Hear, hear. IMHO, the first “Terminator” was certainly better than the sequel. T2 was really good, had some terrific scenes and great effects, but it was overlong and the plot just wasn’t quite as tight. I found it dragging at times. “The Terminator” was a vastly better movie, even if the effects weren’t as good.
“True Lies” is a little harder to rate. It, too, could have stood to have another few minutes trimmed.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, actually. Arnold’s best is probably either “Predator” or “The Terminator.” Cameron’s is “Aliens,” by a mile and a half. I even liked “Titanic,” unlike a lot of Dopers, but “Aliens” was a wonderful movie.