Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – With some of the all-time great action sequences and bold characters used effectively (the annoyingness of Furlong’s character being well within tolerance), this completely absorbing film builds on the first one in immensely pleasing ways; it’s hard to imagine a better or more satisfying sci-fi thriller than this one, and for my money, T2 might just be the best action movie ever. 9

The Terminator

The Terminator (1984) – It doesn’t try to do anything fancy—this is an unrelenting, suspenseful, and extremely entertaining sci-fi thriller; sure, there are some rough spots throughout with the script and the direction, but let’s be fair—Cameron went straight from Piranha 2 to this. 7

The Toughest Man in the World

The Toughest Man in the World (1984) – Yes, it encapsulates virtually everything that’s retroactively embarrassing about the 80s, and yes, the script and direction are pretty stinking clumsy, but this cheeseball inspirational film’s actually got a little bit of heart and soul; anyway, if Mr. T’s rapping isn’t enough to get you on board, his socially conscious badassery and tiny-shorts heroics may bludgeon you into submission. 5

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc. (2001) – It’s creative and imaginative, it’s got an excellent voice cast, and it’s decently funny—there’s a lot of good visual humor, and the child is both cute and amusing; the film’s premise is a little disturbing if you think about it too hard, though, so don’t do that. 7

Monsters University

Monsters University (2013) – It isn’t particularly funny, but it’s cute, and while the story is safe and predictable (not to mention cheesier than it needs to be), it’s engaging enough, and its characters are endearing. 6

Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim (2013) – There’s a goodly amount of dumbness saturating this film, but it certainly looks awesome, and while Hunnam’s having a little trouble with that accent, there are some fun performances by Elba, Perlman, and GlaDOS; but let’s face facts: you’re watching it purely to see mechas and monsters punching each other in the face, and on that front, it’s reasonably satisfying…once it gets around to it; say, where was that sword—easily the most useful weapon they had—the whole time? 6