TV Review: Terminator Zero, season 1

TV #34 of 2026: Terminator Zero, season 1 I don’t watch a ton of anime, but I’ve really enjoyed this eight-episode Terminator series, which does a better job of molding the franchise to meet that format than The Sarah Connor Chronicles ever did with its own teen drama / mystery box approach. I also appreciate …

TV Review: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 2

TV #31 of 2026: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 2 On an episodic level, this second and final run of the late-aughts Terminator show works alright, I guess. The character dynamics of a fraught relationship between mother and son and the awkward peace with their spectrum-coded cyborg ally remain compelling, and the action sequences …

TV Review: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 1

TV #25 of 2026: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 1 This show is very much Terminator filtered through the particular ethos of a 2000s teen drama, which is not an approach I felt like I needed to watch after the first few episodes back when it originally aired. (The network may have been Fox, …

Terminator movies, ranked

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) The Terminator (1984) Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) Terminator Genisys (2015) Terminator Salvation (2009) Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) Overall rating: ★★★★☆ Previously on Film Franchise Fridays: ★★★☆☆ Bill & Ted ★★★★☆ Indiana Jones ★★★☆☆ Jason Bourne ★★★★☆ Rocky / Creed ★★★★☆ The Matrix

Movie Review: Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Movie #22 of 2026: Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) Original creator James Cameron left the Terminator franchise after its second installment, which is also when the quality level significantly dropped. Theoretically, then, his triumphant return in this sixth picture — in which he serves as one of two producers and one of five men with ‘story …

Movie Review: Terminator Genisys (2015)

Movie #20 of 2026: Terminator Genisys (2015) [Note: this is an updated version of my review from 2016.] The fifth Terminator movie is a fun but deeply incoherent action spectacle, enjoyable only to the extent you can turn off the parts of your brain that obsess over plot holes or try to keep track of …

Movie Review: Terminator Salvation (2009)

Movie #19 of 2026: Terminator Salvation (2009) A competent action spectacle that finally shows us John Connor in his element as a resistance soldier (though not yet a leader) in the post-apocalyptic future that the franchise had repeatedly warned us was looming. That’s a reasonable premise to explore and one that never plays like much …

Movie Review: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

Movie #18 of 2026: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) This third Terminator feature is a deeply cynical film. It would almost have to be, since series creator James Cameron famously considered the story to have finished with the exemplary Terminator 2: Judgement Day in 1991 — and so for the new rights holders …

Movie Review: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Movie #17 of 2026: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) It’s rare for a sequel to so thoroughly surpass its predecessor, especially when the original piece is already as terrific as The Terminator (1984). This movie makes it all look easy, however. It nimbly channels the sci-fi action thrills of the first film, while effortlessly expanding …

Movie Review: The Terminator (1984)

Movie #16 of 2026: The Terminator (1984) This action thriller launched a franchise and helped make household names out of star Arnold Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron, and even on an umpteenth rewatch, it’s very easy to see why. It’s a lean and propulsive feature, wrapping a great sci-fi exterior around a classic horror structure …

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