Movie Jail: The People vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Ever wonder what happens to actors and filmmakers who stop making good films and start releasing bad ones? They land themselves in Movie Jail! JoBlo.com readers will act as the jury to hold celebrities accountable for the diminishing quality of films, while still taking into full account their entire career. While they won't actually spend any time behind bars, this is a fun way for you to voice your opinion as to whether a few bad movies discredits an entire career. So, read through the evidence on both sides and let us know in the comments whether this week's defendant deserves to go to MOVIE JAIL!

The Defendant: Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Charges: 

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is hereby charged with multiple counts of film crimes including First Degree Filmslaughter for participation in creatively devoid projects as well as multiple counts of Franchise Abandon in which he has driven sequels into the ground. 

The Prosecution

EVIDENCE FOR THE PROSECUTION: BATMAN AND ROBIN, TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, TERMINATOR GENISYS, JUNIOR, THE LAST STAND, ESCAPE PLAN, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, JINGLE ALL THE WAY

Mr. Schwarzenegger, a dedicated public servant who served as Governor of California, has long been considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time. With a career spanning four decades, Mr. Schwarzenegger has entertained global audiences with his rippling muscles and penchant for on screen violence in iconic roles. But, since 1994, Arnold Schwarzenegger has not released a film truly worthy of what came before it. While he did have some early failures like THE RUNNING MAN, nothing could compare to the weak films he released after 1994.

For the last 25 years, Arnold Schwarzenegger has released multiple crimes against cinema including the abysmal BATMAN & ROBIN in which the use of puns and one-liners negates the great quips he spouted in movies like COMMANDO and THE TERMINATOR. His comedy work in JINGLE ALL THE WAY and JUNIOR shows that both TWINS and KINDERGARTEN COP were nothing more than flukes while COLLATERAL DAMAGE, THE 6TH DAY, and ERASER tried too hard to replicate his successful film formula from the 1980s. Even END OF DAYS, which is unique from not being like any of Schwarzenegger's other films, falls flat.

Where Arnold Schwarzenegger truly breaks film law is with a series of progressively worse sequels in both the TERMINATOR and EXPENDABLES franchises. TERMINATOR 3 and TERMINATOR: GENISYS are potentially some of the worst sequels ever made and Arnold's performances never muster a modicum of the energy he showed in earlier works. The years since Schwarzenegger left office have been populated with attempted comebacks like THE LAST STAND and ESCAPE PLAN, both of which show he needs to be legally barred from continuing to appear on the big screen.

The Defense

EVIDENCE FOR THE DEFENSE: THE TERMINATOR, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, COMMANDO, TRUE LIES, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, KINDERGARTEN COP, MAGGIE, AFTERMATH, TOTAL RECALL

Ladies and gentlemen, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not just a national treasure but a global one. The combined box office of THE TERMINATOR franchise as well as TRUE LIES, COMMANDO, TOTAL RECALL and more prove that he is the template on which Hollywood has predicated so many of their hit films. His working relationship with filmmakers like James Cameron has proven time and again to be a viable route to fun and entertaining blockbuster entertainment. In fact, Mr. Schwarzenegger's charitable work around the globe far outweighs his on screen efforts.

The defendant makes no claims that all of his films are perfect nor even good. But, that can be said of all actors. Well into the golden years of his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger still works harder than most actors half his age to deliver entertaining movies like THE EXPENDABLES while passing the torch to the next generation of icons like Dwayne Johnson in THE RUNDOWN. Arnold Schwarzenegger has also spent the last decade dabbling in different genres and smaller budgeted fair with exceptional results

In the last ten years, Mr. Schwarzenegger has released three independent films in MAGGIE, AFTERMATH, and KILLING GUNTHER. All three of these films are smaller scale movies that required more acting work than action and show that Arnold is capable of doing more than firing guns. It is a fair argument to say that he shows his growth as an actor here which bodes well for his upcoming return in TERMINATOR: DARK FATE. It is entirely unfair for Arnold Schwarzenegger's long and storied tenure atop Hollywood to be judged based on one segment of his output, especially when he has taken risks as a performer in that span of time.

CLOSING ARGUMENTS

Arnold Schwarzenegger's fifty years on the big screen have yielded 50 films across genres, country, studio, and budget. He has kickstarted multiple franchises and delivered some of the most iconic lines in movie history. Between those successes, Arnold Schwarzenegger has also made films that have failed both critically and commerically, many of which have come in the last decade. Now is the time for you, the Movie Jail Jury, to determine whether or not Mr. Schwarzenegger should pay for his crimes.

*The cases for and against a defendant going to Movie Jail by the author are not necessarily his views and opinions but they are some of the beliefs that one would use to effectively make an argument for both sides. Not quite a devil's advocate but you get the point. Anyway, this is all in fun so don't take it too seriously. We have a separate jail for those people called "Troll Tower" and believe me you do NOT want to go there.

WHAT SAY YOU: GUILTY OR NOT?

Here is your change to make your voice heard. You are the Jury! Let us know in the comments below whether you find Arnold Schwarzenegger INNOCENT or GUILTY and we will share the verdict in two weeks! Remember: this is all for fun. No celebrities have been harmed in the creation of this column.