Great James Cameron Movies
Just in time for his new film Avatar, we present the full filmography of visionary (and budget-busting) director James Cameron.
Piranha II: The Spawning Starring Lance Henriksen, Tricia O'Neil. (1981) Remember your first job? The one where you earned 50% of minimum wage cleaning dishes at that pokey restaurant? Well, here's the movie equivalent. A low-budget sequel to a low-budget horror flick, this one's about deadly, killer, flying, flesh-eating piranha fish that eat you alive.
The Terminator Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilon, Michael Biehn. (1984) Now this is more like it. Though it didn't have the biggest budget ($6.5-million in 1984's money), it looked – and still looks – like a massive-budget blockbuster spectacular. You know the story, right? Ah-nold is a killer robot sent back from the future to kill the mother of the guy who will in the future lead the human race in battle against the killer robots who've taken over the world. Big, stupid, and loads of fun.
Aliens Starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen (1986). Another sequel to a movie he didn't make himself... but instead of dodgy flying fish, this time Cameron gets to continue the story of the classic sci-fi Alien. This excellent film boasts loads of guns, plenty of violence, and – as we've now come to expect from Cameron – some decent acting (Sigourney Weaver was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this film).
The Abyss Starring Michael Biehn, Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (1989). After outer space, Cameron heads into the watery depths of the ocean for another visual feast: this time pairing aliens and fish in the tale of a deep-sea vessel that encounters a strange life form at the bottom of the sea. The visual effects are amazing, and although the film was made 20 years ago, it looks like it could've been produced yesterday.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick (1991). Arnie returns as the killer cyborg, though this time he's – gasp! – here to defend the humans, not destroy them. With effects that were about a decade ahead of their time, and with killer lines ("Hasta la vista, baby!"), this is an all-time sci-fi action classic. You've probably seen it a million times already. Go for a million and one. You'll love it.
True Lies Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, Tom Arnold (1994). With an estimated budget larger than the GDP of some small nations ($110-million, at one estimate), this action comedy blockbuster pulls out all the stops. Arnie is a secret agent whose wife doesn't know he's a secret agent – and the plot unravels from there. The stunts are utterly incredible, and the laughs come thick and fast.
Titanic Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Bill Paxton (1997). A change of pace has Cameron doing an old-fashioned love story, complete with a Celine Dion soundtrack. But it's still a James Cameron film, so you still get deep sea danger, eye-bulging special effects, and a titanic budget ($200-million) that's splashed all across the screen.
Ghosts of the Abyss Starring Bill Paxton, some scientists, a sunken ship (2003). Having grown tired of working with actors (his working techniques are pretty notorious in Hollywood), Cameron returns to the Titanic... but this time with a documentary feature. Worth watching from a scientific point of view... but don't expect to see Kate Winslet's bare chest at any point.
Aliens of the Deep Starring some scientists (2005). You've got to hand it to Cameron: although his movies are ground-breaking and visionary, he knows how to stick to what works for him. Using the tech he employed in Ghosts Of The Abyss, he returns to the deep-deep-deep-sea theme of The Abyss, but this time (again) as a documentary.
Avatar Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi (2009). Cameron's latest film has the budget (anywhere between $250-million and $500-million, depending on whom you ask), the action, the other-worldliness, and the visionary visuals you've come to expect from him. As with Titanic, there are already rumblings that it's going to be a box office flop (Titanic, you may recall, won a bajillion Oscars and topped the all-time box office tables). Here's the premise, in case you haven't heard it yet: Sam Worthington is a wheelchair-bound former soldier who's taken to a faraway planet as part of a program that'll let him live vicariously through specially-bred alien... with his mission being to fight against the aliens. (As opposed to falling in love with them, which is what he ends up doing.)
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