The Terminator is one of Arnold Schwarzeneggers’ most iconic roles.
Although Conan the Barbarian was a big hit for Schwarzenegger early in his career, he had a hard time convincing studios to take him seriously as the lead character. But after James Cameron cast him in The Terminator, his film career and fate changed completely. He was originally approached to play the character Kyle Reese, and after a long discussion with James Cameron about how the cyborg should be portrayed, it became clear that he was the perfect choice.
The original Terminator by Arnold Schwarzenegger is a masked villain wearing a human mask. The film’s success led to other projects such as Commando and Predator, and Schwarzenegger soon became one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. The Terminator is still his signature role and he has returned to the franchise numerous times.
Here are all versions of the Terminator played by Arnold.
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The Terminator (T-800)
James Cameron originally conceived the character as someone who could blend in easily, and Lance Henriksen was considered for the role before Arnie signed on. The T-800 in The Terminator travels back in time to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the unborn resistance leader who would later lead humanity through the war against the machines. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is a little terrible, in the little touches he brought to it. His eyes move like a surveillance camera and his head slowly turns to follow him. He reloads weapons without looking and moves robotically, unnaturally. In The Terminator, most of his lines became iconic, including the famous “I’ll be back.”
Terminator 2: (1991) (T-800)
“Terminator 2: turned the original concept around and made the T-800 a hero programmed to protect ten-year-old John Connor. Schwarzenegger has received great movie star success since the release of the original film. However, he is still iconic in this role, having a good friendship with a young John Connor as this T-800 slowly learns what it means to be human.
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (T-850)
Terminator 2, rights issues and other issues delayed filming for the third series for more than 12 years. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is very much like a repeat of the second movie, with an Arnold T-850 model protecting an older John Connor from a T-X model. The T-850 is very similar to the previous model, although they are programmed to act more humanly. Schwarzenegger is still great in the role, and once again forms a surprisingly touching bond with Connor and even sacrifices himself to save him.RELATED:
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Terminator: Genisys (2015) (T-800Â “Guardian”)
Terminator Genisys might be the weakest of the sequels, but again, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is the brightest. This machine actually also gets an emotional arc sent back in time to protect Sarah Connor and has to raise her like a father, making it the most human T-800 ever. This T-800 was called the “Guardian” and James Cameron suggested that this style of iron machine could also age like a human. This version of the Terminator also gets an upgrade at the end: she is dipped in a mimetic polyalloy that gains abilities like the T-1000.
Terminator Dark Fate (2019)
In 1998, three years after the destruction of Cyberdyne Systems Corporation, Sarah and John Connor are on the beach in Livingston, Guatemala, when they are suddenly attacked by a T-800 Terminator. One of several sent back in time by Skynet, the Terminator kills John and leaves despite Sarah’s attempts to stop him. Dark Fate has some good ideas, good actors, and a couple of good fights, but it’s still full of the same elements that make sequels so secondary and dull. If Sarah and the Terminator had just spent the entire movie trying to reconcile after John’s death, it would be interesting. It’s nice to look at Linda, it’s nice to look at Schwarzenegger, and there are some worthy interesting moments here, but still, the franchise is a bit boring.RELATED:
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