Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in a lot of sci-fi movies, and here's how they rank. Now in his 70s, Schwarzenegger remains a Hollywood legend and retains a large screen presence even in the twilight of his career. While the former "Governator" of California has seen some personal scandals in the last couple of decades, he's proven able to weather the storm and come out the other side about as popular as he went in. No matter what roles he takes going forward, it's clear that Schwarzenegger's place in movie history is secure.
As far as what the rarely killed onscreen Schwarzenegger's legacy will ultimately be as a movie star, there's no doubt that he'll forever be best known as an action hero. He's a man built like a brick wall that can be relied on to believably beat up or blow away hordes of bad guys onscreen without breaking a sweat. Where Schwarzenegger tends to face greater challenges to his characters' supremacy is the times he ventures into the sci-fi realm.
Schwarzenegger's sci-fi jaunts are, unsurprisingly, usually mixed with action and thrills, and considering how well that style has worked for him, it's no wonder he's stuck to it. Some of Schwarzenegger's greatest movies of all time are sci-fi-flavored, and the following ranking stacks them up all against each other in a battle for the top spot. Here's every Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi movie, ranked worst to best.
9. Terminator Genisys
2015's highly flawed Terminator Genisys was the second attempt to try and kickstart the flagging Terminator franchise after 2009's Terminator Salvation - which Schwarzenegger didn't take part in - failed to find success. Unfortunately, Genisys didn't either, and while it's not abysmal or unwatchable, the whole enterprise just feels unnecessary and lame. The attempts to try and rewrite the Terminator continuity while also leaving it alone - through alternate timelines - just lead to narrative confusion, and while a talented actress, Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor doesn't make much of an impression.
8. The 6th Day
2001's The 6th Day was released in a not exactly great period of Schwarzenegger's career, one which led to him leaving acting behind for a while to pursue politics. 1975 Mr Olympia champion Schwarzenegger plays Adam Gibson, a man whose life is thrown into chaos when it's revealed he was illegally cloned without his knowledge. Reviews were mixed and box office just this side of full-out bombing, and while The 6th Day is a decent enough one-time viewing, it just seems like a formulaic sci-fi/action blend, with Schwarzenegger himself largely going through the motions.
7. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Arnold's last starring role prior to becoming The Governator, 2003's Terminator 3 is a fairly fun and thrilling action extravaganza, with lots of cool stunts and stuff blowing up. The T-800 also has a well-staged brawl with a new female villain the T-X (Kristanna Loken). While Terminator 3 succeeds as a popcorn flick though, it lacks the gripping plot, tight characterization, and dramatic heart that powered the excellent Terminator 2. Its ending, while surprising, also flies right in the face of Terminator 2's central message.
6. Terminator: Dark Fate
After Terminator Salvation and Terminator Genisys both flopped, a third attempt at reviving Terminator happened with 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate. On paper, it looked built for success, with creator James Cameron back as a producer, and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor returning alongside Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately, while Dark Fate drew the best reviews from critics since T2, it absolutely sank at the box office. It was great to have Hamilton back, Schwarzengger's reformed Terminator "Carl" was interesting, and John Connor's sudden death was an effective enough shock, but Dark Fate still failed to wow.
5. The Running Man
From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, Schwarzenegger went on the best run of his career, churning out hit after hit. 1987's The Running Man wasn't one of the bigger financial success stories of this period, but it did fine, and has become a cult classic. The film loosely adapts Stephen King's book of the same name, with Schwarzenegger's Ben Richards framed for murder and placed into a deadly game of kill or be killed. Longtime Family Feud host Richard Dawson shines as the titular game's sleazy host, and The Running Man is packed full of the best kind of 1980s silliness and over-the-top action.
4. Total Recall
Loosely adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, director Paul Verhoeven's 1990 movie Total Recall is pretty easily Schwarzenegger's craziest sci-fi effort to date. He plays Douglas Quaid, a stressed-out man who goes in to have the memory of a thrilling adventure implanted in his mind, only for the procedure to reveal a double life he didn't know he had. Or did it? Total Recall's actual reality remains debated by fans, but it's an action-packed, surprising, and just plain strange trip to Mars.
3. Predator
1987's Predator is one of the greatest blends of sci-fi and action ever, and apart from a few opening minutes of character introductions, is basically a non-stop thrill ride. Schwarzenegger is the star of the show to be sure, but supporting performances from Carl "Apollo Creed" Weathers and wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura - who also appeared in The Running Man - also help make Predator the blast it is. There's also of course the titular alien, a monstrous hunter that leaves even Arnold severely outmatched.
2. The Terminator
While most movie fans agree that both 1984's The Terminator and its 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day are excellent films, the debate has always existed as to which is truly better. Both are ably written and directed by James Cameron, putting them on equal footing there, and both feature Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton in the leading roles. One really can't go wrong with either, but both are also noticeably different. The Terminator is essentially a slasher film with a sci-fi twist, while Terminator 2 is a sci-fi/action epic. Cameron's original gets the runner-up spot here, but that's by no means an indictment of its quality.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Many fans would argue that Terminator 2 features the best performance of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. As great an icy villain as The Terminator's T-800 was, T2's learning model becomes more and more human the more he bonds with John Connor, and watching their relationship develop is fascinating. This T-800 clearly becomes a father figure to John, and it's heartbreaking when he's finally forced to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Beyond Arnold's characterization, the new liquid metal villain the T-1000 is extremely menacing, the CGI special effects still somehow stand up today, Joe Morton gives a highly sympathetic performance as Skynet creator Miles Bennett Dyson, the score is iconic, and Hamilton's Sarah is one of the best female action heroes ever. Terminator 2 is possibly the perfect sequel.