Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to sci-fi. It's also the genre that let him pan out to other types of films and build the great career he has today. We all remember him as the haunting and imposing Terminator, a role he would return to four more times in his career, with different stories and reboots putting him front and center. However, he's made some of the best genre classics during the '80s and '90s, such as Total Recall and Predator.
In sci-fi, Schwarzenegger showcases his larger-than-life persona while delivering plenty of one-liners, even making fun of himself. In many of these films, we can see Arnold battling relentless cyborgs, surviving deadly dystopian games, fighting clones of himself, or even exploring the mysteries of memory manipulation. Schwarzenegger always brings his unique brand of charisma and physicality to every role.
Now it's time to briefly examine all his parts in the genre and remember these great films.
11 Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Only James Cameron could bring Arnold back to his most iconic role for one last round. While Cameron was in the producer role this time, that was enough to get Schwarzenegger to play the T-800 again. Terminator: Dark Fate is directed by Tim Miller and written by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray. The combination of talent should have made this one a winner. Still, the underwhelming story frustrated fans, especially after Arnold stated he was retiring from playing the character.
With Arnold on board, we also get Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong back as John, but he only makes a glorified cameo since he's killed in the film's first five minutes. Mackenzie Davis takes over as the new savior traveling from the future, teaming up with Sarah Connor, who's been hunting down Terminators after John died, each time getting leads to each point where they'll appear. The film is supposed to be a direct sequel to Terminator 2. Still, it essentially invalidates all the events of the second entry in the franchise in the opening, something that wasn't well received by some of the members of the cast and Cameron himself.
10 Terminator Genisys (2015)
Arnold was pretty sure he was done with the character after the underwhelming results of Terminator 3. Warner thought they had a shot at an Arnold-less film by making Terminator Salvation, but the film failed to live up to expectations (the movie still has a cameo by Arnold, but it was CGI generated). After some debacles over the rights of the characters, Skydance Productions retained the rights and did Terminator Genisys.
This soft reboot takes the premise of The Terminatorand introduces a new timeline: Schwarzenegger's T-800 Terminator is sent back to protect Sarah Connor and her allies from the genocidal Skynet. Directed by Alan Taylor, with a script by Laeta Kalogridis, this film takes multiple liberties with the original continuity by making John Connor a henchman to Skynet and giving Skynet a human avatar played by Matt Smith. The rest of the cast includes Emilia Clarke taking over as Sarah Connor and Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese.
Related: Every James Cameron Movie, Ranked
9 Escape Plan (2013)
After two stints as Governor in California, Arnold returned to the big screen. The aging star finally gave fans the team-up film they were all rooting for as he paired up with Stallone to make Escape Plan, an action thriller where both men must escape a futuristic maximum-security prison. The movie is directed by Mikael Håfström, with a script by Miles Chapman and Jason Keller. The cast includes the two action giants alongside Jim Caviezel, Curtis Jackson, Vinnie Jones, Sam Neil, and Vincent D'Onofrio.
In this peculiar sci-fi action thriller, Schwarzenegger plays Emil Rottmayer, an inmate who helps the best structural engineer devise an escape plan from a high-tech, maximum-security prison without getting caught. While the movie's setting seems in the present, most of the tech used in the film has a futuristic feeling. The high-octane action and tension of the story make one of the best offerings from both actors after their team-up in The Expendables.
8 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Before diving deep into politics, Arnold gave us one final ride as The Terminator in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. While James Cameron was more than finished with the franchise by then, he gave his blessing for the sequel. Jonathan Mostow directs the film, which features a story written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. For this new adventure, we get Schwarzenegger as yet another repurposed T-800, with Nick Stahl taking over the role of John Connor and Claire Danes as Kate Brewster.
Set years after the events of Terminator 2, we follow John Connor as he's been living under the radar, with no digital imprint, and looking at the future with uncertainty. A new Terminator model is sent to the present to kill him in the wake of Judgment Day. The T-X, played by Kristanna Loken, has the mission to kill Connor, his future wife, and all his generals, while the T-800 has the mission to keep him safe before disaster arrives. The film touches on one fixed destiny, as all the events from T2 merely delay the inevitable.
7 The 6th Day (2000)
Do you know what's better than one Arnold Schwarzenegger? Two Schwarzeneggers duking it out! The 6th Day was the first offering by Arnold for the new millennium. The film was directed by Roger Spottiswoode, with a script by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley. The story is set in a not-so-distant future, where we follow Schwarzenegger as Adam Gibson, a helicopter pilot who discovers that he's been cloned after a botched assassination attempt.
In the film, Arnold must find out what happened to him, why there's a clone of him running around with his family, and, more importantly, who wants him dead. The solid cast also includes Michael Rapaport and Tony Goldwyn. Gibson must fight an evil corporation to reclaim his identity and expose the truth. This film came during the height of the new cloning procedures used to create sheep, so it explores themes such as the ethics of cloning and the potential dangers of this technology.
Related: Terminator Movies in Order: Chronologically and by Release Date
6 Junior (1994)
While Junior is regarded as a comedy by the internet, the film broke several boundaries back in the day. Not only does it present the notion of a man getting pregnant to the audiences, but it also does so using scientific principles, which while still unrealistic, paved the way to the widespread acceptance of transgender men getting pregnant, as it happens commonly these days. It doesn't hurt they also used the manliest figure of the time to get away with it. The film is directed by Ivan Reitman, with a script by Kevin Wade and Chris Conrad.
In the film, we get Arnold, Danny DeVito, and Emma Thompson as a trio of scientists testing a fertility drug named Expectane, designed to reduce the chances of a miscarriage in pregnant women. After a series of mishaps, Schwarzenegger, as Dr. Alex Hesse, gets himself pregnant using an ovum codenamed Junior, becoming the first man to carry a pregnancy as part of the groundbreaking text. The film is funny but also an excellent commentary on gender roles, scientific experimentation, and the challenges of pregnancy.
Related: 20 Greatest R–Rated Comic Book Movies of All Time
5 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
It would take James Cameron seven years to get Arnold back in the saddle as the T-800. After making Aliens in 1986, the director had a lot of creative freedom and financial backing to make the sequel the breakout hit of 1991. The script written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr. reunites Arnold with Linda Hamilton, this time as allies to protect John Connor, played by Edward Furlong. This highly acclaimed sequel was the most expensive film ever made, and it paid off big time.
In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Schwarzenegger plays a reprogrammed T-800 model with the mission to protect John Connor from a more advanced and deadly T-1000, a liquid-based cyborg sent back in time to finish the mission. The more extensive scope of the script explores diverse themes such as humanity's fate, the search for redemption, and the ethical implications of developing artificial intelligence. It's a great movie that still holds up well despite being 32 years old.
4 Total Recall (1990)
Total Recall was the next banger we got from Schwarzenegger in 1990. This super violent film was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, and Gary Goldman. On top of Arnold, we also get Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox, and Rachel Ticotin. In this mind-bending sci-fi thriller, Schwarzenegger portrays Doug Quaid, a man with a seemingly everyday life who undergoes a memory implant procedure that goes awry.
After waking up, a string of events occurs, leading him to question his identity and reality. As Quaid digs deeper into his past life, he finds out he's a double agent playing both sides of a larger scheme to make the planet Mars a habitat apt for humans. As with most Verhoeven films, this one works as a staunch critique of consumerism and corporations while exploring themes of memory manipulation, conspiracy, and the nature of reality.
3 The Running Man (1987)
If there is one significant trait to highlight from the 80s is that every single futuristic film painted a doomed picture of humanity. The Running Man is set in a dystopian future where all convicts are forced to play a survival game broadcasted to all audiences. Criminals must fight for their lives as runners while fleeing armed mercenaries known as stalkers. The grand reward is a government pardon and a tropical vacation.
The Running Man was made on a modest budget of $27 million. It was directed by Paul Michael Glaser and written by Steven E. de Souza. The casting features Arnold, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Yaphet Kotto. This sci-fi action film is a thrilling story that caused more troubles in real life than in the actual film, as the production was hit with a lawsuit for plagiarism. Schwarzenegger does a great job as Ben Richards in a film that explores government totalitarianism and media manipulation.
2 Predator (1987)
Arnold didn't slow down with the classics and released two big tentpoles in 1987. Predator is also the first entry of the beloved sci-fi franchise. The first Predator film faced many challenges while in production, but one of the most notable setbacks was the final design of the creature. Jean Claude Van Damme was hired to play the Predator, and the costume was built for him. When the time came to shoot, John McTiernan realized it wasn't working out, so it returned to the drawing board.
As we know him today, the Predator was created by Stan Winston and James Cameron. The film is directed by McTiernan and written by Jim and John Thomas. Arnold is the headliner as Dutch, the field leader of the operatives looking to retrieve lost assets in the Val Verde Jungle. Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, and Jesse Ventura play supporting roles. Dutch witnesses as every member of his crew is hunted and killed by a cunning extraterrestrial creature in the jungle. It's a great story combining horror, action, and sci-fi.
1 The Terminator (1984)
Did you know James Cameron got the idea for The Terminator after having a nightmare of a flaming skeleton pursuing him? The man certainly knows how to bring a terrifying vision to life. The first film in the Terminator Franchise was written and directed by Cameron with the help of Gale Anne Hurd. It's the first time Arnold plays the T-800, alongside Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Michael Biehn as Private Kyle Reese.
This classic sci-fi film has Schwarzenegger playing the iconic cyborg assassin sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor, the woman who would become the mother of future resistance leader John Connor. It's a movie made on a meager budget of $ 6,4 million that manages to explore themes related to time travel paradoxes, artificial intelligence, and the dangerous potential of technology.
