The Terminator
The Terminator at 50% is about as even as it gets. The voters are divided, and 103 matchups haven't settled the debate. Made on almost nothing, and the shortage of money turned into a virtue — there was never budget for a scene to sprawl, so nothing does. Schwarzenegger's walk through the police station is paced like a slasher, not a sci-fi film, which gives it a meanness most of the genre never bothers with. 1.7s avg decision time (platform avg: 3.5s). No deliberation needed.
Synopsis
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
48%, 57%, 44%. Voters are genuinely divided regardless of when they encounter The Terminator. No round breaks the tie; no round widens it.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the nearest thing to a true rival at 48%. The margin is slim and the outcome still feels unsettled. The extremes tell a clear story — 75% against Blade Runner 2049 at one end, 33% against Aliens at the other.
In Original or Sequel? Classic Sci Fi, The Terminator regularly reaches the final — then runs into The Empire Strikes Back. At 38%, it hasn't found the answer.
The Terminator is one of James Cameron's strongest bracket performers — #3 of 4, trailing only Aliens (64%).
#5 of 8 in Original or Sequel? Classic Sci Fi.
Where should it rank? Cast your vote.
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
BingeBracket ranks films through head-to-head matchups in 8-film brackets — no star ratings, no reviews, just direct comparison. Browse tournaments, try Discovery mode, or explore the leaderboards. You can also .