The 8 Best James Cameron Movies To Watch Before ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
There aren’t many directors who have changed the nature of filmmaking to the same extent as James Cameron.
A noted perfectionist known for his prickly personality, deep-sea explorations, and unwaveringly ambitious goals for each and every one of his films, Cameron has forever transformed the way films are made. On the one hand, Cameron introduced a suspenseful, more realistic tone to traditionally stylized movie genres, allowing viewers to take instant notice of his work within the Alien, Terminator, and Avatar series. Not only that, but Cameron’s skillful utilization of state-of-the-art technology has continually pushed the boundaries for CGI and other experimental filmmaking techniques, influencing countless movies over the last several decades.
As viewers count down the days till the release of Cameron’s long planned Avatar: Fire and Ash, we decided to look back at Cameron’s filmography thus far in his career, ranking some of the director’s absolute greatest films from worst to best.
8. True Lies (1994)
Admittedly, a ‘90s spy thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger might not seem like a very strong premise, but in Cameron’s capable hands, True Lies rises above the limitations of its genre, drawing on an off-beat sense of humor that pokes relentless fun at everything from 007 to vintage Hitchcock films. Merging action with elements of a romantic comedy, Cameron creates his own distinct version of a James Bond epic, allowing for plenty of standout dramatic, comedic, and romantic moments between co-stars Schwarzenegger and a scene-stealing Jamie Lee Curtis.
7. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
It may have taken 13 years to see the light of day, but Cameron’s long-term plans for an Avatar sequel ultimately came to fruition with 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Featuring even more atmospheric visuals that carefully immerses viewers in the world of Pandora, The Way of Waters forms a fittingly complimentary addition to Cameron’s growing sci-fi universe. Heightening the stakes ahead of the upcoming Fire and Ash, it’s a stunning space opera film every bit as massive in scope as the original Avatar before it (if not more so).
6. The Abyss (1989)
The undersea equivalent to E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Abyss also allowed Cameron to toy with revolutionary special effects, something he continues to perfect with each new film. Released in the summer of 1989, The Abyss might be more explicitly an exercise in style over substance, yet the finished film bears enough redeeming strengths to engage viewers’ interests throughout.
5. Avatar (2009)
Though some detractors might be quick to describe it as a science fiction retelling of Dances with Wolves, at the end of the day, Avatar’s prevailing qualities make it a well-deserved classic in modern pop culture. Drawing on experimental filmmaking techniques that established a new gold standard for CGI technology, Avatar’s breathtaking visuals truly allow viewers to venture into a world they’ve never seen before. Even with all its momentous technical achievements, however, Avatar’s epic story is enough to pull audiences in and keep them watching from the movie’s gradual start up to its action-packed conclusion.
4. Titanic (1997)
Like Star Wars, Jaws, or The Wizard of Oz, Titanic exists as one of those distinguished Hollywood classics that almost everyone has watched at some point in their lives. Bringing the tragic sinking of the Titanic to life with meticulous detail, Cameron juxtaposes the ship’s ill-fated maiden voyage with the meaningful romance formed between Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s star-crossed lovers. Bolstered by a mood-setting musical score and ahead-of-its-time visual effects, Titanic is an essential entry in Cameron’s filmography, continuing to earn glowing reviews in the nearly 30 years since its release.
3. Aliens (1986)
It says a lot that fans continue to debate which is the superior film: Ridley Scott’s original Alien or Cameron’s immediate sequel, Aliens. While it’s a matter of taste and preference which film viewers prefer, Cameron’s work on Aliens deserves praise and admiration for an array of obvious reasons. Infusing plenty of riveting action into its nightmarish narrative, Aliens also finds a way to retain the suspenseful tone of its predecessor. What’s more, it also introduces audiences to an extensive lineup of fan-favorite characters, from Michael Biehn’s soft-spoken Hicks to Bill Paxton’s hilariously sarcastic Hudson.
2. The Terminator (1984)
Just as most viewers tend to argue which Alien entry is the best in the series, so too do audiences haggle over whether The Terminator or Terminator 2 is the altogether better film. While each movie possesses a number of winning qualities, one shouldn’t look past the genre-defining nature of Cameron’s original Terminator. In a genre famously caught in the shadow of family-friendly sagas like Star Wars, Cameron implements his own tense and rugged vision for the future with 1984’s The Terminator. Making stars out of Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s a simple, straightforward, endlessly rewatchable sci-fi horror film, one that helped Cameron rise from a struggling low-budget director into one of the most promising auteurs of 1980s cinema.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Among the greatest action movies and science fiction movies ever made, Terminator 2: Judgment Day has everything viewers could hope to see in a first-rate adventure film. Retaining the adult-oriented edge of its predecessor, Cameron advances the Terminator universe in new and exciting ways with Judgment Day, recasting Arnold Schwarzenegger’s merciless synthetic assassin as a teenage John Connor’s unlikely protector. With special effects that have aged shockingly well in the three decades since its release, Judgment Day has nary a dull moment in its two and a half hour-runtime, serving as the biggest, most influential action movie of modern American filmmaking.
