What's James Cameron's best?

Ok, my official ranking...

1. Aliens
2. The Terminator
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
4. Titanic
5. True Lies
6. The Abyss
7. Avatar
8. Piranha II: The Spawning


I still haven't seen The Way of Water, and The Abyss placement is pending for a rewatch; haven't seen it in more than 20 years, but that's more or less it. The only truly bad one is Piranha II, if you ask me.

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1) The Abyss
2) Titanic
3) Aliens
4) Terminator
5) Piranha 2
6) Terminator 2
7) True Lies
8) Avatar

I've never seen Piranha 2 nor The Abyss

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
2. Titanic
3. Aliens
4. The Terminator
5. Avatar
6. Avatar: The Way of Water
7. True Lies

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“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” ~ Rocky Balboa

I disagree with your ranking but commend you for having the courage to express your hot take. I should also say that although Piranha 2 is at the bottom of my ranking (independently of the credit shenanigans regarding that film) I don't hate it the way most seem to. For me it's entertaining schlock.

That hot take took years to assemble. Endless weekends of personal deliberation. I can stand by every minute of that list!!! It's perfect!!!!!

And it also should be noted, I at least sort of like all of those movies. Even that piece of shit Avatar.

The Abyss is the only one I'd consider straight up great though.

In short, James Cameron is an extremely good filmmaker, who makes the kind of movies I generally don't like that much. But he ends up making me like them. And I respect that.

Aliens is his best and most rewatchable film. The first Terminator ranks second.

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Good thing I've seen 'em. But a spoiler alert is in order.

For some reason I don't know what the last one is, and I don't think I want to.

huh im so confused :/
last one is a tv series called dark angel

Despite the fact that T2 is one of my all-time favorite films, he prob wouldn't make my Top 10 directors.


That said, I look forward to Avatar 3.

titanic
avatar 2: the way of water
the abyss
terminator
terminator 2: judgement day
aliens
avatar
true lies
piranha 2

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letterboxd
criticker

Interesting; you seem to prefer dramatic/waterlogged Cameron to action-heavy Cameron.

It's a top three, in some fluctuating order, of T2, Abyss, and True Lies. Then Aliens. Then everything else in a big "meh" pile that I can't even care enough about to rank.

The toughest intellectual exercise for me would be what goes at the bottom, whether it's Avatar or Titanic or something else (but it's probably one of those two).

Watch T2 before seeing this:

i think he’s a great action director but yeah, i prefer his earnest emotional epics more. there’s a coldness to his action that leaves me slightly distant, except when it’s coupled with big emotions like the end of the way of water.

Whichever movie has Cameron get a hole in his wee submarine, after which he sinks to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again.

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I recommend that you watch ALL theatrical releases directed by him before seeing this: