Terminator Genisys: Ranking The Franchise From Worst To Best

Also known as 'the two awesome ones and the rest'.

Much like the title character, the Terminator franchise is one that will not stop, ever, until... well, until the rights revert back to James Cameron in 2019, probably. For over 30 years, the Terminator has been a commercial goldmine; outside of the movie series, there have also been countless comic books, video games, novelizations and other merchandise released on a frequent basis.

Despite the fact that there hasn't been a great Terminator movie for nearly a quarter of a century, Hollywood isn't one for letting a recognizable franchise lay dormant for too long, with Terminator Genisys the second attempt at rejuvenating the series in just six years.

It speaks volumes about the declining quality of the franchise that none of the three follow-ups since Terminator 2 have come anywhere close to matching that movie's critical acclaim or box office returns, with the adventures of the T800 and his metallic buddies now nothing more than generic studio blockbusters. That's a very far cry from James Cameron's two game-changing sci-fi actioners.

With Terminator Genisys currently in theatres, now seems like a good time to look back at the history of the franchise and rank every movie from worst to best. While it may be glaringly obvious who the top two spots belong to, fans are still debating which Terminator movie is the best nearly 25 years later. As for the rest, this article will look at both their highlights and flaws, so read on and see if you agree with the assessment.

7. Terminator Salvation

Terminator Salvation is a movie full of great ideas, but unfortunately it fails in almost every aspect of the execution. Fans of the franchise had been waiting to see a movie focused on the war between the Resistance and the Terminators for 25 years, but the end result was a lifeless and generic effects-filled blockbuster.

There are plenty of problems with the movie, but the primary one is the script, which isn't much of a surprise when you consider that John Brancato and Michael Ferris' script was heavily rewritten, rewritten again just three weeks before shooting started, with Jonathan Nolan then handling on-set writing duties. The extensive revisions give the finished product a disjointed feel, full of underdeveloped characters, clunky dialogue and far too many homages to the original movies.

McG once again fails to display any talent as a filmmaker, and the movie's impressive CGI fails to improve the myriad of by-the-numbers set-pieces, topped off by yet another final showdown in an industrial setting. It doesn't help that the two lead roles are played by the terribly miscast Christian Bale and the charisma vacuum that is Sam Worthington, although Anton Yelchin is great as Kyle Reese. It speaks volumes about the quality of Terminator Salvation that it is probably best remembered for Bale's rant at the director of photography rather than its merits as a movie.