What do you think of the Terminator movies?

[Gingerbread Demon]

Discussion here is just for the movies. I don't wish to discuss external media such as novels, comics or video games.

As per the thread title. Do you like all of the Terminator movies or do you have particular favourites and cut the rest off?

Simply put for me the first 4 are what I like to watch every now and then, even 3 and 4 are not all that bad but I have based on my personal feelings written off Genisys and Dark Fate which I didn't like at all. I just didn't like what they did with the story and it didn't engage me as a viewer.

Now that very first movie was the one, that was the one that started it all and it was a classic never to be done again, and often mimicked, if not outright copied and borrowed from. That first time we see the Arnold terminator we knew right then shit was going to happen, and happen in a pretty big way.

T2 was also a good movie and expanded on that and just when you think they had closed off the story they made the third one and I know people dislike that one just as much as I disliked the 5th and 6th movie but it has grown on me in recent years.

But you know having said all that I don't want any more movies in this universe unless they are going to do it properly and show us the future war and close off the story for good. That's a movie I really want to see, something that ties everything up and is maybe 3 hours long, that I would probably enjoy.

That's my thoughts, let the discussion begin.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I like the first two and feel that the sixth one would have worked better as the third one.

Sarah Connor Chronicles will always be part of my personal continuity.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I only like the first two. After that they got wacky with timelines and revisions and the writing took a nosedive.

 

[fireproof78]

The first was well put together, technically proficient with iconic scenes. Each sequel after T2 was diminishing returns.

 

[Relayer1]

The first one's one of my absolute favourite movies ever. Top three, maybe top two. Star Wars being top.

T2 is great but it's a different sort of film.

T3 was a hairs breadth and some dumb humour away from being good.

Salvation and Genisys were shit. Absolute garbage.

Haven't seen 6. I did like the Sarah Connor Chronicles though.

Please don't make any more.

 

[RandyS]

The first two were good. The rest were unecessary.

I also enjoyed the TV show. If they do another movie it should be with that cast to resolve the cliffhanger.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I like the first two and feel that the sixth one would have worked better as the third one.

Sarah Connor Chronicles will always be part of my personal continuity.

This is almost my exact feelings. I actually liked Dark Fate quite a bit and Sarah Connor Chronicles was WAY better than I expected it to be. Rise of the Machines was alright, not good, not bad. Salvation felt like while watching it you could see the re-writes right there on the screen from what it was supposed to be, and Genisys was just bad in every way.

The first is still my favourite of the bunch though, I enjoy it more than the 2nd, which was good but didn't quite reach the heights of the first for me.

They can keep making these all they want so long as they're making money.
My seeking them out and enjoying them, however, is a different story. They won't take away my enjoyment of the ones I do like.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Love all the movies except for Salvation. Genisys is extremely underrated in my opinion, and Dark Fate was good fun. Sarah Connor Chronicles was excellent.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Haven't seen Dark Fate with no real desire to, but I felt Genesys really went off the rails, and was quite repetitive at that. I know the series has time-traveling at its heart, but the need to keep repeating things has really grown tiresome. It'd be like if BTTF kept revisiting the mall scene and couldn't get past it without the constant need to fix the particular moment even though there are many more important moments to the trilogy. I know Salvation is often considered the black sheep of the series, but honestly, I think people have been too hard on it for not being what people were expecting. It was bold, it took risks and shown us a side of the series that had only been mentioned or alluded to in the previous movies, and genuinely felt different in a good way, IMHO. Ever since then, the movies have felt aggressively regressive, as if it wants to shrink its storytelling opportunities.


The series needs to find a way to come to terms with the events of T2. It happened, move on. I agree that we need some closure. Perhaps show us the transition to the Future War itself.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I love second and it's obviously the best by far.

I rewatched the first one for the first in years awhile back and, honestly, it doesn't hold up. It's very 80s and not in a good way. The only interesting thing about it is watching Sarah evolve into the bad ass we all know and love her as.

I know I'm in the minority but I really like Salvation. I know it's not without its flaws but they mostly don't bother me.

I also really like Dark Fate and I would go as far saying it's my second favorite. Probably not a popular opinion either.

Genisys is pure shit. I hate that I have to type it with that awful spelling. Plus, it completely wasted Matt Smith. Unforgivable.

The third one is so forgettable that I really don't have an opinion on it.

One of these days I'll finally watch The Sarah Connor Chronicles (yes, I know!).

 

[USS Firefly]

I love the first two.
The third isn't great but I like the ending.
I like Salvation because they at least tried something else. I wish they had made more movies set after judgement Day.

 

[MacLeod]

I can only comment on the ones I've seen the first 2 where solid films, the third was just an ok, not terrible but not great either. As for the rest bit seen them which might be a good thing from some of what I've heard about them.

 

[Gaith]

I'll just say this for now: I don't think time will be kind to Dark Fate's reception, particularly since it'll almost certainly be another narrative dead end. Instead, the perfectly enjoyable T3 will take its rightful place as the widely acknowledged third-best T-film.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I am glad some of you like TSCC that was such a good TV series and it ended o the most colossal of cliff hangers. I actually wouldn't be against a movie set after that moment to see what happens next, and liked the idea that even the machines had evolved and formed factions against Skynet, and one faction that was wanting to work with humans. Shirley Manson was wasted in that series as her role was so small yet so important.

 

[DarKush]

Like most people the first two are on a completely different level, though I prefer the first Terminator over Judgment Day. Over time I came to see Judgment Day as almost like a rehash of the first movie, with a bigger scope and better special effects (that doesn't mean I don't love it too though, I do).

When it comes to the other films I don't hate any of them. I thought Rise of the Machines was a bit lightweight and underwhelming until the end, which saved it. I thought it was gutsy to go against the first two films and make the actual Judgment Day inevitable.

Salvation was betrayed in the scripting process when they didn't stick to the original plans to kill off Connor. The Future War setting was a great idea, as was casting Bale for Connor (well, in theory casting Bale was great but his performance was fairly listless). I enjoyed Reese and Marcus and wish the movie had been more about them.

Unlike many (it seems) I didn't hate Genisys. I thought it was bold to reset the entire timeline, wiping out chunks of the original film and erasing all the others, including the sainted T2. And I loved the 1984 scenes. I wish the movie had just stayed in 1984. The story wasn't the best, and Jai Courtney was totally miscast. The marketing people also ruined the twist of the Connor Terminator (as did the Salvation folks when it came to Marcus). I thought Emilia Clarke did alright as Sarah. She came across as a mix between T1 and T2 Sarah. Genisys, much like Salvation, were attempts to shake up the franchise, that obviously didn't win back the audience.

And then there is Dark Fate. It was cool seeing Linda Hamilton back, in the flesh, and Mackenzie Davis was quite good as Grace. I also liked Gabriel Luna in the Terminator role. And Arnold found a different way to play a Terminator. Natalia Reyes's character was good in the present day, but I didn't buy her as the leader of the resistance in the future. Ultimately the story and action just wasn't different or fresh enough. If you get rid of Skynet, don't just make Legion Skynet 2.0. I felt they whiffed a chance to really make the Terminator story more fitting for these times. Genisys tried with the gaming stuff, but Dark Fate didn't even do that much. I did like the Rev Terminators, but if the timeline had been changed why were there still Terminators, and being called "Terminators" in the future? Why wasn't Carl erased after completing his mission? And why would Rev-9 know of Carl's existence? There was a lot there that needed better explanation.

How I rank them:
Terminator
Judgment Day
Genisys
Salvation
Rise of the Machines
Dark Fate

When it comes to Sarah Connor Chronicles, loved the first season, but the second season was a struggle to get through. I loved the Derek Reese character and was hoping the movies would show him some love. I like to believe that the time jump in Genisys was inspired by Chronicles. I wish there had been a Derek mention in either Salvation or Genisys. It would've been neat as well to have Summer Glau in Salvation and the Future War scenes in Genisys as well.

 

[dupersuper]

The first two were awesome. I ignore the 3rd. I never bothered with the rest. I'm sometimes tempted to check out Sarah Conner Chronicles and the last movie that brought Linda Hamilton back, but the first two make such a nice contained story.

 

[gblews]

I liked the original, T2, the 3rd one, and Dark Fate. Just saw Dark Fate a couple of months ago and was surprised at how much I liked it. I’d heard a lot of bad stuff about DF so I was leery, but I liked it a lot.

I liked that the whole thing took place in Mexico because it was highly unlikely that all of John Connors’ chief lieutenants would originate in America. Linda Hamilton in her new persona as cool, calm, mercenary savage, was just great.

Watching a Netflix K-drama with a Terminator-like premise called. Sisyphus, that I’m enjoying a lot, so I really think I just like the whole Terminator concept.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I liked the original, T2, the 3rd one, and Dark Fate. Just saw Dark Fate a couple of months ago and was surprised at how much I liked it. I’d heard a lot of bad stuff about DF so I was leery, but I liked it a lot.

I liked that the whole thing took place in Mexico because it was highly unlikely that all of John Connors’ chief lieutenants would originate in America. Linda Hamilton in her new persona as cool, calm, mercenary savage, was just great.

Watching a Netflix K-drama with a Terminator-like premise called. Sisyphus, that I’m enjoying a lot, so I really think I just like the whole Terminator concept.

Just wanted to say there nice Rey avatar Rey is badass, and personally I would have loved her on the dark side.

 

[Timby]

The Terminator is a stone-cold classic of science-fiction filmmaking and its legacy and impact are still felt more than 35 years later.

Judgment Day is the Platonic ideal of a sequel: Enough twists on the original's formula to keep the audience on its toes, a truly heartfelt story about fathers and sons, incredible special effects (most of which still hold up, which is remarkable) and some amazing performances by Robert Patrick and Linda Hamilton.

Rise of the Machines is ... fine, I guess. It's essentially a re-make of Judgment Day with the serial numbers filed off, but that's not the biggest sin in the world. Mostow did a fine job directing it and I thought Nick Stahl was good as a world-weary John Connor. Claire Danes was woefully miscast, though, and Marco Beltrami's score is oddly listless and phoned-in.

Salvation ... woof. I remember being pumped for it, and convincing my then-wife to go see it in the theater with me. On the 15-minute drive home afterwards, all I could say in the car was, "I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry." I imagine that was a contributing factor to us splitting up three years ago.

Genisys I have only seen once, high as shit on painkillers and I honestly couldn't tell you anything about it. It was just kind of there.

Dark Fate I have also only seen once, also high as shit (this time on weed), and ... yeah, what the hell was happening there? Felt like there were far too many characters and some of the action sequences were incredibly non-sensical in their editing and pacing. About the only thing I can recall otherwise was Tim Miller whining about James Cameron after the movie's release.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

The Terminator is a stone-cold classic of science-fiction filmmaking and its legacy and impact are still felt more than 35 years later.

Judgment Day is the Platonic ideal of a sequel: Enough twists on the original's formula to keep the audience on its toes, a truly heartfelt story about fathers and sons, incredible special effects (most of which still hold up, which is remarkable) and some amazing performances by Robert Patrick and Linda Hamilton.

Rise of the Machines is ... fine, I guess. It's essentially a re-make of Judgment Day with the serial numbers filed off, but that's not the biggest sin in the world. Mostow did a fine job directing it and I thought Nick Stahl was good as a world-weary John Connor. Claire Danes was woefully miscast, though, and Marco Beltrami's score is oddly listless and phoned-in.

Salvation ... woof. I remember being pumped for it, and convincing my then-wife to go see it in the theater with me. On the 15-minute drive home afterwards, all I could say in the car was, "I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry." I imagine that was a contributing factor to us splitting up three years ago.

Genisys I have only seen once, high as shit on painkillers and I honestly couldn't tell you anything about it. It was just kind of there.

Dark Fate I have also only seen once, also high as shit (this time on weed), and ... yeah, what the hell was happening there? Felt like there were far too many characters and some of the action sequences were incredibly non-sensical in their editing and pacing. About the only thing I can recall otherwise was Tim Miller whining about James Cameron after the movie's release.

He wasn't the only one at the time whining about James Cameron... I hate that movie for killing John Connor I mean well it was something different I guess but why? Why did anything in that movie happen? I wish I was drunk while watching that one.