According to The Guardian, the action star said Terminator Salvation “sucked.”
2009’s Terminator Salvation marks the only Terminator movie that bodybuilder-turned-movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t appear in, and the star has no regrets about it. The fourth installation in the franchise, Terminator Salvation stars Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Helena Bonham Carter — but even this star-studded cast couldn't save the film from negative reviews. During a television interview, Scharzenegger revealed that he hated the fourth film in the franchise, hinting at the reasons why in the way he praised the three that came before it.
Schwarzenegger's long career as an action star first kicked off in 1982. Conan and its sequel Conan The Destroyer proved the bodybuilder's box office potential. While Conan offered Schwarzenegger his breakout opportunity, it was his 1984 role as the titular character in The Terminator that really made him a star. The Terminator franchise set Schwarzenegger on the path that led to such beloved 80s action flicks as Raw Deal, Predator, and Commando.
Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator had a catchy sci-fi premise. Schwarzenegger is the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back from the future to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the future mother of Earth’s post-apocalyptic savior. The movie’s success led to a number of Terminator sequels, including Terminator Salvation. The fourth movie in the franchise, Terminator Salvation was supposed to mark the start of a new trilogy; it struck a new tone, the first movie to break from a time travel format. However, it ended up morphing into a standalone flick after flopping critically, among fans, among critics, and among Schwarzenegger, all of whom hated it.
Not Even Arnold Schwarzenegger Liked Terminator Salvation
According to The Guardian, Schwarzenegger said Terminator Salvation “sucked.” Discussing the franchise during a 2015 interview on Good Morning America, Schwarzenegger expressed gratitude about missing out on the fourth Terminator movie. Schwarzenegger's absence came as a result of his being too busy fulfilling his duties as Governor of California. However, after seeing the movie, the star reported having no regrets about this. Terminator Salvation is one of the worst films in the Terminator franchise. It has a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes; for reference The Terminator has 100%.
One can glean Schwarzenegger's problem with Terminator Salvation by exploring what he said he liked about its predecessors. Schwarzenegger declared, “I think that the three that I was in, they all three had their own personalities and interesting storylines.” Up until Terminator Salvation, each film had established its own specific style: Where The Terminator is far more akin to a sci-fi horror spectacle, The Terminator 2: Judgment Day is far more action-packed and Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines leans into B-movie undertones.
By comparison, Terminator Salvation had little to bring to the table. It made a bold choice in setting itself entirely in the Skynet future and eschewing time travel, but that didn't pay off in originality of story. Terminator Salvation ended up being a bland action flick, offering some of Bale’s worst acting and rather soulless storytelling. Its military sci-fi setting is bleak but gives little room for characters to express complex emotions. For most franchises, sequels capitalize on the original’s success to make revenue, but Terminator Salvation feels like an outright cash grab. However, as much Schwarzenegger hated Terminator Salvation, it clearly didn’t put him off the series entirely; he not only returned for Terminator Genisys but also for Terminator: Dark Fate, which was far better rated by critics and audiences alike.