Filmography Worship: Ranking Every James Cameron Film
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Filmography Worship is a series where we review every single feature of filmmakers who have made our Wall of Directors (and other greats)
James Cameron is an interesting filmmaker. He's somewhat indicative of both the highs and lows of the cinematic experience. Many have derided him for his simplified story structures and tropes, which can be seen as a lack of movement for the medium. In that same breath is the main reason why people generally adore his films: his technical expertise is unmatched by most. His ability to bring in new technology to invigorate what films can be as means of spectacle is what keeps him afloat, and in that sentiment, there are many directors who have been inspired by what Cameron has accomplished; this excellence sprawls over many different mediums as well, including video games as well. A Kapuskasing native, Cameron grew up in Ontario, Canada. He made his first short film, Xenogenesis, back in 1978 after being loaned money from various dentists; Cameron now boasts some of the highest earning films ever made, including Avatar and Titanic. Funny how that can work sometimes (then again, Cameron paid close attention on the sets he worked on as a PA, and he clearly took good notes on how to both produce and direct motion pictures).
With a heavy emphasis on how humans face the odds (against technology, nature, disasters, the unknown, ourselves), Cameron's films are often exciting by design. We see ourselves facing and defying the odds. Cameron's affinity for science fiction was meant to lead him up to the stars; instead, it led him — like many astronauts in training — into the seas below. Cameron's technological advancement extends to more than just filmmaking, as the director has done much for deep sea research as a major innovator. These efforts led Cameron to eventually studying the sinking of the S.S. Titanic to the degree of being able to make a motion picture about it (clearly the one named True Lies). So, yes. Goof on Cameron's bare-basics storytelling all you want. I, too, was a film student who found it hip to shit on the guy for not making arthouse masterpieces. I also understand the problems associated with his kind of box office dominance (and the many tripe action films and franchise who have tried to copy this guidebook; even some of the highest earning films nowadays are atrocious as a result).
However, there is much to celebrate with Cameron as well. What Cameron doesn't do with telling he achieves by bringing you into new realms of possibility; from the bottom of the ocean, to another planet light years away. He is also fantastic with actors, being able to get some of the best performances in the action genre out of some of his mainstays (Sigourney Weaver remains a rarity with her Oscar-nominated turn as Ellen Ripley; action stars are almost never even acknowledged by such an institution); in order for these worlds to feel real, the people within them need to ring true as well (and Cameron always serves). The stigma that Cameron’s stories are crushingly typical and uninspired is unfair as well; there was a time, during his early days, where Cameron was so far ahead in the action space with his storytelling capabilities that he was unparalleled, and this doesn’t get discussed nearly as often as people like to complain about his more recent titles (mainly the Avatar series, which may not possess the greatest screenplays ever but he wins us over with the complexities of where these stories take place and with whom). Cinema started off as a means of being wide-eyed and amazed, and Cameron fulfills this criteria. Today, this is a Cameron safe space (of sorts; apologies for that film ranked last that is to come shortly). Here are the films of James Cameron ranked from worst to best.
10. Piranha II: The Spawning
Obviously. I don't believe anyone had high hopes for Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (or whichever title you want to call this trash) when they watched it retrospectively, but anyone who does see it is doing so to complete their Cameron binge watch (like me, of course). This is clearly a z-movie slasher film made by someone who was just starting out (Cameron himself doesn't acknowledge this film, and I don't blame him); it doesn't help that the amount of studio and producer involvement proves that Cameron barely had a say in a film that is this bad. It is vapid, pointless, and highly forgettable. I don't think we need to waste any more time on this one, so let's move on to a film that's at least reasonably decent.
9. Avatar: Fire and Ash
You will find that Cameron is great at making sequels serve their purposes while proving their worth time and time again (including a property that he didn’t even create in the first place). At its core, Fire and Ash brings us back to Pandora for another Avatar film and we can experience all of the action, natural spectacle, and digital mastery that the franchise has provided for us time and time again. However, this is the one time where one of Cameron’s sequels leaves us wondering what this is all for (especially when it is over three hours long); when we are covering the same conflicts via the same characters time and time again, a film that is meant to be a journey feels like a repetitive exercise. It’s too bad, because Fire and Ash is still quite mesmerizing; it is just highly derivative to the point of rendering a once-unforgettable setting rather unimpressionable.
8. True Lies
As if Cameron needed to get all of the goofiness of his one-liners out of his system, he made an entire motion picture of action cliches called True Lies. Truth be told, it's quite a bit of fun (albeit rather ridiculous, but the film being self aware of its own insanity makes the film at least a bit of a ride, as opposed to a pretentious film that thinks highly of itself). True Lies almost feels like the film that many naysayers are talking about when they want to attack, say, The Abyss or The Terminator: Cameron's criticisms come to life. The dialogue is cornier than ever. The stunts are from another planet. The plot is shoehorned just for both of the above to take place more frequently. Honestly, all of that is okay when the film is this bonkers. Cameron is aware of how True Lies comes across, and, as a result, it is highly entertaining. There isn't much to take away outside of the thrills, though.
7. Avatar: The Way of Water
A stronger effort than Fire and Ash, The Way of Water is the eventual return to Pandora that is actually better than it has any right to be. Over thirteen years after Avatar, Cameron is able to have us excited to return to this fictional planet again; this time, we explore both of Cameron's affinities (science fiction, and the depths of the ocean). While similar enough to Avatar (to the point of being slightly detrimental), The Way of Water still finds something breathtaking for us to be enraptured by with its mind boggling underwater (and above water, to be fair) sequences that are just as riveting as the flying scenes in Avatar. This film had us believing that maybe Cameron wasn't so crazy with his planned lineup of Avatar films after all.
6. Titanic
Cameron's Best Picture — and Oscar-dominant film — Titanic is something that made a splash because it is maybe one of the closest examples our generation could ever have to a proper Gone With the Wind moment: where just one film, its period-oriented production-based details, technical prowess, and powerhouse performances, were enough to dominate an entire planet for a year (or more). Cinemas were packed for months. The VHS tapes were crucial to own. Nothing could stop this film. In hindsight, Titanic is pretty good; simply just. It is a romantic drama with the backdrop of a major disaster in history behind it, and not much more. There is still much to admire with the meticulous production and intense action towards the latter half of the film, but I wouldn't call this a perfect picture either (does it not bother anyone else that it is implied that those steering the ship were distracted by Jack and Rose moments before hitting the iceberg, for instance?). Maybe not the greatest film of all time like its record would dictate, Titanic at least was a true cinematic event (and we don't get those nearly as often anymore).
5. The Abyss
The first two thirds of The Abyss may be the greatest film Cameron ever made (or at least worthy of that conversation). We dive deeper and deeper into the ocean to find a lost submarine and find instead far more than we bargained for; from political plots to a science fiction connection. As we are confined to a small space with the weight of the waters of the world upon us, The Abyss begins as a sensational effort; it is also blatantly an allegory for Cameron's troubled marriage and ultimate divorce, as we see a separated pair reunite due to their brutal circumstances (and their willingness to work together and find love again). All is great until the final act, which is as corny as Cameron ever got: moments that feel like they came from a completely different film. Cameron put everything into The Abyss but also went too far in doing so; it's nice that he would learn how to exercise proper restraint afterward, but it's a shame when this could have been truly something.
4. Avatar
There are two sides to Avatar. First, the experience of seeing this in a theatre. What a gorgeous feature film. With some of the best use of 3-D technology in any film, our visit to the wonderful but treacherous Pandora is an absolute treat. The blue-purple world is incredible to explore, and the Na'vi are sublime beings you cannot get enough of. Then you try watching Avatar at home, and you become aware of what is actually going on, from the overly simplified story to the major cliches and tropes that have been done to death before. We have a two-faced film here, but Avatar is neither this untouchable opus or a complete pile of trash that many would lead you to believe. It is in the middle: a great popcorn film that is heart stopping when you are in the middle of it and reveals its blemishes the more you think about it; the spectacle is so immense that I do lean more favourably towards Avatar than I likely should (but is a film actually bad if I do have so much fun with it; even at its worst, it's quite good; just typical).
3. The Terminator
This is where Cameron wants you to believe it all started for him, and it's easy to see why. The Terminator is a far better debut than whatever that stupid carnivorous fish debacle is. With The Terminator, Cameron was basically making a basic slasher film but heightening what it could be. There is one dominant enemy (the terminator itself) and one major form of prey (Sarah Conner, whose son will allegedly become the leader of the resistance to put a stop to the sentient AI). What could have been a by-the-numbers murder plot is instead a magnificent game of cat-and-mouse between a seemingly unstoppable machine and someone who was just serving tables an hour ago. Cameron's knack for world building is on full display here as well, allowing us to know the true odds attached to this chase. Other horror and action films get carried away with their melodrama; with The Terminator, the world will actually end, and you feel the weight of this possibility.
2. Aliens
Alien is one of my all-time favourite horror films. What Cameron achieves with Aliens is frequently discussed, but I do need to drive this point home yet again: this should have never worked. Not only does Cameron have a sequel to a film he had nothing to do with, but he changes the genre of the second part (from a horror/slasher film, to an all-out action extravaganza). He does this and it actually works; so well, in fact, that no one even questions it. Aliens simply is the successor to the previous film, and here is why. Cameron recognizes that having the lone survivor — Ellen Ripley — of a previous bl**dbath, only for her to have to do it all over again (like so many horror sequels) is pathetic and insulting. Instead, Ellen should come back with a vengeance, and Cameron allows her to do just that; Ellen possesses the rage of ten thousand gorillas, and nothing will stop her. Aliens could only be made by someone with a firm grasp on how stories work, and I know that it is easy to knock him for some of his other film's conveniences and contrivances, but Aliens is proof that the guy knows what he is doing.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Not only should Terminator 2: Judgment Day not have worked (similar with Aliens, Cameron revisits a property only to change its genre properties and structure), it's almost impossible that Cameron made it not just better than its predecessor (The Terminator) but leagues so. The Terminator is an intense watch, sure. It is an action film with slasher film tropes. Then you have Judgment Day which is an all-out, George Miller-esque action parade. Not only that, but to have the terminator itself — the T-800 we grew to hate in the first film — return and be a good guy is a borderline brilliant move; similarly to Ellen Ripley's return in Aliens, Cameron knew it would be pointless to recreate the previous Terminator film again and call it a day. Instead, that very son who was once supposed to be stopped by the terminator is now meant to be protected from a far more dangerous force: the T-1000 model that is a liquid composite that now seems unstoppable.
That world that The Terminator hinted at before gets put on full display in Judgment Day; instead of merely solving the many questions we had for the first film, Cameron creates even more hypotheticals of what this potential apocalypse can look like (the iconic nightmare sequence may provide some unholy foresight, here). Once again, the stakes are very high: everything can end if our protagonists are not successful. This leads to an endless string of action sequences, a number of showdowns, and so much more; this is a film that never slows down. It goes without saying that Judgment Day is one of the great action films of all time, and, in many ways, it is also James Cameron's strongest film to date; if only a terminator could travel time and eliminate all of the pointless sequels after the one that defied the odds (because lord knows we didn't need them).
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.