In 1984, an up-and-coming director by the name of James Cameron changed the face of science-fiction cinema forever with his film The Terminator. The film was a critical and financial success, and further increased the star-power of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would go on to reprise his role (for the most part) as the deadly cyborg from the future in each sequel/reboot film that followed.
The Terminator franchise features a total of 6 movies spanning more than 3 decades, with each film following Terminator 2: Judgment Day getting mainly progressively worse receptions from critics and fans. Despite this, the series's impact on popular culture has led to its survival in the crowded science-fiction film space, with each new iteration attempting to bring something new to the lore, whilst remaining true to its core premise. Whether someone is just starting off with The Terminator films or are wanting to revisit them, the below list will help them find where these movies can be watched online.
The Terminator (1984)
The film that started it all, 1984's The Terminator follows the story of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), an average woman who is paid a visit by Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), a soldier from the future with a mission to protect Connor from a killer cyborg (Schwarzenegger) that's been sent back to assassinate her. Connor would eventually give birth to a son, who would lead a human resistance against a machine uprising in the coming decades, so it's Reese's role to ensure that happens so the human race can have a fighting chance.
Audiences had yet to see anything like The Terminator prior to its release, with forward-thinking themes (artificial intelligence turning on its creator) and an imposing presence by Arnold Schwarzenegger (who had just entered the public spotlight coming off Conan the Barbarian and its sequel) - the film was a smash hit. Naturally, a sequel was greenlit with Cameron set to return to the director's chair.
Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, FandangoNow, Redbox, FuboTV, Tubi, Showtime, and DirecTV.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
It took 7 years for Cameron's follow-up, Terminator 2: Judgment Day to arrive in theatres, and when it did, it did so with a bang. Linda Hamilton reprised her role as Sarah Connor and this time, her young son John (Edward Furlong) was by her side. Yet again, however, a newly enhanced killing machine from the future, the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) was sent back in time to stop John from fulfilling his destiny as the human resistance leader in the fight against the machines. This time around, Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 (the same cyborg from the first film) would play their protector, much to the dismay of Connor.
Terminator 2 improved on The Terminator in leaps and bounds, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise. It catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger into superstardom and the film was even nominated for 6 Oscars and won 4 of those, one of which was for its amazing visual effects which were ahead of the times. To this day, Terminator 2 stands alone as one of the greatest action sci-fi films of all time and its success is not likely to be replicated in future films from this franchise.
Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, AMC on Demand, Redbox, FandangoNow, and DirecTV.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Following up the masterpiece that was Terminator 2 was a near-impossible task, but director Jonathan Mostow decided to try in 2003 with the release of his film, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. An older John Connor (Nick Stahl) was at the center of this film, living off the grid in an effort to avoid being hunted by Terminators. Once again, however, a new, even deadlier machine from the future (Kristanna Loken) was sent back to murder him, with John's only hope of survival, a slightly older, yet still powerful T-800 model Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) by his side.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the beginning of the decline for this franchise, and while it returned respectable box-office receipts, it was mostly panned by critics and the fan wasn't much better. There was still a lot to enjoy in this film, but its premise was starting to feel a bit tired by this point, and it was a lot cheesier than its predecessors, which didn't help.
Available on: Netflix, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, Redbox, FandangoNow, and DirecTV.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
In an effort to reinvigorate the franchise, director McG called upon superstar actor Christian Bale (fresh off Nolan's Terminator Salvation. This installment is set in a post-apocalyptic future, where the machines have taken over and Connor is finding his way to becoming the leader of the human resistance, in a gritty reboot of the series sans Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Terminator Salvation was met with a mixed reaction and failed to capture the hearts of its legions of fans as well as audiences tuning in for the first time. It's the most underrated film of the franchise as the gritty tone seemed to work well and it had some good ideas, though its story let it down somewhat.
Available on: Netflix, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, Redbox, FandangoNow, and DirecTV.
Terminator Genisys (2015)
By 2015, the Terminator franchise was officially struggling and so a reboot was in order, this time featuring Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese (played by Game of Thrones standout Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney, respectively), back as the lead protagonists and set in an alternate timeline to the events that preceded it. It featured a relatively similar premise to the original film, with a twist, as certain events had changed the course of history in this film's fictional world.
Alan Taylor's Terminator Genisys had some interesting ideas but was yet again let down by its weak script. It did, however, have some redeeming qualities in its awesome action set-pieces, including an epic fight between a young Arnold Schwarzenegger model Terminator going up against a more seasoned one.
Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, FX Now, Redbox, FandangoNow, and DirecTV.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Produced by James Cameron with Fate, which reunited Terminator 2 stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, reprising their roles from the iconic 1991 film. Dark Fate was billed as a direct sequel to Terminator 2 and featured a very similar plot with the addition of some new cybernetic characters and a plot point with the potential to send the franchise off in a new direction.
Dark Fate was met with a should be back soon enough.
Available on: Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Store, Youtube, Vudu, Flixfling, Redbox, FandangoNow, and DirecTV.
