James Cameron has enjoyed unprecedented success with Avatar: The Way of Water since its 2022 release, but where does it fit among his legendary movies?
James Cameron is considered by many to be one of the great godfathers of movies. It’s hard to deny that, as the man has gifted us with now three of the top four highest-grossing movies of all time (two of which held the No. 1 spot at one point in time).
But filmmaking isn’t just about success, and that’s something that Cameron knows all too well, having contributed to the history of cinema by making movies that many consider to be nothing short of art. Few directors have been as revolutionary to the industry as he has, producing small-budget horrors that overperformed and changed the science fiction genre like The Terminator, the greatest love story in movie history in Titanic, and some of the best sequels ever made in T2 and Aliens.
He also defied expectations with his first movie in a decade, Avatar: The Way of Water, channelling its predecessor and becoming one of those three record-breaking movies we mentioned earlier. But how does the juggernaut sequel compare to its predecessor, and for that matter, all of Cameron’s works thus far? Let’s find out, as we rank James Cameron’s movies from worst to best.
9. Piranha II: The Reckoning
There’s really not much to say about this, other than the fact that it’s not really a James Cameron movie. Yes, it’s the movie that launched his career, but there was reportedly a lot of production difficulties, with conflicting reports as to how much involvement Cameron actually had.
At one point, the legendary director disowned the movie, and honestly it’s hard to blame him. It’s not that it failed at the box office, it’s just not very good.
If you didn’t know he directed this, well now you do. Piranha II is a James Cameron movie (in credit alone).
8. Avatar: The Way of Water
Well after a decade long wait, we’re finally on the other end of Avatar: The Way of Water‘s theatrical release. One of the most anticipated movies of all time (and also one of the most expensive), there was so much pressure on this one to succeed because James Cameron spent around 10 years making it. Oh yeah, and the original is the highest-grossing movie of all time.
It’s well-documented at this point that Avatar 2 exceeded expectations at the box office, but what we don’t talk about enough is that it does the same as a movie. It’s bigger than its predecessor, expanding the world of Pandora and the story of the Na’vi in unique and exciting ways that made the lengthy wait for its arrival worth it. It also makes full use of its star-studded cast, with Kate Winslet being a standout among the welcome additions.
It’s debatable as to whether or not it’s better than the original. For us, we’re giving the first one the edge just because of how revolutionary it was. But I’m telling you, it was very, very close.
There is a consistency with Cameron when it comes to sequels. Whether he was involved in the original or not, you can trust him when he brings us back into a world. And even though Avatar: The Way of Water isn’t his best example of that, it’s a darn good one at that!
The movie is finally available to watch on streaming, so you should definitely check it out if you haven’t yet.
7. True Lies
True Lies might be the name of a 2023 TV series on CBS that just so happened to be produced by James Cameron, but that’s simply down to the fact that it was Cameron who brought the concept to the US silver screen in the first place (though it was based on the French comedy La Totale!). That’s right, back in 1994, he directed the dream team of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, as they played a married couple struggling to keep their marriage alive. That is, until Harry’s secret life as a spy spices things up.
Looking at Cameron’s filmography, True Lies may well stick out for being the most different movie he’s ever directed (well, aside from Piranha II). It’s a comedy movie masquerading as a spy movie all wrapped up in an action adventure full of explosions, thrills, and marriage disputes. It’s outlandish, it’s crazy, and it’s a damn good time that makes full use of Schwarzenegger’s comedic chops, as well as his star-power as an action hero.
Curtis is equally as well-cast here, winning a Golden Globe and Saturn Award for her portrayal of Tasker’s formidable wife Helen (which is nice to look back on now that the genre queen has finally won a long-overdue Oscar).
True Lies is an adventure for the ages that literally explodes on the screen before you, benefitting a great deal from Cameron’s larger-than-life direction as a result. The only thing preventing it from a higher placement is that some of it really hasn’t aged well, and we’re not talking about the action!
6. The Abyss
The Abyss was a pivotal moment in James Cameron’s career as it was the first time that he leaned so heavily on CGI in a movie. And if you know Cameron’s filmography, you’ll know that he became a force in the world of computer generated imagery after this. And yes, this is where it all started.
Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn, the movie follows a search and recovery team on a mission to recover a US submarine that sunk. Deep underwater they encounter what appears to be extra-terrestrial life. That extra-terrestrial life manifests itself in the form of water tentacles that can evolve into shapes such as human faces, and this produced some of the most iconic scenes in cinema history, revolutionizing what was capable with CGI.
The truth is that The Abyss is remembered fondly because of its incredible CGI, and so it should be. But it’s often easy to forget just how stunning the movie itself is. A compelling thriller that makes use of its claustrophobic setting, it’s a movie that has the ability to make you uncomfortable and break your heart at the same time. It’s a captivating watch, and even though it struggles with its pacing from time-to-time, it’s a nice one to revisit because it reminds you that there is more to this movie than its special effects.
5. Avatar
When someone tells you to see a movie on the biggest screen possible, it’s a real reminder of how, well, big the world of movies can be. Few films embody that old-fashioned notion in the way that Avatar does. Released in 2009, it single-handedly changed the game for what film was capable of (at a time when we didn’t really think that was possible).
The groundbreaking spectacle that broke Cameron’s own box office record to become the highest-grossing movie of all time (twice), Avatar is a vivid adventure full of life and color just ready to explode before your eyes. And it does just that, introducing us to the magical world of Pandora with a star-studded cast and the best special effects you’ll ever see. It was a moment, and if you were lucky enough to see it in 3D, it’s one you will likely remember forever.
Avatar came along at a time when cinema was in need of more spectacles. Big budget franchises like Star Wars and Jurassic Park were on hiatus, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in its infancy, leaving a huge gap in the market. Leave it to James Cameron to find a way to fill it, and of course he had to do it in record-breaking fashion.
4. Aliens
This won’t be the last time you see a James Cameron-directed sequel on this list, and it also won’t be the last time you see me making a case for why this sequel may even be better than its critically-acclaimed original. Oh yeah, Cameron knows how to make effective follow-ups, even if he didn’t make the first one.
That’s what happened with Aliens. Released in 1986, it’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s terrifying Alien, but the real mastery here is that it’s nothing like its predecessor, and that’s exactly why it succeeds. Set long after Ellen Ripley first encountered the Xenomorph on her ship in the original movie, she agrees to return to the creatures’ home world with a team of Colonial Marines, where – as the title implies – she faces off against an army of them.
Alien was a slow-moving thriller all about the threat of what you couldn’t see, but Cameron turned that on its head for Aliens, because the sequel was an action-packed showdown all about the threat of what you could see. And what you see is a stunning science fiction movie that doesn’t stop, intimidates you in its own way, and showcases why Sigourney Weaver’s heroine is considered one of the greatest action heroes of all time.
Every bit as good as (if not slightly better than) the first one, Cameron worked wonders with this sequel. And he would do it all again with his own franchise some years later (which we’ll get to a little bit later on…).
3. Titanic
Titanic held the record for being the highest-grossing movie of all time for 12 years (until Cameron himself bested the record with Avatar) and it’s easy to see why it endeared itself to audiences so much.
Let’s face it, pretty much everyone headed into Titanic knowing it was going to be a tragedy, but I’m not sure anyone expected to get so connected to Rose and Jack’s love story. It sounds strange saying that given that Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were all over the marketing for the film, but the performances that both actors give in this movie are so captivating that you can’t help but root for a romance you know is already doomed.
Its three-hour runtime is very effective on this front, because it spends the first hour making you fall in love with them, all while increasing the tension and building up suspense to the iceberg collision you know is coming. And when it comes, and all you feel is heartbreak and terror, you still find yourself championing Jack and Rose’s will to survive and love each other.
Titanic is heartbreaking, heartwarming, infuriating, and beautiful – and when it’s not busy being all of those things (and more), it’s a visual spectacle. It is, and always will be, a masterpiece of cinema.
2. The Terminator
What is there to say about The Terminator that hasn’t already been said? The fact that it still holds up almost 40 years after its release really says all you need to know about it. That, and the fact that that it turned James Cameron and Linda Hamilton into household names, and sent Arnold Schwarzenegger’s quickly-ascending star into the stratosphere.
The movie is a 90-minute thriller that leans into horror much more than its successors, and that makes it the most intense watch out of all of Cameron’s movies. Centering on a murderous cyborg (Schwarzenegger) sent back in time to eradicate the mother of the future, Sarah Connor, it uses all of the tropes associated with your typical B-movie and elevates them far beyond your expectations. And it’s all down to a thrilling script, superbly written characters, and the commitment from every single actor involved.
A low-budget project, The Terminator did a lot with very little, and the result is a revolutionary piece of cinema that paved the way for genre movies, franchises, and so much more. The fact that it was based on the stuff that James Cameron’s nightmares are made of should have been an indicator of what a visionary he was set to become.
The word “timeless” gets thrown around a lot these days. The Terminator, however, is the perfect example of a timeless movie.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A rare case of a sequel outdoing its predecessor, Terminator 2: Judgment Day‘s victory here isn’t a case of what The Terminator fell short in but more so what T2 succeeded at. A movie like the 1984 classic easily lends itself to a sequel that follows the same format, produces a similar outcome, and fails to add anything new to the story, but that’s not what James Cameron wanted to give audiences in T2.
The 1992 movie flips the script on its predecessor, bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s menacing cyborg back – except this time, he’s not the villain of the story, he’s its hero. A Terminator reprogrammed by John Connor in the future, he is sent back in time to protect 10-year-old John Connor in the past, who is at the mercy of the more-advanced T-1000. Joining them in the fight against the machines is Sarah Connor, now a hardened warrior intent on killing Skynet before it’s born.
T2‘s contributions to the world of special effects are well-documented, but the film also earned itself a place in history for being one of the all-time greatest action blockbusters ever made – and to do that as a sequel to a low-budget thriller is just an example of how the movie defied expectations. And we can’t close out without mentioning Hamilton’s career-defining performance as the ultimate action hero.
Cameron’s finest work and it isn’t even close.
Which James Cameron movie is your favorite? Have you seen Avatar 2 yet? Where would you rank it among his all-time greats?