Best Movies like The Terminator (1984)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a direct sequel, continuing the concept of time travel and the war between humans and machines. It deepens the exploration of artificial intelligence and relentless cyborg threats that define the original film’s narrative core.

Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a movie from France in English, with a total 2h 17m runtime, released in 1991 with an average rating of 8.2 by 14,563 people. The movie made an estimated total of $517,778,573 in the box office.

Blade Runner features a dystopian future shaped by advanced technology, human resistance to artificial life, and the blurry lines between humanity and machine—mirroring The Terminator’s focus on the consequences of sentient machines and man’s struggle for survival.

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans. Blade Runner is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 1982 with an average rating of 7.9 by 15,184 people. The movie made an estimated total of $41,722,424 in the box office.

RoboCop centers on a deadly artificial entity operating within a futuristic society, echoing The Terminator’s cyborg antagonist and themes of technologically driven violence, moral crises, and the nature of consciousness amid human resistance.

In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters. RoboCop is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 42m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 7.4 by 5,833 people. The movie made an estimated total of $53,424,681 in the box office.

Predator presents a deadly, nearly indestructible adversary hunted and fought by a small group, reminiscent of the Terminator’s unstoppable cyborg and human resistance dynamic, set against high-stakes survival action in a tense atmosphere.

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior. Predator is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 47m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 7.6 by 9,325 people. The movie made an estimated total of $98,267,558 in the box office.

The Matrix imagines a future where intelligent machines dominate humanity, requiring human insurgents to fight for survival. Like The Terminator, the film involves artificial intelligence versus human resistance and explores technology’s impact on free will.

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. The Matrix is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 16m runtime, released in 1999 with an average rating of 8.3 by 28,319 people. The movie made an estimated total of $463,517,383 in the box office.

Universal Soldier pairs themes of cybernetic augmentation and government creation of near-indestructible warriors. Both movies weave stories about programmed killers unleashed on society and the human cost of advanced technology overriding personal agency.

An American soldier who had been killed during the Vietnam War is revived 25 years later by the military as a semi-android, UniSols, a high-tech soldier of the future. After the failure of the initiative to erase all the soldier's memories, he begins to experience flashbacks that are forcing him to recall his past. Universal Soldier is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 43m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 6.4 by 1,954 people. The movie made an estimated total of $119,200,000 in the box office.

Looper utilizes a time-travel premise where assassins are sent back to alter history, paralleling The Terminator’s core conflict of future operatives impacting the past to shape humanity’s fate, emphasizing predestination and violent intervention.

In the year 2044, time travel has not yet been invented but in 30 years it will have been. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target into the past where a looper, a hired gun, like Joe is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joe's future self for assassination. Looper is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2012 with an average rating of 6.9 by 11,043 people. The movie made an estimated total of $47,042,000 in the box office.

Timecop incorporates time-travel elements and solitary heroes tasked with correcting events to prevent future catastrophe, closely aligning with The Terminator’s premise of sending a lone protector to the past to stave off disaster.

In 2004, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past. Timecop is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 38m runtime, released in 1994 with an average rating of 6.0 by 1,350 people. The movie made an estimated total of $128,953,581 in the box office.

Edge of Tomorrow centers on a battle against a seemingly unstoppable adversary and incorporates time loops to alter the course of a future war, tying into The Terminator’s core of humanity fighting to rewrite fate against mechanical dominance.

Major Bill Cage is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again... and again - as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop. Edge of Tomorrow is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 54m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 7.6 by 15,288 people. The movie made an estimated total of $370,541,256 in the box office.

I Am Mother explores artificial intelligence raising and controlling human life post-apocalypse, engaging with similar questions about AI’s intentions and humankind’s survival as those dramatized by the machine-vs-human conflict in The Terminator.

A teenage girl is raised underground by a robot "Mother", designed to repopulate the earth following an extinction event. But their unique bond is threatened when an inexplicable stranger arrives with alarming news. I Am Mother is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 6.7 by 2,878 people. The movie made an estimated total of $643,593 in the box office.

Twelve Monkeys is grounded in a post-apocalyptic future where time travel is employed to alter catastrophic events in the past, closely mirroring The Terminator’s structure and concerns over fate, predetermination, and desperate attempts to change destiny.

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Twelve Monkeys is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 9m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.6 by 9,249 people. The movie made an estimated total of $168,841,459 in the box office.

Children of Men unfolds in a dystopian future plagued by societal collapse and the hope resting on a single individual, echoing The Terminator’s narrative of one vulnerable person whose survival determines humanity’s future trajectory.

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind. Children of Men is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 7.6 by 7,975 people. The movie made an estimated total of $70,595,464 in the box office.

Trancers, like The Terminator, follows a future cop sent back in time to track a deadly adversary, blending sci-fi action with a time travel-driven chase to influence history and protect key figures critical to the future.

Angel City trooper Jack Deth is sent back in time from 2247 to 1985 L.A. to inhabit the body of his ancestor. Deth's assignment is to find his archenemy, Whistler, who turns people into zombies, before the fiend is able to kill all the ancestors of the future's governing council. Trancers is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 17m runtime, released in 1984 with an average rating of 5.9 by 230 people.

The Hidden shares The Terminator’s narrative of relentless pursuit by an inhuman threat, as a powerful entity inhabits human bodies and is hunted by authorities, mirroring the original’s chase structure set amid urban chaos.

When average, law-abiding citizens suddenly turn to a life of hedonistic behavior and violent crime, Detective Tom Beck is tasked with helping young FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher determine the cause. The Hidden is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 6.9 by 503 people. The movie made an estimated total of $9,747,988 in the box office.

The Machine is rooted in concerns about artificial intelligence developing beyond human control, building on The Terminator’s central conflict of technology turning against its creators and the ethical dilemmas of manufacturing sentient weaponry.

Already deep into a second Cold War, Britain’s Ministry of Defense seeks a game-changing weapon. Programmer Vincent McCarthy unwittingly provides an answer in The Machine, a super-strong human cyborg. When a programming bug causes the prototype to decimate his lab, McCarthy takes his obsessive efforts underground, far away from inquisitive eyes. The Machine is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 32m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 5.9 by 877 people. The movie made an estimated total of $314,131 in the box office.

Total Recall also presents a future shaped by corporate power, memory manipulation, and aggressive technology, carrying forward The Terminator’s questions about identity, reality, and the societal impact of advanced machines.

Construction worker Douglas Quaid's obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Rekall, a virtual vacation company that manufactures memories. When something goes wrong during Quaid's memory implant procedure, his life turns upside down, leading him to question what is reality and what isn't. Total Recall is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 7.3 by 6,571 people. The movie made an estimated total of $261,317,921 in the box office.

Fortress presents a future where oppressive technologies and totalitarian control threaten personal freedom, sharing The Terminator’s themes of humans resisting dehumanizing systems and advanced surveillance in a technologically controlled dystopia.

In the future, the inmates of a private underground prison are computer-controlled with cameras, dream readers, and devices that can cause pain or death. John and his illegally pregnant wife Karen are locked inside "The Fortress" but are determined to escape before the birth of their baby. Fortress is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 6.1 by 744 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,739,141 in the box office.

Hardware features a post-apocalyptic setting where a deadly robot is unleashed within a confined environment, paralleling The Terminator’s motif of an unstoppable machine targeting isolated survivors in a bleak, high-tech world.

Mark 13 is a government-built killing machine programmed with artificial intelligence, able to repair and recharge itself from any energy source. Through a series of coincidences, the cyborg's head ends up in the home of a sculptress as a bizarre Christmas present from her boyfriend. Once inside its new home, the cyborg promptly reconstructs the rest of its body using a variety of household utensils and proceeds to go on a murderous rampage. Hardware is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 34m runtime, released in 1990 with an average rating of 5.9 by 351 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,728,953 in the box office.

Virtuosity centers on advanced artificial entities becoming threats to society when human ingenuity goes awry. This echoes The Terminator’s cyborg assassin premise and explores the darker side of human dependence on technological creations.

The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) has developed SID version 6.7: a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from the personalities of more than 150 serial killers, and only one man can stop him. Virtuosity is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 46m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 5.5 by 622 people. The movie made an estimated total of $24,048,000 in the box office.

The Running Man imagines a near-future society dominated by authoritarian systems and deadly televised contests, spotlighting themes of individual rebellion, technologically mediated violence, and survival under oppressive forces seen in The Terminator.

By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and U.S. society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The government pacifies the populace by broadcasting a number of game shows in which convicted criminals fight for their lives, including the gladiator-style The Running Man, hosted by the ruthless Damon Killian, where “runners” attempt to evade “stalkers” and certain death for a chance to be pardoned and set free. The Running Man is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 41m runtime, released in 1987 with an average rating of 6.5 by 2,902 people. The movie made an estimated total of $38,122,105 in the box office.

Screamers explores humans fighting for survival against self-replicating machines on a desolate world. The scenario of human resistance against evolving, lethal technology strongly resonates with The Terminator’s machine-driven apocalypse.

SIRIUS 6B, Year 2078. On a distant mining planet ravaged by a decade of war, scientists have created the perfect weapon: a blade-wielding, self-replicating race of killing devices known as Screamers designed for one purpose only -- to hunt down and destroy all enemy life forms. Screamers is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 48m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 6.2 by 615 people. The movie made an estimated total of $5,781,885 in the box office.

Minority Report investigates advanced tech in a society where fate can be pre-emptively manipulated, using action-driven storytelling to probe free will, moral responsibility, and the consequences of trying to contain the future—central themes in The Terminator.

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge. Minority Report is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 25m runtime, released in 2002 with an average rating of 7.4 by 9,775 people. The movie made an estimated total of $358,372,926 in the box office.

Alita: Battle Angel portrays a future saturated with cyborgs, artificial enhancements, and human struggle in a machine-controlled world, reflecting The Terminator’s thematic interplay of advanced technology, existential threat, and the spirit of resistance.

When Alita awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido, a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. Alita: Battle Angel is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 2m runtime, released in 2019 with an average rating of 7.3 by 10,216 people. The movie made an estimated total of $405,000,000 in the box office.

Death Machine unleashes a mechanical killer in a futuristic setting, directly resonating with The Terminator’s focus on runaway technology creating lethal threats, with a small group struggling to survive relentless automated pursuit.

Chaank Armaments is experimenting with the ultimate fighting machine which is part human - part machine. So far, the Hardman project has been unreliable and has killed a number of innocent people. The genius behind this project is Jack who lives in a world of models, toys and magazines. When he is fired by Cale for killing a few corporate officers, he unleashes the ultimate killing machine called the 'Warbeast' against Cale and those who would help her. Death Machine is a movie from Japan in English, with a total 2h 2m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 5.9 by 141 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,422,749 in the box office.

Surrogates asks what happens when artificial forms take over human existence, confronting the same anxieties about technological dependency, identity, and the loss of humanity depicted in The Terminator’s cyborg-driven nightmare.

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others' surrogates. Surrogates is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 6.2 by 3,491 people. The movie made an estimated total of $122,444,772 in the box office.

Escape from New York is set in a dystopian future dominated by societal breakdown and survival-focused action. Its story of desperate resistance against punitive systems mirrors the broader struggle between humans and overwhelming forces in The Terminator.

In a world ravaged by crime, the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a walled prison where brutal prisoners roam free. After the US president crash-lands inside, war hero Snake Plissken has 24 hours to bring him back. Escape from New York is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 39m runtime, released in 1981 with an average rating of 7.0 by 3,571 people. The movie made an estimated total of $50,244,700 in the box office.

Automata handles the consequences of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence and the breakdown of robotic obedience, paralleling The Terminator’s investigation into the perils of machines gaining autonomy and challenging humanity’s dominance.

Jacq Vaucan, an insurance agent of ROC robotics corporation, routinely investigates the case of manipulating a robot. What he discovers will have profound consequences for the future of humanity. Automata is a movie from Spain in English, with a total 1h 50m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 5.9 by 1,827 people. The movie made an estimated total of $6,237,990 in the box office.

Nemesis centers on human-cyborg conflict in a future where the line between organic and synthetic life blurs, echoing The Terminator’s premise of menacing artificial beings and the tension of survival in a world shaped by machines.

In the future, chaos is rampant as 'information terrorists' threaten to destroy order in society. Alex is a part-man, part-machine LAPD cop who is the best at what he does. When one of the terrorists calls him a machine, Alex questions his humanity and decides to leave the force. His final assignment is to apprehend an old colleague who has stolen some data. However, there is more than meets the eye and Alex must question his allegiance. Nemesis is a movie from Denmark in English, with a total 1h 36m runtime, released in 1992 with an average rating of 5.4 by 175 people. The movie made an estimated total of $2,001,124 in the box office.

Ghost in the Shell delves into consciousness, cybernetic augmentation, and what defines humanity, much like The Terminator’s contemplation of artificial intelligence and humanity’s fight against an existential, machine-made threat.

In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster. Ghost in the Shell is a movie from Japan in Japanese, with a total 1h 23m runtime, released in 1995 with an average rating of 7.9 by 3,964 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,000,000 in the box office.

Westworld features malfunctioning androids in a top-down environment designed by humans, probing early concerns about machine autonomy, artificial consciousness, and technology’s unpredictable dangers—all central to The Terminator’s premise.

Delos is a futuristic amusement park that features themed worlds populated by human-like androids. After two patrons have a run-in with a menacing gunslinger in West World, the androids at Delos all begin to malfunction, causing havoc throughout the park. Westworld is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 29m runtime, released in 1973 with an average rating of 6.8 by 1,481 people. The movie made an estimated total of $10,000,000 in the box office.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence investigates what happens when artificial life develops emotional depth and autonomy, reflecting The Terminator’s narrative of machines transcending human control and the ensuing consequences for the world’s future.

David, a robotic boy—the first of his kind programmed to love—is adopted as a test case by a Cybertronics employee and his wife. Though he gradually becomes their child, a series of unexpected circumstances make this life impossible for David. A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 26m runtime, released in 2001 with an average rating of 7.1 by 6,756 people. The movie made an estimated total of $235,926,552 in the box office.

Elysium envisions a high-tech future where societal divides are enforced by technology, and resistance against an oppressive system drives the story. The conflict between human agency and machine-controlled environments recalls key themes from The Terminator.

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that, if successful, will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds. Elysium is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.5 by 9,689 people. The movie made an estimated total of $286,140,700 in the box office.

Repo Men is about a future where advanced bio-technologies dominate life and death, with desperate humans resisting powerful systems, paralleling The Terminator’s examination of technological advances encroaching upon and threatening basic human freedoms.

In the future, medical technology has advanced to the point where people can buy artificial organs to extend their lives. But if they default on payments, an organization known as the Union sends agents to repossess the organs. Remy is one of the best agents in the business, but when he becomes the recipient of an artificial heart, he finds himself in the same dire straits as his many victims. Repo Men is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 51m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.3 by 2,145 people. The movie made an estimated total of $18,409,891 in the box office.

In Time offers a look at a controlled future where technology determines survival, with individuals fighting oppressive systems, much like The Terminator’s focus on the intersection of technology, fate, and the struggle to avert dystopian outcomes.

In the not-too-distant future, the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest struggle to negotiate for their immortality. A poor young man who suddenly comes into a fortune of time finds himself on the run from a corrupt police force known as the "time keepers". In Time is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 7.0 by 12,285 people. The movie made an estimated total of $173,900,000 in the box office.

Oblivion depicts a post-apocalyptic Earth governed by technology, where remnants of humanity battle for their survival. Themes of lost identity, memory, and technological control are closely linked to The Terminator’s machine-dominated narrative.

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands. Oblivion is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 4m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.7 by 11,661 people. The movie made an estimated total of $286,168,572 in the box office.

Upgrade brings together advanced biomechanical technology and a revenge-driven story where human bodies are commandeered by artificial intelligence, mirroring The Terminator’s fascination with the integration—and dangers—of machines manipulating or destroying human life.

A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life. Upgrade is a movie from Australia in English, with a total 1h 40m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 7.5 by 5,121 people. The movie made an estimated total of $16,976,561 in the box office.