All 9 James Cameron movies ranked from worst to best

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.