On the 30th anniversary of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” TheWrap weighs how it stacks up to the other films in the saga
James Cameron’s breakout film “The Terminator” may not have been a hit in theaters, but it was such a cult favorite on home video that it spawned one of the biggest and most lucrative movie franchises in history. With “Terminator: Dark Fate” in theaters, let’s look back at all six feature films in the saga, and see how they stack up against each other. 6. “Terminator Salvation” (2009) The fourth “Terminator” movie has a great cast — Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard and Helena Bonham Carter — and a smart idea, to give all the time-travel a rest and actually set one of these postapocalyptic thrillers after the apocalypse for a change. Unfortunately, director McG is more interested in chaotic action than story, the new revelations about the universe are groan-inducing and Sam Worthington’s forgettable protagonist, a survivor with a secret, takes away valuable screen time. “Terminator Salvation” is the movie fans were waiting for, a film finally set in the future starring John Connor, and it failed to deliver in almost every way. 5. “Terminator Genisys” (2015) Alan Taylor’s failed attempt to reboot the “Terminator” franchise plays like a whole bunch of fan theories thrown into a blender. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) goes back in time to rescue Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), only to discover that she teamed up with a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) years ago and is also capable of protecting herself. The timeline is a mess, on purpose, and it’s up to them to fix it. There are some interesting ideas in “Terminator Genisys,” but that only gets the film so far, and only if you’re addicted to the franchise’s minutiae. The actual story falls apart quickly, thanks to Courtney and Clarke failing to capture the magic of the original characters, and a plot that’s all set-up for future sequels and very, very little payoff.
