The 10 Greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies
Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name for himself as power-lifting champion Mr. Universe before he transitioned to action movie star and, later, to governor and unexpected social media sage in wild political times. But it was in entertainment, not politics, where he made his biggest splash. Schwarzenegger appeared in some of the biggest movie hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s, including the Terminator franchise, Total Recall and Predator. His movies balance a mix of action, sci-fi and humor, and Schwarzenegger has made notable strides in his delivery over the years. The best and greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger movies have aged well and become cultural touchpoints that remain a lot of fun to watch.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Life And Career Synopsis
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in 1947 in the tiny Austrian village of Thai. Raised by parents Gustav and Aurelia, Schwarzenegger was an average student but a gifted athlete who began lifting weights as a teenager at the urging of a coach. He served the mandatory one year with the Austrian Army after high school.
At that point, he turned his attention to bodybuilding, winning Junior Mr. Europe and capturing Mr. Universe and then seven Mr. Olympia titles, his first at age 23. He moved to the U.S. and took classes at Santa Monica College, UCLA and University of Wisconsin–Superior to earn his bachelor’s degree. In that period, he began taking movie roles, starting with an appearance as himself in 1970’s Hercules in New York. Schwarzenegger retired from bodybuilding in 1975 to focus on his acting career and became a U.S. citizen in 1983.
He has appeared in 47 movies, including cameos, direct-to-video and documentaries. In 1993, he earned his first executive producer credit on the action movie The Last Action Hero. He has now produced eight films, including nearly all his movies since 2014. However, his production flagged in the 2000s as the registered Republican entered a runoff for California governor in 2003 and improbably won. He served two terms before returning to movie-making. It also came out that he had a child with his housekeeper while married to Maria Shriver. The two divorced in 2021. More recently, Schwarzenegger has authored a self-help book, posted frequently to social media about life improvement, and verbally tussled with former President Donald Trump.
Top Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies
These top 10 Arnold Schwarzenegger movies are ranked on box office success, critical and audience reaction, and how the films have held up over the years. Schwarzenegger is best known for the Terminator franchise, leading to the nickname “the Governator” when he was in office.
His other well-known movies include Red Heat, True Lies, Eraser and Batman & Robin, the latter of which earned him some of the worst reviews of his career. Three Terminator films (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator: Genisys) are the highest-grossing of his career, with the second and third combining for box office of almost $1 billion. His least-popular movie was 2013’s The Last Stand, which had his worst-ever opening weekend for a lead role when adjusted for inflation, taking in $6.3 million. Here is a list of the 10 top Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.
10. Commando (1985)
Schwarzenegger plays ex-Special Forces soldier John Matrix, who comes out of retirement after a deposed Latin American dictator named Arius kidnaps his daughter to blackmail Matrix into getting him back into power. Of course, that doesn’t end well for Arius, as Matrix retrieves his daughter and exacts revenge.
The movie earned solid reviews for its entertainment value. Rae Dawn Chong and Alyssa Milano also star. Directed by Mark L. Lester, Commando (rated R) is available to watch on AMC+, Philo, Sling TV, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play Movies & TV.
9. Twins (1988)
Schwarzenegger made his first foray into comedy with this film co-starring Danny DeVito. The two play twins separated at birth who’ve had very different upbringings. The stars display a fun chemistry as Schwarzenegger shows he can do more than just beat people up.
The movie, with the cute catchphrase “only their mother can tell them apart,” became a pop culture phenom and was referenced in a recent Super Bowl ad Schwarzenegger filmed for State Farm. Directed by Ivan Reitman, Twins (rated PG) is available to watch on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play Movies & TV.
8. Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Schwarzenegger’s first leading role came in this film about young Conan, a man enslaved after necromancer Thulsa Doom destroys his village. Years later, Conan escapes and seeks revenge as he traverses the Hyborian Age for the person who stole his dad’s sword and killed his friends and family.
Is this great cinema? No, but it’s campy fun cinema, and often that’s exactly what you need from an action movie. James Earl Jones co-stars as Thulsa. Directed by John Milius, Conan the Barbarian (rated R) is available to watch on Philo, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
7. Predator (1987)
The U.S. government hires Dutch (Schwarzenegger) for a secret rescue mission to Guatemala, where American politicians are being held hostage. But Dutch soon discovers the bigger problem is a mysterious being with superhuman strength who’s killing people, then immediately blending into what’s around him.
The film was so successful that it had four spinoffs, including a 2018 crossover with the Alien franchise. It also features the oft-repeated Schwarzenegger line “get to the chopper!”—often parodied as “get to the choppa!” Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura also co-star. Directed by John McTiernan, Predator (rated R) is available to watch on Hulu, AMC+, Sling TV, Roku Channel, Philo, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
6. The Running Man (1987)
This is worth watching simply for the fact that it imagines a dystopian world set in, gulp, 2019. In this future America, everyone watches the reality program “The Running Man,” where inmates try to escape death. Wrongly imprisoned Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) tries to win so he can tell his story.
The movie is based on a Stephen King book and received decent reviews, better than Schwarzenegger’s earlier efforts. It co-stars Maria Conchita Alonso and Richard Dawson. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, The Running Man (rated R) is available to watch on Pluto TV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
5. The Expendables (2010)
What’s more fun than bringing together the biggest action heroes of all time, including Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham? The homage to action films follows a group of mercenaries hired to overthrow a Latin American dictator, but it soon becomes apparently the real target is someone else.
The film didn’t get great reviews, but it spawned a franchise and had fun moments between the action stars. Directed by Stallone, The Expendables (rated R) is available to watch on Max, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
4. Total Recall (1990)
This twisty sci-fi adventure follows Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger), a well-muscled everyman in 2084 whose attempt to do a fun memory add of a trip to Mars uncovers a deep conspiracy. It seems Douglas’s dull life may be the real false memory.
The movie also stars Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside. The well-reviewed movie earned Schwarzenegger some of the best notices of his career. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Total Recall (rated R) is available to watch on MGM+, Paramount+, Sling TV, Roku Channel, Philo, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
3. Pumping Iron (1977)
What does it take to become the world’s best bodybuilder? This documentary follows rising star Schwarzenegger as he trains to defend his Mr. Olympia title against upstart Lou Ferrigno. It received great critical acclaim and captures the golden era of bodybuilding.
Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore, Pumping Iron (rated PG) is available to watch on Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, PLEX, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Fandango at Home.
2. The Terminator (1984)
You could, arguably, include all of the Terminator movies on this list. They’re all that good. It starts with the Terminator (Schwarzenegger), a cyborg disguised as a human, traveling from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor and prevent the birth of her child, who leads a future uprising against the machines.
The movie included one of the most-repeated movie quotes of all time when the Terminator promises Sarah after failing at his mission, “I’ll be back.” The film has a rare 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it also helped launch Linda Hamilton’s career. Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator (rated R) is available to watch on Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, MGM+, Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, Philo, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Fandango at Home.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
And indeed, the Terminator did come back in this blockbuster, which featured now-bona-fide-movie-star Schwarzenegger switching sides and becoming teenage John Connor’s protector rather than his tormentor. The T-1000 is sent after John, who bonds with Schwarzenegger’s cyborg as he saves him from the more sophisticated rival machine.
The movie was a huge box office and critical hit. It also starred Hamilton, Edward Furlong as teenage John and Robert Patrick as the rival Terminator. Directed by Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (rated R) is available to watch on Paramount+, Hulu, Sling TV, Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Fandango at Home.
New Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies
Arnold Schwarzenegger is still making movies, though his focus lately has been his Netflix series, FUBAR, an action-comedy that debuted in 2023 and was renewed for a second season. Schwarzenegger’s most recent movie role was in 2019, when he appeared in Terminator: Dark Fate.
He co-stars in Kung Fury II, a sequel to 2015’s Kung Fury, but that film’s release has been delayed by legal issues, and it’s unclear when it will come out. The film also stars Michael Fassbender, and it follows up on the earlier short film, about a martial artist who uses time travel to kill Kung Fuhrer (Adolf Hitler). Schwarzenegger declined to appear in the fourth Expendables film, which came out in 2023.
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