Being Arnold Schwarzenegger: Terminator Star Deconstructed

Arnold Schwarzenegger could be called an enigma of the film industry. Most histories of Schwarzenegge site he was too oddly built and had too strong of an accent to be a movie star. In this article, I will focus on what made the classic "Terminator" star so successful in the movie industry. I will not go into bodybuilding or his role as governor of California, as detailed discussions on these subjects have been done to no end. As a foreword to this article, I would mention Schwarzenegger is a smart business man above all, which has translated into his successes in the fields of bodybuilding and politics, not to mention movies.

The better movies of Schwarzenegger

His first major role was in "Conan the Barbarian", which in my estimation was a classic take on the original Robert E. Howard tale. It told the tale of a nomad warrior named Conan who fought in a fantasy land with kings, magicians, and warriors set out to kill. There was a sequel called "Conan the Destroyer" that is considered a disappointment, but Schwarzenegger showed in Destroyer that he could handle bigger action roles, even if they were in action films.

Perhaps the character Schwarzenegger is known best for is his role as a Terminator in the films of the same name. The Terminator films told the story similar, and cited to, "The Wasteland" by T.S. Eliot, which, as it sounds, pictured a dark future for humanity. The first "Terminator" depicted Schwarzenegger as a villain trying to kill a child who would lead humanity in the future. Time travel played a major part in the beginnings of each film in a way that added enough science fiction to make the films entertaining. The first "Terminator" was the best, but "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" gave Schwarzenegger more of an acting role. In each of the last two films, he was allowed more room to show some of his acting skills.

If I had to pick a film other than the Terminator franchise, I would pick "Predator." This is the role Schwarzenegger was destined for: "Predator" played on the classic conflict of man vs beast, where his character battled an alien hunting down people in South America for sport.

Schwarzenegger also had a science fiction related role in the movie "Total Recall," which was based on a Philip K. Dick story.

The poorer movies of Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger seemed to take a downturn after the second "Terminator" film was made. He made films like "Eraser," "True Lies," "End of Days," "The Sixth Day," and "Batman and Robin." Of these perhaps Eraser is the most action packed, and "Collateral Damage" the best written. "Collateral Damage" also showed Schwarzengger could do more than play the role of the gun-wielding hero.

In the end, Schwarzengger was one of the better action stars in the past twenty years. It will be interesting to see if he continues down the political path, or goes for continuing popular stories like Terminator in film roles.