(Photo by 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection. Movie: True Lies.)
True Lies celebrates its 30th anniversary!
Much like his breakthrough role Conan the Barbarian, Arnold Schwarzenegger transcended a childhood of neglect and poverty in 1950s Austria, pushing his body over over the top, to become one day the king of the Hyborian Age governor of California. Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding career, begun at age 14, was enough to take him abroad in competitions, and eventually into the viewfinder of Hollywood agents. On this list of Schwarzenegger’s best movies ranked by Tomatometer (alongside the worst), we’re including the 1976 Pumping Iron documentary that helped him land Conan the Barbarian – even though he’s not playing a character, Iron was vital in crafting Arnie’s on-screen image.
Also included, of course, are his star-making ’80s action films, ranging from sci-fi (The Terminator) to horror (Predator) to practically comedy (Commando). He started the ’90s with a bang with mega-violent mind-bender Total Recall, which was followed by the legendary Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The rest of the decade saw him mixing action with more overt comedies (Jingle All the Way, Junior, Kindergarten Cop) to varying success. Schwarzenegger’s side gig as governor kept him off-screen during most of the 2000s, but since then it’s drama (Aftermath, Maggie) that’s he mixed in with minor-comeback vehicles, like The Last Stand or Stallone team-up Escape Plan. And speaking of Stallone projects, we’ve included all three Expendables on this list; Schwarzenegger went uncredited in the first, but was upgraded to a side character in the next two. Considering the Expendables‘ proudly-worn mantle of throwback action, we felt it was right to have them. Otherwise, his cameos (like in The Rundown, in which he officially passed the action torch to Dwayne Johnson) and bit parts, however memorable (watch Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye!), were excluded. So, put that cookie down, NOW, as we rank all Arnold Schwarzenegger movies! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 106211%
Critics Consensus: With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it’s clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.
#2
Adjusted Score: 98865%
Critics Consensus: T2 features thrilling action sequences and eye-popping visual effects, but what takes this sci-fi/ action landmark to the next level is the depth of the human (and cyborg) characters.
#3
Adjusted Score: 88137%
Critics Consensus: Under Paul Verhoeven’s frenetic direction, Total Recall is a fast-paced rush of violence, gore, and humor that never slacks.
#4
Adjusted Score: 85259%
Critics Consensus: Predator: Part sci-fi, part horror, part action — all muscle.
#5
Adjusted Score: 95442%
Critics Consensus: In addition to offering an enlightening early look into the world of future star/politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pumping Iron provides a witty and insightful overview of competitive bodybuilding.
#6
Adjusted Score: 88603%
Critics Consensus: Terminator: Dark Fate represents a significant upgrade over its immediate predecessors, even if it lacks the thrilling firepower of the franchise’s best installments.
#7
Adjusted Score: 77245%
Critics Consensus: Although T3 never reaches the heights of the second movie, it is a welcome addition to the Terminator franchise.
#8
Adjusted Score: 73753%
Critics Consensus: If it doesn’t reach the heights of director James Cameron’s and star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s previous collaborations, True Lies still packs enough action and humor into its sometimes absurd plot to entertain.
#9
Adjusted Score: 69816%
Critics Consensus: The ultimate ’80s Schwarzenegger movie, replete with a threadbare plot, outsized action, and endless one-liners.
#10
Adjusted Score: 72963%
Critics Consensus: Taut, violent, and suitably self-deprecating, The Expendables 2 gives classic action fans everything they can reasonably expect from a star-studded shoot-’em-up — for better and for worse.
#11
Adjusted Score: 70630%
Critics Consensus: Red Heat‘s overreliance on genre formula is bolstered by Walter Hill’s rugged direction and a strong touch of humor.
#12
Adjusted Score: 68104%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#13
Adjusted Score: 71007%
Critics Consensus: The Running Man is winking sci-fi satire with ridiculous clothes and workmanlike direction.
#14
Adjusted Score: 70764%
Critics Consensus: Though Conan may take itself too seriously for some, this adventure film about a former slave seeking vengeance is full of quotable Schwarzenegger lines and gritty action.
#15
Adjusted Score: 68496%
Critics Consensus: There’s nothing particularly distinguished about it, but for Schwarzenegger fans The Last Stand provides perfectly undemanding entertainment.
#16
Adjusted Score: 67159%
Critics Consensus: Maggie lurches a bit clumsily at times, but is partially redeemed by strong performances and an unexpectedly thoughtful tone.
#17
Adjusted Score: 56662%
Critics Consensus: Arnold Schwarzenegger substitutes his action brio with some refreshingly adept comedic timing, but Kindergarten Cop is too grim for children and too cloying for adults.
#18
Adjusted Score: 54882%
Critics Consensus: As much fun as it is to see Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up onscreen, Escape Plan fails to offer much more than a pale imitation of 1980s popcorn thrills.
#19
Adjusted Score: 46405%
Critics Consensus: Despite a game cast led by an enjoyably over the top Arnold Schwarzenegger, Killing Gunther feels like a sketch overstretched to feature length.
#20
Adjusted Score: 50465%
Critics Consensus: It makes good on the old-school action it promises, but given all the talent on display, The Expendables should hit harder.
#21
Adjusted Score: 42338%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 45350%
Critics Consensus: Though it offers a few modest pleasures for undemanding viewers, Twins leans too heavily on the wackiness of its premise to overcome its narrative shortcomings.
#23
Adjusted Score: 44382%
Critics Consensus: This offering from Arnold Schwarzenegger contains an intriguing, disturbing premise, but the film’s execution is too routine and formulaic to make good use of it.
#24
Adjusted Score: 46964%
Critics Consensus: Last Action Hero has most of the right ingredients for a big-budget action spoof, but its scattershot tone and uneven structure only add up to a confused, chaotic mess.
#25
Adjusted Score: 46508%
Critics Consensus: Eraser‘s shoot-’em-up action might show off some cutting edge weaponry, but its rote story is embarrassingly obsolete.
#26
Adjusted Score: 41002%
Critics Consensus: Even with an abundance of talent behind and in front of the camera, Junior doesn’t quite deliver enough laughs to nurse its zany high-concept idea.
#27
Adjusted Score: 40094%
Critics Consensus: Like its predecessors, Expendables 3 offers a modicum of all-star thrills for old-school action thriller aficionados — but given all the talent assembled, it should have been a lot more fun.
#28
Adjusted Score: 31846%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 39530%
Critics Consensus: Mired in its muddled mythology, Terminator: Genisys is a lurching retread that lacks the thematic depth, conceptual intelligence, or visual thrills that launched this once-mighty franchise.
#30
Adjusted Score: 27782%
Critics Consensus: Conan the Destroyer softens the edges that gave its predecessor gravitas, resulting in a campy sequel without the comparative thrills.
#32
Adjusted Score: 22692%
Critics Consensus: Arnold Schwarzenegger tries his best, but Jingle All the Way suffers from an uneven tone, shifting wildly from a would-be satire on materialism to an antic, slapstick yuk-fest.
#33
Adjusted Score: 23527%
Critics Consensus: Despite its timely subject matter, Collateral Damage is an unexceptional and formulaic action thriller.
#34
Adjusted Score: 22968%
Critics Consensus: Dull, poorly directed, and badly miscast, Red Sonja is an uninspired conclusion to Schwarzenegger’s barbarian trilogy.
#35
Adjusted Score: 14058%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#36
Adjusted Score: 18566%
Critics Consensus: Joel Schumacher’s tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that’s too jokey to care much for.
#37
Adjusted Score: 15902%
Critics Consensus: An overblown thriller with formulaic action scenes and poor acting.
#38
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.