8 Essential Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies to Watch
If we’ve learned anything during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 40-plus years in show business, it’s this — he’s one of the greatest action movie stars of all time. Between the big guns (his and the ones his characters wield) and the witty one-liners, his wham-bang movies helped make Schwarzenegger a Hollywood legend. Still, he also proved to be a solid comic actor, too. Out of Schwarzenegger’s many films, these are eight essential starting movies to start with, ranked in order of Rotten Tomatoes freshness scores.
8. Eraser (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 40% fresh
If you want thought-provoking, award-winning cinema, look elsewhere. But if a fun B-movie cloaked in a blockbuster budget sounds interesting, then Eraser has you covered.
The rundown is similar to other Schwarzenegger movies: He plays a hard-edged, high-level government agent (in this case, a witness protection pro) who has to take out a host of bad guys while completing his mission. Still, Arnold’s other movies don’t have James Caan at his sniveling, weaselly peak. Nor do they have solid comic relief (courtesy of Robert Pastorelli) or a slew of expertly cast character actors (James Cromwell, James Coburn, Man Men’s John Slattery, and Aliens’ Mark Rolston).
7. Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 51% fresh
Schwarzenneger turned to comedy movies after he knocked out dozens of action roles. Twins was a surprising hit in the comedy department, but Kindergarten Cop earns the nod among essential Schwarzenegger movies.
The underlying plot driver — Schwarzenegger’s Det. John Kimble posing as a teacher in a small town to locate the ex-wife of a drug kingpin so he can lock him up for good — might be thin. Yet The juxtaposition of a hulking undercover cop next to pint-sized kid actors made for some surprisingly funny and endearing moments. The Rotten Tomatoes score might not look great, but there’s no way a list of must-see Schwarzenegger movies can’t include his personal favorite.
6. Stay Hungry (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67% fresh
Relatively obscure? Yup. A little light on plot? Sure. Worth it to see Schwarzenegger, Jeff Bridges, and Sally Field all in one place? Absolutely.
Schwarzenegger doesn’t stray very far from his background in this one. He plays Joe Santo, a bodybuilder at a gym that’s the last parcel of property a real estate syndicate needs to start its gentrification project. Bridges, as Craig, is the front man for the syndicate, and Field, as Mary Tate, is Santo’s friend whom Craig falls in love with.
Schwarzenegger made more notable movies in his career, but this accounted for one of his only award wins. He took home the Golden Globe for best male movie debut.
5. True Lies (1994)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69% fresh
Like Eraser a few years later, True Lies starred Schwarzenegger as a secret government agent who is the only one standing in the way of total catastrophe.
Schwarzenegger starred, but Jamie Lee Curtis’ dance might be the most famous scene in the movie. All the same, Arnold held his own on the dancefloor doing the tango with co-star Tia Carrere (despite making a dangerous mistake while filming the scene).
A strong supporting cast — Carrere as villain Juno Skinner, Tom Arnold as Schwarzenegger’s partner Albert Gibson, and Bill Paxton as slimy used car salesman/serial liar Simon — plus a fairly plausible plot help make this one of the essential Schwarzenegger movies.
4. Predator (1987)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80% fresh
Predator was already one of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies before the meme featuring his and Carl Weathers’ muscular arm grab became a thing.
The sci fi film sees him lead a group of special forces soldiers into the jungle to look for survivors of a helicopter crash. Instead, they find an alien who hunts humans for sport using advanced technology.
Predator isn’t just an essential entry in Schwarzenegger’s canon. It also deserves some recognition for putting minority actors in leading roles. In addition to Weathers, Mexican actor Elpidia Carrillo and Black actors Bill Duke and Kevin Peter Hall (as the Predator in place of the fired Jean-Claude Van Damme) starred in the movie.
3. Total Recall (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82% fresh
James Bond in space? Sort of.
As Doug Quaid, Schwarzenegger pays for a mental vacation — literally. He shells out to have the memory of a dream vacation implanted in his brain, but things don’t go as planned. Quaid wakes up believing he is a secret agent on a mission to save Mars. Is it real? It doesn’t really matter.
Total Recall’s excellent pacing and special effects that have held up surprisingly well make it one of the best and most essential movies of Schwarzenegger’s career.
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93% fresh
James Cameron tapped Schwarzenegger to reprise his role a the T-800, but this time as the good guy. Coming seven after the original movie (but jumping ahead in time a bit based on a young John Connor’s age), it picks right up where the first one left off.
Terminator 2 features plenty of action — a viaduct chase, a hospital escape, and a shootout at Cyberdyne headquarters — but also slows down enough to fill in the plot details. The Terminator might be the role most closely associated with Schwarzenegger, and you can’t discuss his career without mentioning Judgment Day.
1. The Terminator (1984)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% fresh
The Terminator wasn’t Schwarzenegger’s first movie, but it was his breakthrough role. He originally wanted to play Kyle Reese, but Cameron wisely made him the T-800. Schwarzenegger’s chiseled features, muscular physique, and Austrian accent made him perfect for the role.
Of all the essential Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, The Terminator might be the most significant. Not just because it’s one of Schwarzenegger’s best films, but because it put him on the map and kick-started his legendary career.
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