20 Movie Franchises That Carried On For Way Too Long
3. The Terminator
The Movies: The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator: Genesis (2015) The original Terminator was shot on a budget of just $6.4m, yet it belied that number to deliver stunning practical effects, fast-paced action scenes and a propulsive narrative, resulting in one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers ever made. Seven years later, the ante was considerably upped in Terminator 2. The first-ever $100m movie repositioned Schwarzenegger's killing machine as the hero of the piece, delivered several jaw-dropping set pieces and ushered in the CGI revolution with the groundbreaking liquid metal T1000. One of the greatest sequels ever made, and arguably the best action movie of the decade, the sequel was fifteen times more expensive than the original, but the end product was worth every penny. A dozen years later, Schwarzenegger accepted a $30m paycheck to appear in Rise of the Machines, with Jonathon Mostow replacing James Cameron, who had no interest in returning to the franchise. Obviously, the end result was obviously not on a par with T2. Despite this, the movie is still an entertaining one and provides plenty of action spectacle before delivering a gut-punch of a final scene. In 2009, fans of the franchise were finally given the post-apocalyptic Terminator movie we had all been waiting for. It's just a shame it was directed by McG. Salvation delivered plenty of action but the movie was achingly hollow, dissolving into another factory-set showdown between John Connor and a distracting CGI Arnold Schwarzenegger. Terminator: Genesis is scheduled for next year, directed by Alan Taylor and starring Jason Clarke as John Connor and Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, with whisperings of Arnie's return. Let's hope its a major return to form for the rapidly-tiring franchise as opposed to a purely commercial exercise based on strength of the $1.4bn-grossing Terminator brand.
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