The Terminator franchise is as iconic as it is infamous. While it's built on two of the best action/sci-fi movies ever made, it's been riddled with sequels that have failed to match their progenitors' quality. With the impending release of Terminator: Dark Fate, the series is set to return to the timeline of those original two movies under the supervision of franchise creator James Cameron.
With Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic cyborg set to return to the big screen again, we're taking a look back at the overall critical reception to every film in the series. To do this, we've calculated out the general consensus from review aggregators Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic to see how every entry in the cinematic franchise stacks up.
Terminator Genisys - Average Score: 32.5
Considered the worst in the series, 2015's Terminator: Genisys was actually intended as a reboot of the stagnating franchise. The story features Kyle Reese sent back to stop the machinations of Skynet in an altered timeline, one in which Sarah Connor has been raised by a reprogrammed T-800.
The film was heavily criticized for lazily retreading beats from previous films, and comes off especially as a poor version of the first film. Critics thought that neither the dull action nor most of the performances were able to distract from the muddled plot, though Schwarzenegger was considered one of the movie's few, if only only high points.
Terminator: Salvation - Average Score: 41
Unlike the other films in the franchise, 2009's Terminator: Salvation was a post-apocalyptic, dystopian film. It finally gave viewers an in-depth look at the futuristic human/machine war that had only been briefly portrayed in previous films.
The film was criticized for its beleaguered, plodding story and equally shallow characters. It was also seen as wasting a setting that had theretofore been hyped as the ultimate dark fate for humanity. Christian Bale's dull performance as John Connor was also heavily criticized. However, the film's special effects were highly praised.
Terminator: Dark Fate - Average Score: 60
As the newest film in the series and the one with the most involvement from Cameron since the second, Terminator Dark Fate is intended to supersede the events of the previous three sequels. As of this writing, critics have so far praised it as a continuation of the thematic beats of the first two movies, as well as the height of its ambitious action scenes.
The performances of the cast, which includes franchise veterans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, have also been consistently praised. While it's been called the best film since the first two, it's still remarked as not quite hitting those same heights, as well as being overly derivative of those movies. The storyline features an old Sarah Connor working with an autonomous T-800 and a new group of humans to combat Skynet and its new Rev-9 cyborg.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines - Average Score: 67.5
The first movie after the franchise's golden era, and the first not directed by James Cameron, 2003's Terminator: Rise of the Machines went through a lengthy development cycle that saw franchise creator James Cameron leave the project. Although the last film had supposedly kept the human/machine war from coming to pass, it is revealed that the heroes only delayed the event in the previous film.
Now, a new female Skynet Terminator (T-X) is sent back to kill key members in the future human resistance, while T-101 (a version of Schwarzenegger's T-800) is sent back by the Resistance to aid John. Although it was largely regarded as a far inferior retread of the previous movie, Rise of the Machines is nevertheless considered the best of the post-Judgement Day sequels.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Average Score: 84
The iconic Terminator 2: Judgement Day is the 1991 sequel to the original film that features an older, jaded Sarah Connor raising her son John to become the hero that he is meant to be. A newer model of Terminator, the T-1000, is sent back to kill John, but it intercepted by a heroic version of the T-800 from the previous film.
The film was the only one in the franchise to receive Academy Award buzz, and is considered by many fans and critics to be better than the original. It was a genuinely ground-breaking special effects showcase in its day, and it's still known for its strong characters, exciting action scenes and iconic lines. The T-1000 from the film is arguably just as iconic as recognizable as Arnie's Terminator, thanks both to Robert Patrick's performance and the special effects used to portray his liquid metal tech.
The Terminator - Average Score: 92
The first film in the franchise, 1984's The Terminator followed the first attempt by rogue security network Skynet to send a cyborg assassin back in time to kill Sarah Connor, who will give birth to humanity's last hope. Decidedly more slasher/horror than its more action-oriented successors, The Terminator was a smash hit at the box office, launching director James Cameron's career into the stratosphere.
The T-800 Terminator role, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, quickly became equally as iconic, with his stoic, robotic nature perfectly matching the cold, mechanical endo-skeleton. Sarah Connor would also become one of the era's most prominent film heroines, drawing favorable comparisons to Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise.
While it's uncertain if Dark Fate will successfully revive the franchise that's occasionally struggled to justify its continued existence, early reviews for the film lean positive, and it seems like it may have finally given the first two films in the franchise a worthy follow-up. However, only time will tell wither or not the franchise will be back.
Directed by Tim Miller and produced by James Cameron, Terminator: Dark Fate stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Gabriel Luna, Natalia Reyes and Diego Boneta. The film opens Nov. 1 nationwide.