2. Terminator 2 (1991)
Surprised its not number 1? Well you're probably not alone. To any Arnie fan - actually to any action/sci-fi fan - this movie was and still is at the top of the best sci-fi movies ever made lists, placing at number 15 in Total Film's list. This is a masterclass in making the perfect sequel which is why it is placed higher than its predecessor. It has the Austrian cyborg returning as the T-800, but this time as a good guy. It has more humour than the first but also more action and violence to level it out. The special effects still hold up today and the scene at the end with the thumb still makes me cry like a baby. Tim Bisley anyone? It has Robert Patrick very convincingly taking on the role of the T-1000, a liquid metal Terminator that is even more unstoppable than the 800 series. Taking on any form it chooses, apart from anything with moving parts, the film is again based around the simple premise of a hunt, being constantly pursued by the most formidable and unreasoning force imaginable. Arnie returns with more pecs, guns and quips than you can shake a plasma rifle with a 40-watt range at. To this date it is his best performance on screen, and considered the best film of his career. Again, this film proves Arnold has held up against the great action and sci-fi actors of all time even to this day.
Best quote: Arnie - "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle."