotional stakes. The visuals are as impressive as they are empty.

8. Terminator: Genisys (2015)

A remix of Terminators 1 and 2 that completely (and wisely) ignores the events of the other sequels, Genisys really wants to be a big-budget homage to James Cameron’s classic R-rated films. Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney have no chemistry as Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese, so the film’s flaws become even more apparent as our heroes try to stop another Terminator like the T-1000 and Skynet. However, Arnold is interesting to watch, albeit in a supporting role.

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7. The Sixth Day (2000)

Despite its inspired premise—a future in which cloning is common but prohibited when it comes to humans—The Sixth Day falls short in its mechanical and formulaic execution of that premise. Casting Arnold as a helicopter pilot who discovers he’s been cloned doesn’t do the film any favors, as he struggles to pull off the “conventional action hero” persona he achieved so well in Total Recall. (Robert Duvall steals the show, however, as the scientist does morally questionable things for emotional reasons.) The production’s glaring cuts to the visual effects budget don’t help matters either.

6. The Running Man (1987)

The Running Man, loosely based on the 1982 novel written by Stephen King (under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), is the epitome of a guilty pleasure. The material deserves a less cheesy take, but there are worse things than watching Arnold literally fight for his life in a dystopian United States where “runners” are hunted by over-the-top killers on a reality show. Now, some 37 years after its release, Running Man feels chillingly more prescient now than it did then — an unfortunate testament to its legacy.

5. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

The most diverse and inclusive Terminator movie yet, Dark Fate is a compelling blockbuster and is quietly one of the better sci-fi films of the decade. Director Tim Miller of Deadpool fame delivered the third-best Terminator movie in the series and, sadly, the most underseen. By the time Dark Fate came out, Genisys had already poisoned that well for audiences in terms of enticing them to give the franchise’s second reboot in four years another shot. It didn’t help that the marketing campaign struggled to find a way to inspire moviegoers to rise above their atrophy, either.

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4. Predator (1987)

As endlessly quotable as it is rewatchable, director John McTiernan made what could have been a cheap “Alien but in the jungle” sort of action/sci-fi into one of the ’80s’ best genre films. The role of special forces commando Dutch let Schwarzenegger emerge as a worthy challenger to Sylvester Stallone’s reign as the king of jacked 1980s action heroes. Even though Dutch is the last man standing, after the Predator hunts and slays every last member of his unit, the tension of whether or not he will survive the final fight. I mean, sure, we know Mr. “Get To The Choppa!” is going to triumph, but how he does it makes Predator one of the most satisfying entries in the genre.

3. Total Recall (1990)

Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. In this ’90s action classic, Schwarzenegger plays Quaid, a construction worker turned spy forced to flee from some very bad guys with guns when he learns he’s not who he thinks he is.

2. The Terminator (1984)

Writer-director James Cameron forever changed both the genre and Schwarzenegger’s career with this gritty, tension-filled actioner that mixes science fiction, action, and certain horror movie elements into one of the best things to ever come out of Hollywood. In what would become his signature role, Schwarzenegger imbues each of his scenes with dread as his murder-fueled murder machine from the future stalks young Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) through Los Angeles while sleazy Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) trying his best to stop something that cannot be killed. Cameron’s well-structured script is pure polish, with no excess fat and plenty of gripping tension, which helps make it the timeless classic it is today.

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Cameron’s follow-up to his successful 1984 film is one of the best theatrical films in history, thanks to its innovative CGI visual effects that paved the way for its use (or abuse) in future blockbusters. This tool allowed Cameron to create one of the most iconic movie villains ever, the T-1000, so he could fight another of his most iconic villain-turned-heroes, the T-800. The storyline at times feels like a remake of 1984’s The Terminator, only with bigger and more complex action sequences. But it also doubles the emotional weight of the story, making T2 one of the standard bearers for how to make a great sequel that improves on the original.