5 Movies & TV Shows Blatantly Inspired by The Terminator

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While The Terminator wasn’t 1984’s biggest box office hit, it was hugely influential, and remains the go-to movie when people talk about the dangers of artificial intelligence. The film expertly balanced action, thriller, horror, science fiction, and even romance. It succeeded on many levels, but at its heart, it was a dark and unsettling story about a robot assassin. Most of the films it inspired focused on that core, bleak tone more than its impressive mix of genres.

Basically, movies that tried to copy The Terminator just didn’t measure up. However, they still have moments of cleverness and are enjoyable, and these five examples are worth a watch for anyone who loves the original film.

5) Chopping Mall

If you’re looking for a fun, spooky movie to watch for Halloween, check out Chopping Mall. It’s a silly slasher film where the villains are killer robots, not masked humans with knives! Plus, it features a ton of familiar faces from classic horror movies, including Barbara Crampton (from Re-Animator), Dick Miller (Gremlins, The Terminator), Russell Todd (Friday the 13th Part 2), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Gerrit Graham (Child’s Play 2), and Paul Bartel (Piranha).

It’s difficult to believe Chopping Mall would have been made in 1986 if The Terminator hadn’t been so popular two years earlier. The lead character in Chopping Mall even has a hairstyle that’s a clear nod to Linda Hamilton’s look in Terminator.

Stream Chopping Mall on Prime Video.

4) Universal Soldier

A major hit for Jean-Claude Van Damme, this film shares some similarities in style with James Cameron’s classic, despite having a different overall feel.

The movie clearly takes inspiration from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was released just a year earlier. Essentially, it features two cyborgs fighting for an hour and a half. Swap one of them out for a shape-shifting liquid metal version, and you’ve got something very similar to T2.

Stream Universal Soldier on Paramount+.

3) Almost Human

Despite having a strong team behind it – including J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company and a cast featuring Karl Urban, Mackenzie Crook, Lili Taylor, and Minka Kelly – the Fox series Almost Human was cancelled after just 13 episodes. The show, which followed a detective in 2048 working with an android partner, definitely shares similarities with the Terminator franchise.

While you can find films like Blade Runner and RoboCop occasionally, Terminator was the first to introduce the idea of a fighting android. It also featured a memorable scene – the creation of the android in a lab, specifically Schwarzenegger adjusting the fake skin on its face – which really set the stage for this type of imagery.

2) Hardware

When Hardware came out, many critics pointed out similarities to The Terminator and Ridley Scott’s Alien. They had a point – the movie definitely draws inspiration from those films.

Despite some flaws, this film really nails that bleak, post-apocalyptic vibe – it genuinely feels depressing and real. And the killer robot? It’s not just a Terminator copycat; it’s unique and genuinely scary. Okay, things get really gritty at times – that creepy neighbor character was a bit much, honestly – but it’s a fascinating peek inside the director’s head, and I always thought the actress Stacey Travis deserved way more recognition for her performance.

1) Split Second

Split Second feels like the intense, future-war moments from The Terminator and Terminator 2, but set before Judgment Day. Instead of focusing on protecting John Connor, it follows a single human, much like Kyle Reese, as they try to stop a T-800. The movie captures the dark and gritty atmosphere of those films, but the world hasn’t been completely destroyed yet – buildings are still standing.

The story centers on Harley Stone, a solitary police officer in London, 2008. The city is struggling with widespread flooding caused by global warming, but a more immediate threat has emerged: a massive, eight-foot-tall monster with a visor-like face. This creature killed Stone’s partner and left him with a physical and mental scar. Stone can now hear the monster’s heartbeat and is relentlessly pursuing it, driven by a desire for revenge.

Stream Split Second for free with ads on Tubi.

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2026-04-09 23:43