SciFi Month (2025) – Terminated

For Science Fiction month, I decided to finally watch all of the Terminator movies. This series has quite the tumultuous history. The first two movies are written and directed by James Cameron. He wanted to do a third movie, but he lost the rights in an auction in 1997. After the release of the third film, the rights were sold again.

Terminator Salvation was released in 2003, and then the company filed for bankruptcy. Terminator Genisys was initially intended to be the first installment of a new trilogy before James Cameron regained the rights in 2019. However, the idea was scrapped after its low performance at the box office. Terminator: Dark Fate is produced by James Cameron and was also intended to be the first installment of a new trilogy. The project was scrapped for the same reason.

As a result of all this, the franchise is disjointed and incongruent. Does that affect their entertainment value?

Below is the list of movies, including something new I’m trying this year. Upon completion of the selections for the month, I am going to select a random movie that is on theme, if possible. There are no bonus or special event movies.

• Terminator 1 & 2
• T3 Rise of the Machines
• Terminator Salvation
• Terminator Genisys
• Terminator: Dark Fate
• Random Movie: The Running Man (2025)

The Terminator & T2: Judgement Day

Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton
My Rating:

A Terminator from the future is sent back in time to prevent John Connor’s birth or to kill him as an adolescent. These are the iconic movies GenX and Millennials grew up on. I think the second film is probably the favorite among us, but they are both good movies. These are the best two to choose from for the Judgement Day special event on August 29th. I feel like the second movie is the one we all reference and quote the most. If, for whatever reason, you have not seen these movies, then go do it now.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kristanna Loken, Nick Stahl
My Rating:

Another terminator, this one even more advanced, is sent back again to try to stop John Connor from rallying the humans to fight against the machines. An upgraded T-800 is also sent back to thwart the plot. This is the first film in the franchise that did not include James Cameron. He wanted to do a third film; however, by the time the new owners fully acquired the rights, he had lost interest.

I did enjoy this movie. It’s fun, albeit a little incongruent given how T2 ended. I often wonder how James Cameron would have explained that Judgement Day still happened. Kristanna Loken is an excellent badass terminator, but she didn’t have much of a career after this movie.

Terminator Salvation

Directed by: McG
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin
My Rating:

Unlike its predecessors, this movie does not go back in time. It is also the only movie in the franchise without Arnie. It takes place in the post-apocalyptic present, where mankind prepares for the machines’ final assault. This movie was supposed to be the start of another trilogy, but due to the poor performance at the box office and the company going bankrupt, it never happened. Despite the bad box office numbers, I still quite enjoyed it. Christian Bale is a great choice as John Connor, and Sam Worthington is quite the badass. Both of them give great performances.

Terminator Genisys

Directed by: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke
My Rating:

This is where things get strange and really diverge from the original timeline. Literally. This is the story of when Kyle Reese is sent back in time, but it’s not the same story as we saw in the first Terminator. We do see a few recognizable moments, but that quickly changes when Sarah Connor (now played by Emilia Clarke) appears on the screen.

This was also supposed to be the first film of a trilogy. However, the idea was scrapped after it also performed poorly at the box office. It makes sense. The first two movies are such a fixture of our childhood that you don’t mess with them. I get it. I was still entertained, and Emilia Clarke is definitely easy on the eyes. Additionally, the technology themes associated with Genisys are very relevant to today’s world.

Terminator: Dark Fate

Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
My Rating:

As a result of copyright laws, James Cameron reacquired the rights to the franchise in 2019. This film follows the events of the second film and completely disregards the previous three. Despite James Cameron’s involvement, it kind of spits in the face of the first two. The movie was still entertaining and had a decent story, but other than the return of Sarah Connor and T-800, it felt disjointed. I don’t understand why the original prophecy was changed. Is this a gender thing and race thing? Did Cameron think that it would be a better story if the savior of the human race were a female Latina? It didn’t make sense.

Neither Genisys nor Dark Fate is a movie I would probably sit down and watch again. I might put them on for background noise where I don’t need to pay much attention, since I wouldn’t have any investment in the fate of the characters. Honestly, the franchise should have stopped after Terminator 3.

Random Movie: The Running Man

Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Lee Pace
My Rating:

A man, down on his luck and unable to secure a job, is desperate to find the money his sick child needs. This is not the same movie as the one with Arnold Schwarzenegger from 1987. In fact, the plot is much truer to the novel written by Stephen King. I was actually thrilled when this movie was the random selection because I’ve been wanting to watch it.

This probably qualifies as a guy movie. It’s violent, lots of action, great humor, and good acting. Glen Powell is great in this, and dude is ripped! While Schwarzenegger is not in the movie, his face is, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment. Also, keep your eyes open for appearances from Sean Hayes, Michael Cera, and David Zayas (from Dexter).

I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced guy movie.

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