The Terminator Anthology (1984-2019)
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action
DIRECTORS: James Cameron (T1, T2), Jonathan Mostow (T3), McG (Salvation), Alan Taylor (Genysis), Tim Miller (Dark Fate)
WRITERS: James Cameron (T1, T2, Dark Fate), Gale Anne Hurd (T1), William Wisher Jr. (T1, T2), Tedi Sarafian (T3), John Brancato and Michael Ferris (T3, Salvation), Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier (Genysis), Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friedman, David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray (Dark Fate)
STARS: Arnold Schwarzenegger (all), Linda Hamilton (T1, T2, Salvation, Dark Fate), Michael Biehn (T1), Robert Patrick (T2), Christian Bale (Salvation)
COUNTRY: USA
FILMS
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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The Terminator | 1984 | Some of the effects may be dated but that doesn't stop this being the most gripping, relentless Sci-Fi film of all time, with a fantastic story and a performance from Arnie in the iconic title role that shows more acting skill than he gets credit for. | Mat | 10 |
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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Terminator 2: Judgement Day | 1991 | It is not an overstatement to call T2 a genre defining film. Most of the effects still stand strong today and Arnie is at his robotic best in the time travel apocalypse that rewrote the action film. | Gordon | 9 |
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Terminator 2: Judgement Day | 1991 | With tremendous action and effects that still look pretty good, this is one of the best sequels of all time, but the increased budget and making Arnie the hero remove some of the menace and raw thrills that made the original film so memorable. | Mat | 8 |
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines | 2003 | Unfairly lambasted simply for not being as good as its predecessors, this is a perfectly enjoyable action thriller that furthers the John Connor saga well and has the best ending of any film in the franchise. | Mat | 7 |
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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Terminator Salvation | 2009 | An amiable, if somewhat soulless, bridge between the previous Terminator movies, ruined slightly by a bland performance from Sam Worthington. | Graeme | 6 |
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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Terminator Genisys | 2015 | Starts off well enough as an alternate version of the first film, but the plot is well and truly lost by the end. A few reasonable action setpieces help to subdue the confusing story. | Mat | 6 |
MOVIEMUSE TEAM REVIEWS
Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Reviewer | Rating |
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Terminator: Dark Fate | 2019 | There is too little of Arnie and too much pantomime villain from Linda Hamilton, but there is also a lot of action and some good humour in this T2 sequel. Not quite a return to form, but Dark Fate does stop the slide for the Terminator franchise. | Gordon | 6 |
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Terminator: Dark Fate | 2019 | Another attempt to reboot the franchise but it's not much of a departure from the story of earlier films. Despite that the action is thick and fast, the characters are decent and Arnie is really good as another incarnation of his famous character. | Mat | 7 |
Boxset Summary
Summary
It was always going to be an impossible task to keep up the momentum from the first two films, but the weight of expectation has meant that some of the further sequels have been given a little too much a hard time. All of the films carry some value, but it is clearly the ones where creator James Cameron is involved where the series peaks. The original thriller and its follow up blockbuster action extravaganza stand out as true classics in their respective genres, but it is probably time to stop judging the sequels against those impossibly high standard and enjoy them for what they are. Slices of entertaining time travel nonsense.