Films like The Terminator
15 picks with a similar feel
What defines The Terminator, going by its Boxlist taste profile: An otherworldly, breakneck sci-fi film: unsentimental and wide-ranging. Best if you like the extraordinary over the everyday. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of culture clash and social commentary, plus tags such as time paradox, griffith observatory and future war.
Here are 15 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.
Based on The Terminator (1984).
- 1
Predestination (2014)
Film7.4More intricate
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time paradox, time travel.
- 2
The Matrix (1999)
Film8.2
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: saving the world, artificial intelligence, action hero.
- 3
Sunshine (2007)
Film7.0Slower burn
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: saving the world.
- 4
Equilibrium (2002)
Film7.0
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: urban setting, dystopia.
- 5
Upgrade (2018)
Film7.5Slower burn
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: cyborg, artificial intelligence, dystopia.
- 6
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Film7.4Easier to follow
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: good versus evil, villain, action hero.
- 7
Looper (2012)
Film6.9Slower burn
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: time travel, dystopia.
- 8
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Film7.5Slower burn
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: artificial intelligence, dystopia.
- 9
Tenet (2020)
Film7.3More intricate
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time paradox, time travel.
- 10
Aliens (1986)
Film7.9Slower burn
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of social commentary.
- 11
Star Trek (2009)
Film7.4
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash. Common ground: time travel.
- 12
Film6.8
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and fast-paced, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: future war, dystopia.
- 13
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Film7.6More intricate
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and inventive, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: time travel, dystopia.
- 14
Total Recall (1990)
Film7.3
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of culture clash and social commentary. Common ground: action hero, dystopia.
- 15
Starship Troopers (1997)
Film6.9
Why it's like The Terminator: Also heightened and sweeping, with themes of social commentary. Common ground: dystopia.
Boxlist compares The Terminator with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.
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Take the taste testQuestions
- What should I watch if I like The Terminator?
- Picks with a similar feel include Predestination, The Matrix, Sunshine and Equilibrium. Each shares part of The Terminator's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
- How are these films like The Terminator chosen?
- Boxlist compares The Terminator with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.