The Best Terminator Movies (November 2025)

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Whether you’ve been watching since the beginning or are just discovering it, The Terminator has become a truly legendary movie series. Here’s a ranking of the best films in the franchise.

What are the best Terminator movies as of 2025?

The most recent Terminator film, Dark Fate, came out in 2019. Despite the iconic line from the first movie, “I’ll be back,” it’s unclear if another sequel will be made anytime soon. This could be due to the film’s poor performance at the box office, or simply because audiences have moved on. However, with movie franchises, there’s always a chance for a continuation – perhaps in another ten years, with a new director at the helm.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

This sequel is arguably even better than the first film, ranking among the best follow-ups like The Godfather: Part II and The Dark Knight Rises. Terminator 2 takes everything that made the original great and amplifies it – bigger action sequences, improved special effects, and a surprisingly emotional core. Linda Hamilton delivers a legendary performance as Sarah Connor, evolving into a fierce warrior, and the T-800 undergoes a compelling transformation from villain to hero, giving audiences someone to truly cheer for. Remarkably, the film still holds up visually even after all these years.

As a huge movie fan, I always loved how Terminator 2: Judgment Day kicks things off. The story jumps to 2029, and the world is a total wreck after a long war between machines – Skynet – and the humans fighting back. Skynet’s desperate, so it sends its most advanced Terminator back in time to take out John Connor, the future leader of the resistance, while he’s still a kid. Basically, they want to prevent him from ever becoming a threat. But the humans aren’t sitting ducks! They send their own Terminator – a reprogrammed T-800 – back to protect him.

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The Terminator (1984)

The first Terminator movie, directed by James Cameron, presents a truly frightening look at the future. Set in 2029, the film depicts a world where an artificial intelligence system called Skynet has nearly destroyed humankind. The remaining humans are led by John Connor as they struggle to survive. To prevent Connor from ever existing, Skynet sends a cyborg killer – the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger – back in time to 1984 Los Angeles with the mission of killing his mother, Sarah Connor.

Though widely recognized as a classic sci-fi film, the story behind The Terminator‘s creation is surprisingly unusual. Director James Cameron first imagined the concept during a fever dream while working on another movie. He sold the script to producer Gale Anne Hurd for a symbolic one dollar, but insisted on directing it himself. Due to limited funds, the film was often shot quickly and discreetly – the crew would film at locations without permission, then leave before being noticed. Despite its small $6.4 million budget, The Terminator ultimately earned over $78 million around the world.

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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Okay, so it had been a good twelve years since the whole Judgment Day scare when Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines came out. Turns out Sarah Connor’s efforts to alter the future weren’t quite as successful as she’d hoped. Jonathan Mostow took the director’s chair this time around – big shoes to fill after James Cameron – and we find John Connor all grown up, trying to live a quiet life off the radar. But Skynet isn’t giving up that easily, and they send a seriously upgraded Terminator, the T-X, to finish the job.

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the iconic T-800 in this installment, once again tasked with protecting John Connor and stopping the future Judgment Day. He earned a massive $29.25 million for his role, plus a share of the film’s profits (20%) and another $1.5 million in additional benefits. Despite being in his 50s, Schwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts. The film was a huge success, grossing over $433 million worldwide and demonstrating the enduring popularity of the Terminator series.

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Terminator Salvation (2009)

The fourth Terminator film, Salvation, marked a decline for the series. Although it featured a talented cast including Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anton Yelchin, the movie didn’t quite succeed. A major factor was the absence of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was serving as Governor of California and unable to participate, leaving the franchise without its biggest star.

Terminator Salvation, set in 2018, finally shows us the post-apocalyptic future previously teased in the series. John Connor, played by Christian Bale, is now a soldier leading the fight against Skynet’s machines. When a strange new character, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), appears—part man, part machine—the definition of what it means to be human becomes unclear. The film had all the ingredients for success—a bleak, war-torn setting, a strong cast, and a promise to avoid time travel—but it unfortunately didn’t quite capture the magic of the original movies. It relied too much on computer-generated effects and explosions, losing sight of the human element—a rather ironic flaw for a Terminator film.

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Terminator Genisys (2015)

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns in the fifth Terminator film, joined by Emilia Clarke. This movie essentially restarts the series, disregarding all previous sequels and the TV show. The story involves Kyle Reese, a soldier from a future war, traveling to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor. However, he discovers the past has already been altered: Sarah was raised by a Terminator – nicknamed “Pops” – who was sent back in time to protect her when she was a child.

The movie jumps around in time and introduces a modern take on the classic villain Skynet, this time as a tech app called “Genisys,” reflecting our current fascination with technology. While the time travel element is sometimes effective, and it’s great to see Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his iconic role, the film ultimately feels chaotic with its complicated timelines and constant action.

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Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Terminator: Dark Fate essentially restarts the franchise, pretending the sequels never happened and focusing on the original story. It brings back iconic stars Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger! The film also introduces Mackenzie Davis as Grace, a super-soldier from the future tasked with protecting Dani Ramos (played by Natalia Reyes), who is the latest person the machines are trying to eliminate.

Dark Fate feels very much like the original Terminator – it’s another story of humans fighting relentless machines. The action sequences are well-done, the stunts are impressive, and it’s fun to see Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger reunite. However, the movie doesn’t quite come together as a fully satisfying experience, and box office numbers suggest many viewers felt the same way. Perhaps audiences were simply tired of reboots and complicated timelines, or maybe newer viewers didn’t have the same attachment to the classic characters. Despite its flaws, it’s still worth watching as a way to conclude the entire Terminator series.

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How we picked the best Terminator movies

It’s common knowledge that sequels rarely live up to the original, and the Terminator movies are a good example of that. We initially planned to list only the top five, but since there are only six Terminator films total, we decided to rank them all for you.

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2025-11-05 00:19