I’m back everyone just as I promised in my review of Terminator Dark Fate to rank all of the films in the Terminator franchise. We will be taking a look at all 6 of them from the 1984 original to 2019’s Dark Fate and this a franchise that’s kind of like Die Hard where I only had seen one of them until fairly recently when I decided to finally check out the rest in the franchise. Not sure why it took that long but all that matters is that I did it and I am very eager to share my thoughts on each of them. Now this is an interesting set of films in that 4 of them are considered follow ups to the original 2 (or at the very least only acknowledge those ones) so the continuity is a bit all over the place but there are actually very interesting to talk about in terms of what work or don’t work about each of them and what they bring to the table for the franchise. So with that out of the way let’s get right to it and start talking about one of the most influential, and iconic sci fi action series of them all!
6. Terminator Genisys
So this one was actually the first Terminator movie I ever saw so in some way I do have some fond memories of it as it did introduce me to the world, and the franchise in general. Unfortunately other than that for me this was is just a disappointing mess that honestly got worse when I re watched it. Now while I can appreciate how it’s at least trying to do something a little different with how it plays around with the mythology of the first two movies, the stuff in the beginning actually has some interesting stuff about it particular with how John Connor is portrayed, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is hilarious here and is easily my favorite part of the flick getting some really funny moments. That being said everything else just fell flat as it tries to cram in all of these very strange ideas, and concepts that almost feel like Terminator fan fiction like what if Sarah Connor was raised by a Terminator (okay that one actually had some potential), or what if John Connor was the bad guy (a twist that while given away in the trailers actually came as a surprise because I never saw that particular trailer… doesn’t mean I thought it was good but still). What’s even worse is that the writers opt for the most standard execution of these premises and they don’t really do much of interest with them. Not helping matters is that Jai Courtney, whom I think is a solid actor in the right role, was just miscast as Kyle Reese lacking much in the way of a distinct personality, and the character is just a very generic lead and while Emilia Clarke is fine the two lack any effective chemistry which really hurts the relationship they begin to form. But at the very least there should be some really fun, and well made action sequences like any other Terminator movie. Sadly that’s not the case here as there is a lack in much of the way of stand out set pieces here and it’s not that their badly edited or shot just lacking much in the way of memorability, and feel like their going through the motions (not to mention some awkward CGI). In all while I can look back on it fondly for how it got me into the series, this is just a frustratingly generic installment that is honestly one of my least favorite big blockbuster type movies that I’ve seen over the last decade.
5. Terminator Salvation
This is an interesting one as despite it’s placement here on this list I actually do appreciate a lot of things about it namely that it instead of trying to follow the same basic concept of the previous movies this one actually does something completely different as it takes place in post apocalyptic future after Skynet takes over and it follows the often discussed war that took place between the machines, and humanity. There’s just so much potential in that premise and for the most part I was actually on board for the majority of this movie. I thought there was a lot of neat set up at the beginning, I really liked Sam Worthington’s performance as Marcus Wright and what was done with that character, Christian Bale made for an interesting John Connor, I loved the post apocalyptic look, and vibe of the movie with the production design being a stand out element, the cast is mostly solid, there a lot of really fun, and genuinely creative meticulously crafted action sequences, and once again it’s doing something different within this franchise. Now once Marcus is taken by the Resistance I felt it did lose some momentum there, a lot of the supporting cast is underutilized, and it really stumbles in the third act as it gets so bogged down in the mythology, and it felt somewhat anti climactic as the movie felt it were building up to something bigger going down but instead went with a small scale fight scene that wasn’t as fun or memorable as what came before. Even with that though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed of the fact that we never got a follow up to this one as there was a lot of potential for this to lead the series into a cool new direction. Overall it’s one of those very flawed movies that I still admire for what it was trying to do and I feel with a couple more re writes this could’ve been a great sci fi action movie that was just the breath of fresh air the IP needed.
4. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Out of all of the movies on this list this one might be the most overlooked, and underappreciated of the bunch. Yes it doesn’t reach the heights of the first two movies but I still found a lot to like about it nonetheless. While there is a lot of campy stuff that really doesn’t fit in with the more serious tone of the feature, especially when it comes to Schwarzenegger’s performance, and Kristanna Loken as the T-X and it feels uneven in certain places lacking the excellent pacing that was present in the prior films I thought there were enough interesting ideas to make this one a worthy addition. I really like how we get to see John Connor as an adult and in this stage of life and how we get some more development for him as he’s been living as an outcast ever since the events of T2 and Nick Stahls is solid in the role and his relationship with an old childhood friend of his in Claire Dunes (played by Katherine Brewster) leads to some very thoughtful conversations, and fleshes the two out. It’s also a very grim, and tragic feature that has a lot of shocking violence and it ends with Judgement Day happening showing how inevitable a tragedy it is and I felt like it worked for me mainly because it made sense within the context of the movie and I felt it was a ballsy way to end things off (though I can see why others wouldn’t be fond of it). We also get some fun action beats here, and there especially an end of first act car chase that is just really cool, and a blast to watch unfold and it’s one of my favorite set pieces in the entire series (dang summer 2003 was filled with classic car chases). Warts and all it works as an epilogue to the story and at the very least is the only sequel that didn’t feel like it was trying to set up a franchise.
3. Terminator Dark Fate
Or as I like to call it Terminator 3 2.0 (Salvation stands on it’s own while Genisys is very weird to explain since it messes with the timeline so much). I already did a full review on this one recently so I’ll make this brief. Now I know this is a very controversial one as it does certain things, particularly in the opening, that are definitely not going to please certain fans. But while I do wish they did a better job justifying that decision I still really enjoyed Dark Fate as I think it’s a very enjoyable action movie that has plenty of exciting set pieces, and thrills to entertain, and I thought it introduced some interesting ideas to the series like with what was done with Schwarzenegger’s T-800. Stand out aspect for me here though were the performances, and characters as of course Schwarzenegger, and Hamilton are fantastic in their roles with Hamilton especially bringing a lot of depth to Sarah Connor, while a lot of the newbies like Mackenzie Davis’s Grace, and Gabriel Luna’s Rev-9 are great additions and the movie is filled with great, and effective character interactions that add more depth to the proceedings. It has it shortcomings that do hold it back from true greatness like a little too much exposition in some scenes, some wonky CGI, and a central character (Natalia Reyes’s Dani) that I wish was more interesting but I still feel like this, and Rise of the Machines both follow up T2 in interesting, different ways, and I think both serve as worthy continuations of that story.
2. The Terminator
Ah the one that started it all! It’s easy to forget that James Cameron’s original franchise starter was a very small scale thriller that was, and remains a masterful mix of so many elements that combine such as horror, action, and sci fi into one satisfying stew. Everything from beginning is just so well constructed from the intriguing set up that does a perfect job of showing what’s happening, what is this Terminator is, what it’s objective is, and who the characters are without feeling the need to overexplain everything, to the non stop intensity that comes once Sarah Connor has to go on the run with Kyle Reese and it just never lets up until the end. Cameron directs some truly suspenseful sequences that kept me on the edge of my seat (the car chase, the police station break in, the finale, etc.) and he does a wonderful job of giving us nice little hints of world building with the bleak future after Judgement. The performances are all great as Linda Hamilton makes for a relatable protagonist in Sarah Connor who is just a regular person who realizes that she is much more important than she realized and Michael Biehn is also great as Kyle Reese, the man who was sent to protect her from the Terminator himself. Speaking of which Arnold Schwarzenegger is terrific, and genuinely terrifying as the cold hearted machine sent to kill Sarah Connor and in the process creating one of very best, and most iconic villains in cinematic history. Everything here is just do perfect and the film still holds up incredibly well so many years later. Heck there times where I would consider this my favorite of the series! But in the end first place won out by just a hair and let’s get on to talking about it.
And my favorite movie of the Terminator series is…
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Okay I now it’s a cliché to say this but it’s really hard to decide between the original Terminator, and Judgement Day as both are just classics of the genre and are some of my favorite movies of all time. But while I think they are equal to each other I decided to go with Judgement Day as it does what any great follow up should do. It builds on the foundation laid down by it’s predecessor expanding the world by going bigger both in terms of scale, and the action yet also maintain what made the original so great to begin with. It has some truly incredible action set pieces that utilize a lot of practical stunt work as well as ground breaking special effects that still hold up to this day (it’s almost hard to chose a favorite set piece as there are just so many) and it’s paced excellently just like the first one as it is a thrill ride from beginning to end yet also makes time for some compelling character moments as well. Plus those characters are once again fantastic as Sarah’s character gets taken in some engrossing directions with how much she has been affected by the events of the prior movie, and how far she’s willing to go to stop Judgement Day, Edward Furlong’s John Connor has a great relationship with a T-800 whose now on the side of good which is the beating heart of the feature (that ending just hits so hard), and even the man behind Skynet, Miles Dyson, has a tragic story in how he has a good man with good intentions that unfortunately could lead to the end of the world. And of course Robert Patrick makes for a great threat for our heroes as the T-1000 and he makes for a different yet equally scary baddie as the T-800. It’s got powerful moments throughout, it has great comedy that never feels out of place and both this, and The Terminator make for a truly fantastic duology. No matter what becomes of the franchise one thing is for certain is that these movies will always be worth coming back to.
And that concludes my ranking of the Terminator saga! While the quality can certainly vary I still think this a somewhat underappreciated franchise as I enjoy more of them than I don’t as I like how each of them have things that stand out about them. Even Genisys as poorly executed as I think it is has a certain “throw every crazy idea you can think of” feel to it that makes it stand out a little from the others, and Salvation while flawed I still commend for going in a completely different direction. In all it’s an interesting series to look at, and I was glad as I was able to finally finish it and there’s no denying the impact it has had on so many movies today. But if Dark Fate is truly the end of the line (certainly looks like it judging by the box office) then it may be for the best to avoid this franchise getting stale but it was a fun ride even if it was bumpy at times. So now it’s time to see what you guys think! Are you a fan of the Terminator franchise? Do you agree with my ranking or would you rank them differently? Do you like T1 or T2 more (hard question for me as you can tell)? As always I’m very curious to hear anyone’s opinion and I hope to do more franchise reviews, and rankings in the near future as this, and the Rambo series were fun to do so I hope to do more like them!
Please leave your thoughts down below in the comments and see you guys later!
Review Time 