Arnold Schwarzeneggerhas starred in so many popular movies, but there are several standout titles that really highlight the path his career took. Born in Austria, Schwarzenegger first introduced himself to the world thanks to his dominating career in bodybuilding. However, such accomplishments were just a stepping stone for Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger defied the critics and built a career as one of Hollywood’smost popular action movie stars. FromtheTerminatorfranchiseto his standalone action roles to his hilarious comedies, Schwarzenegger has appeared in many classics. However, his career took some interesting turns along the way, with some of his notable movies reflecting how it all shaped out.
While these are not necessarily allSchwarzenegger’s best movies, these are the films that helped him prove himself, become a star, and mark the different phases of his movie career would take over the years.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had already proven himself a larger-than-life figure with his dominating presence in the world of bodybuilding. However, making the transition to acting raised a lot of doubts from people who felt his size, his name, and his accent would make it hard to believe him in any role.
However, Schwarzenegger was clever about choosing his first leading role, settling on an epic warrior hero inthe swords and sorcery movieConan the Barbarian. The film followed Schwarzenegger’s titular hero seeking revenge on the warlord who killed his father. While Schwarzenegger’s acting skills did not receive much praise, it was hard to deny that he had screen presence.
With it seeming so unlikely that Schwarzenegger could ever work as a Hollywood leading man, it could have been so easy to dismiss him ifConan the Barbarianhadn’t worked. However, the fun adventure made it clear that he was going to excel in movies, given the right roles.
WhileConan the Barbariangot Arnold Schwarzenegger his first franchise, its success was nothing compared to the next character he would play. While Schwarzenegger originally wanted the role of the heroic human warrior, Kyle Reese,The Terminatordirector James Cameron wisely saw how perfect Schwarzenegger was for the literal killing machine, the time-traveling T-800.
The original sci-fi movie launched one of the most popular franchises of all time. Though he had few lines and showed no emotion in his performance, Schwarzenegger commandedThe Terminatorwith his presence.
His iconic delivery of thefamousTerminatorline, “I’ll be back,“is one of the most famous quotes in movie history.It created the character that Schwarzenegger has become best known for, playing variations on the T-800 in five installments to date. It helped launch the actor as a true star.
WhileCommandowas Arnold Schwarzenegger’s big, silly action hero follow-up toThe Terminator, it wasPredatorthat truly cemented his status as the biggest action hero in Hollywood. The ’80s were really when the action genre became prominent, and Schwarzenegger quickly became the face of its over-the-top entertainment.
Predatorwas the perfect display of this new persona as Schwarzenegger was playing the leader of a squad of macho commandos taking on a deadly alien. With Schwarzenegger placed as the toughest of the tough within this entertaining ensemble, he rose to the challenge of being the true hero of the story.
Predatoralso helped build that iconic status with some of themost quotable lines from Schwarzenegger’s career, from one-liners to unforgettable deliveries, like “Get to the chopper!“Predatoralso launched yet another franchise for Schwarzenegger, although one he has yet to return to.
Arnold Schwarzenegger continued on with his incredible streak of sci-fi movies withTotal Recall. Schwarzenegger plays Quaid, a mild-mannered working man in the future who discovers that he is actually a secret operative whose mind has been wiped by his dangerous enemies.
Total Recallwent on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year and cemented Schwarzenegger as a massive box office draw. While it was another in a line of sci-fi action flicks for Schwarzenegger,Total Recallactually had the actor playing against type as the more vulnerable protagonist and a hero who was largely out of his element.
The success of the movie proved that audiences were willing to follow Schwarzenegger into roles outside of his typical one-man army characters, a sign that he was truly one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
While Arnold Schwarzenegger had already stepped into comedy withTwins, Kindergarten Copsaw him blending his action movie persona with the unlikely genre to great effect. The movie took the simple idea of Schwarzenegger having to deal with a bunch of little kids and understood the easy comedy of that situation.
He stars as a detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher in order to stop a bad guy.Schwarzenegger really proves himself a great comedic actor because of his willingness not to take himself too seriously. Reaching the heights of fame that he was at during this time, many movie stars would be concerned with protecting their public image.
Schwarzenegger committed fully to the jokes, willing to make a fool of himself and be the butt of all the jokes.
However, Schwarzenegger committed fully to the jokes, willing to make a fool of himself and be the butt of all the jokes. It opened up an entirely new category of roles for him, expanding his career.
After becoming one of the greatest villains in movie history as the T-800 inThe Terminator,Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron took a big risk in reimagining him as one of the greatest heroes in action movie history for the sequel.
Terminator 2: Judgment Dayhad this protective Terminator serving as a bodyguard to young John Connor as he is hunted by a more advanced killing machine from the future. The bold move for the sequel paid off enormously.Terminator 2is not only the highest-grossing movie of Schwarzenegger’s career, but it is also his best film.
Terminator 2has been hailed as one of thegreatest action movies ever made, while also packing a surprising emotional punch. Even with the mere mention of Schwarzenegger’s name, it brings to mind so many of the most iconic moments from the movie.
True Liesmarks the first reunion between James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger outside of theTerminatorfranchise. Wisely, it is a much different film than their sci-fi adventures, withTrue Liesserving as another blend of Schwarzenegger’s skills in action flicks and comedy movies.
Schwarzenegger plays Harry, a family man who is hiding from his wife and daughter that he is actually a secret agent. However, unexpected marital issues with his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, cause his two worlds to collide.
The downward trajectory of Schwarzenegger’s movies eventually led to his stepping away from acting and becoming the Governor of California.
True Liesis hilarious in its mix of domestic comedy with thrilling action sequences. However,it is also amovie that marks the end of an erafor Schwarzenegger, as it was his last great action movie.
WhileEraserin the mid-90s was fun andTerminator 3has some defenders,True Lieswas followed by a lot of disappointing action movies, likeEnd of DaysandThe 6th Day. The downward trajectory of Schwarzenegger’s movies eventually led to his stepping away from acting and becoming the Governor of California.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to acting after his time in politics was done, and he even returned to action movies. After smaller supporting roles inThe Expendablesfranchise, Schwarzenegger’s first leading role in an action film in the 2010s was the neo-WesternThe Last Stand.
The movie stars Schwarzenegger as a lawman in a small border town who is the last line of defense when a drug lord attempts to escape the police by fleeing across the border. The movie is a fun, underrated action flick from the 2010s, elevated by the stylish directing of Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon.
Schwarzenegger also fit nicely back into the action hero role, bringing a lot of his same swagger as well as a bit more weariness as an older man. However, whileThe Last Standwas enjoyable, it gave a glimpse of this new era of Schwarzenegger’s career.
It also confirmed that he simply wasn’t going to return to that icon status he had before. Indeed, Schwarzenegger is still delivering the action, but it simply doesn’t match his classic earlier movies.
