Arnold Schwarzeneggerdoesn’t really need an extensive introduction, being one of the most distinctive and popular movie stars of the 1980s and 1990s, and remaining a pop culture icon to this day.His physical presence, singular voice, and charisma on screen(even if many of his roles see him playing similar characters) are all undeniable, and he’s headlined some immensely popular films in his time.
Schwarzenegger has particularly thrived in films that belong to the action or sci-fi genres (and sometimes both), making it unsurprising that such movies are often the easiest to revisit time and again. The following movies are all among his best, in one way or another, but are intended to be ranked based on how rewatchable they are. In other words, these films, more than any others Arnold Schwarzenegger has appeared in, are ones that if you stumbled across them on TV by chance, you might have a hard time switching them off and going to bed on time.
10’True Lies' (1994)
Director: James Cameron
Anyonewanting copious amounts of watermight be disappointed byJames Cameron’sTrue Lies, but anyone looking for a solid action/comedy film will likely find a good deal to like. It’s probably the least compelling of all the Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron collaborations to date, but they set a high bar with their other two films, to be fair (more on those a bit later).
The plot ofTrue Liesis nice and simple, being about a secret agent tangled up in two fights: one to save his struggling marriage, and the other seeing him tasked with taking down terrorists planning some sort of nuclear attack.There’s some corny humor, over-the-top action scenes, and just generally a lot of bombastic stuff, all making True Lies a bit exhausting (in a good way) yet ultimately pretty easy to rewatch, thanks to how fast and light-hearted it is.
Watch on Hulu
9’The Running Man' (1987)
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
It might not be one ofthe very best science fiction moviesArnold Schwarzenegger’s ever starred in, butThe Running Manis still very good overall; maybe even enough so to call it a tad underrated. Itrevolves around a brutal televised game that takes place in the “far off” future of the late 2010s, with said game involving criminals getting hunted and killed for entertainment/sport.
It’s fairly brutal by 1980s movie standards, but there is a decent amount of fun to be had withThe Running Man, certainly being over-the-top and almost comedic, as far as dystopian movies go. Schwarzenegger is more than solid in the lead role, the premise is straightforward and satisfying, and the sci-fi elements pair well with the action sequences, making it entertaining all around.
The Running Man
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8’Pumping Iron' (1977)
Directors: George Butler, Robert Fiore
Yes,Pumping Ironis both a sports movie andalso a documentary film, which sets it apart from the other easily rewatchable Arnold Schwarzenegger movies (again, most of them being action movies, comedies, or sci-fi flicks).Pumping Ironis all about body-building and the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition, with Schwarzenegger – a few years before he found breakout success as an actor – emerging as the central subject.
It’s bothan interesting look at a type of competition that doesn’t tend to getexplored throughout other sports movies, and a surprisingly funny/quotable film, thanks to some of the things Schwarzenegger says during his interviews.Pumping Ironmoves pretty well for a documentary of its age, and clocks in at under 90 minutes in length, all of these qualities making it both breezy and surprisingly engaging.
Pumping Iron
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7’Last Action Hero' (1993)
Director: John McTiernan
Taking on the idea of amultiverse (sort of) before it was cool,Last Action Herodoes feel forward-thinking in some ways, being more enthusiastically received in the years following its release than it was initially. Arnold Schwarzenegger gets the chance to poke fun at himself, playing both a version of himself and a character who’s fictional within the world ofLast Action Hero; one with some similarities to other characters Schwarzenegger’s played.
Last Action Herosees a boy being transported to the world of his favorite character, and then his favorite character gets transported to the “real” world, with chaos, action, and comedy ensuing as a result of both.It’s silly but also smarter than you might expect, and though it loses the plot a little by the end, most of this action/comedy movie is a great deal of fun,and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Last Action Hero
6’Conan the Barbarian' (1982)
Director: John Milius
Conan the Barbarianisa top-tier fantasy/action movie, and a pivotal one for Arnold Schwarzenegger, given it was the first truly successful film he starred in. He plays the titular character, a warrior who goes on a grand and bloody adventure to seek revenge against the man who was responsible for killing his parents when he was a child.
It’s a movie some might find cheesy, but it strikes a certain tone that makes the film undeniably easy to get swept up in, and even if Schwarzenegger’s performance is fairly one-note, he still makes a genuine impression.Conan the Barbarianis imperfect but also very memorable, and it does what it needs to do, telling its simple revenge story well while being suitably fun and action-packed.It’s also neat to see Schwarzenegger be foregrounded in a fantasy movie, with it contrasting somewhat against his more common sci-fi fare.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
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5’Total Recall' (1990)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Thanks to the aforementionedConan the Barbarianand some other noteworthy 1980s releases,Schwarzenegger was a big dealby the time the 1990s came around, andTotal Recallensured he began the decade on a strong note. This is another wild science fiction movie that utilizes Schwarzenegger in all his glory, with his energy and physicality being paired well with some typically gonzo direction courtesy ofPaul Verhoeven.
Narratively,Total Recallis quite mind-bending and overwhelming, exploring the differences between one man’s real memories and some implanted ones, and seeing him get embroiled in a conspiracy that leads him to Mars in order to find answers. It’s the sort of movie that one might need a second viewing to fully understand, but even those who get it after just one viewing will likely find multiple watches rewarding anyway, owing toTotal Recall’sinventiveness and wild creative decisions.
Total Recall
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4’Commando' (1985)
Director: Mark L. Lester
Even if it might not have the best action of any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie,Commandostands out forhaving arguably the most action of any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. It’s as blunt and simple as movies of this kind get, following a skilled commando named John Matrix who’ll stop at nothing to rescue his daughter after she’s kidnapped by some people who really should’ve known better than to mess with a muscly guy named John Matrix.
Anyone after pure, almost non-stop actionwill surely have a blast withCommando, even if it’s borderline a comedy and next-to-impossible to take seriously (possibly by design, but it’s hard to tell). Its quality is up for debate, but the amount of entertainment packed intoCommandois undeniable, with 90 minutes of one-liners, explosions, and gunfire making it reliably dopey fun to watch again and again.
3’The Terminator' (1984)
Showing thatConan the Barbarianwas no fluke,The Terminator– released a couple of years after that film – solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger as an undeniable star, and also demonstratedhis ability to play an instantly iconic villain. He’s an unstoppable cyborg from the future with one goal: killing a woman named Sarah Connor before she can give birth to the person who’ll one day stand a chance of ending a futuristic war waged by machines against humanity.
The Terminatormade Schwarzenegger and filmmaker James Cameron legends in their respective fields, and the film shines because it feels exciting, inventive, and grandwhile technically being a movie made with modest means; it just turns those limitations into strengths. It kicked off a series that’s had its ups and downs, but the original 1984 film remains an undisputed classic.
The Terminator
A relentless cyborg assassin is sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead the human resistance against machines. Protected by a soldier also sent from the future, Sarah must navigate a deadly game of cat and mouse to ensure her survival and humanity’s future.
2’Predator' (1987)
Delivering gritty and visceral actionalongside a simple yet strikingly clever science fiction story,Predatoris another classic featuring a perfectly cast Arnold Schwarzenegger. It begins feeling a little like the aforementionedCommando, all before shifting gears to reveal that the elite commandos undertaking a mission in the jungle have become prey, all being hunted down by some sort of alien hunter.
It’s a series where the original feels like the undeniable best, and it’s the purity of the premise, plus the knockout final act, which is essentially Schwarzenegger vs. Predator, that makes it such a continually enjoyable and thrilling watch.Predatornever really gets old, and simply works from start to finish in all the ways an action/sci-fi/horror/thriller movie needs to. 1980s movies of its kind really don’t get much better than this.
1’Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
For as great as films likePredatorandThe Terminatorare, the very best film Schwarzenegger’s ever appeared in probably remainsTerminator 2: Judgment Day. Unlike the 1984 original, hegets to play a heroic cyborg here, sent back in time by human forces to combat an even more elite robotic assassin that’s sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor’s son, John Connor, while he’s still young and before the war against the machines ever began.
It’s a time travel story done perfectly right, andTerminator 2: Judgment Dayalso succeeds because it gets bigger and more explosive than the first movie, all the while still having a well-told story and memorable characters. James Cameron was firing on all cylinders with this one, and Schwarzenegger hasprobably never given a better performance, making this film both the actor’s overall best and arguably his most rewatchable.
