The Best of Mr Schwarzenegger

[Doc Holliday]

So, an argument broke out on facebook and it was time to take it here.

Rank the Arnold Movies


Now, we will all bicker over what the best Arnold Movies are, but I think we can agree that the reason you go see an Arnold Movie is to see a big man take on supernatural forces -- whether they be snake men, robot killers, aliens, gauntlets, mutants, or scores of mercenaries -- all the while cracking one-liners and insanely laughing at everyone's inferiority!

And that’s my argument for Conan the Barbarian, it was the first Arnold superhero movie and set the mold for everything to come. Well… until Twins. That broke the mold.

1. Conan the Barbarian
2. The Terminator
3. Total Recall
4. True Lies
5. Predator
6. Red Heat
7. Commando
8. Terminator 2
9. The Running Man
10. Last Action Hero

EDIT: also, Conan has the best music of any Arnold Movie.

LET ME TELL YOU OF THE DAYS OF HIGH ADVENTURE!

[stormy]

There are two #1s because I think there are two categories of Schwarzenegger movies. Terminator 2 for real movie, and Total Recall for awesome movie.

[Josh]

Total Recall is real awesome. Your argument is invalid.

[stormy]

I can agree with that.

[Doc Holliday]

Yeah the Terminators don 't fit my definition, since Arnold is being serious and not HAHA I CRUSH YOU!

[Mr-K]

I will forever have a soft spot for most of Arnold's work. I say most because once you hit things like Eraser gargling bees is probably more fun.

Predator is probably my favorite Arnold movie. Then followed CLOSELY by Terminator 2. Both aren't as goofy as the other great Arnold movies though (Total Recall, Commando, True Lies), but they are the most thoroughly fucking awesome.

I think Conan is on the lower spectrum for me, I don't even remember how it ends. Also I thought Last Action Hero was *horrible*

I still need to see The Running Man and Red Heat

Pumping Iron is also essential Arnold viewing.

[BioMechanic]

1. Commando
2. The Terminator
3. Predator
4. Total Recall
5. Conan the Barbarian
6. T2
7. True Lies
8. The Running Man
9. Hercules in New York
10. Red Heat

IMO those top four are all-time classics, and not just due to Arnold.

Conan was first, and Terminator was his "big break", but Commando made Arnold an over-the-top icon. Just about every scene has something legendary.

Total Recall is great indeed, but Predator gets the slight edge because it's frickin Predator.

It's no secret that I'm not as big a fan of T2 as many of you, and I realize I'm being unreasonable when I say that the film's inconsistencies bother me more than they should. Great, yes...classic, no.

Hercules in New York is horribly awesome. It deserves to be on that list.

[Cheebs]

I've never seen Conan or Red Heat...

But I will still gladly foist my opinion upon the readers of the internet!


1. Commando: There is absolutely no justification for anything else taking the top spot. If you think otherwise you are insane, wrong, and stupid. It is overflowing with man beef, asplosions, one-liners for the ages, and HUNDREDS of bad guys who can't do anything but die.

2. Terminator 2: An honest-to-God real movie that still manages to keep the man beef, asplosions, and one-liners.

3. Total Recall: Predator is better, but this movie has 3-boob lady. That cannot be ignored.

4. Predator

5. Running Man: "Here is Sub Zero. Now plain Zero". AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

6. Terminator

7. True Lies

8. Terminator 3

9. Batman and Robin: If I'm going for "Arnold being Arnold". And I am.

10. Cars: Yeah, he was in it for, like, a second. And it's a way better movie than "Last Action Hero". And I never saw Conan. Screw you.

[Cheebs]

Yeah the Terminators don 't fit my definition, since Arnold is being serious and not HAHA I CRUSH YOU!

Are you serious?

"Chill out, dickwad"

"I'll be back"

"Hasta la vista, baby"

"He'll live"

[Dolemite]

Now THIS is a thread I can get behind.

Here's my top 10:

1. Terminator 2 (Cameron+Arnold+awesome script+100mil budget=win)
2. Commando (the very epitome of the 80's Action movie)
3. Predator (bad-ass, with a great cast and a cool alien)
4. Pumping Iron (if you're an Arnold fan and haven't seen this you're a faggot)
5. The Terminator (a great premise/script/cast trump a low budget)
6. Total Recall (funny, gory, silly and fucking awesome)
7. Conan The Destroyer (way campier than the original, but more fun IMO)
8. The Running Man (goofy but a blast to watch, Richard Dawson FTW)
9. True Lies (Cameron and Arnold can't be beat. Even Tom Arnold was cool)
10. Conan The Barbarian (kick-ass with an amazing score, but a tad slow)

Of course, there's all the others, like:

Red Heat (which I haven't seen in years, but I remember it being good)

Raw Deal (again, I haven't seen it in a while, but I don't remember it being that bad)

The Villian (basically a live-action western-themed Looney Tunes movie. Super-goofy)

Hercules In New York (too horrible for words, but as usual, Arnold makes it watchable, especially if it's the version where he's not dubbed by an American actor)

The Comeback (like Pumping Iron, but covering his 1980 Mr.Olympia win. Decent)

End Of Days (hard to call this one...good cast, some decent action, but a silly premise and it's really corny)

Eraser (great movie. Plus, we wouldn't have had the rail gun in Quake 2 if it wasn't for the iconic scene of Arnold plugging bad guys with 2 of them)

Terminator 3 (as a stand-alone film, it's a solid action flick. As a sequel to Terminator 2, it's shit)

Stay Hungry (total doofus of a movie, but it was early in Arnold's career so we forgive him. The bodybuilder rampage scene where they're posing randomly all over the city at the end is hilariously bad)

Red Sonja (I place it under both Conan movies, but it's still fun)

Twins (great fucking movie, but I prefer when Arnold is murdering dozens of people per scene to his family films)

Kindergarden Cop (again, cute movie, and Arnold was pretty bad-ass in the beginning before he went under cover, but I just like it when he kills non-stop and cracks one liners. This movie was weird- for a kid's movie, there's a lot of graphic deaths shown)

Last Action Hero (I used to HATE this movie, but upon recently seeing it again I've come to see it as an effective satire of action flicks. It's still pretty bad, but it's got it's high points and it's pretty funny at times. The asshole kid sidekick ruins it, however)

Jingle all the Way (worth it to see Arnold beat the shit out of a room full of Santas, but otherwise pretty bad)

Batman and Robin (probably the most retarded movie Arnold's ever done, but damn it, he's watchable in almost any piece of shit)

The 6th Day (stupid)

Collateral Damage (depressing to me because Arnold's age and subsequent physical limitations were becoming rather apparent. He got away with it in Terminator 3 because he was playing a robot but not here so much. Still, it was a solid movie)

I still need to see The Running Man and Red Heat

wtf dude