Director Spotlight: James Cameron

Paint your face blue and join us to revel in Cameron's larger-than-life cinema

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Dec 16, 2022

The king of the blockbuster is back 13 years after releasing the highest-grossing film of all-time. Director James Cameron’s Avatar sequel The Way of Water is only his ninth movie, but it’s a mega-event every time he drops one. When your last two releases are Avatar and Titanic, expectations could not possibly be higher at the box office. While today’s recommendations aren’t exactly low-key picks, it was a good time for us to write about what makes Cameron’s cinema so historically massive.

Before you read on, make sure you listen to our guest appearance this week on Cinema St. Louis’ podcast The Lens! They had us on for their mini-series on the “Gems of 2022,” so we chose the sci-fi drama After Yang, one of our favorites from the year. Give it a listen and be sure to subscribe to their pod!

After Yang discussion

Billy recommends…

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

It is theorized and almost confirmed that James Cameron made The Abyss to advance the needed technology to create the morphing T-1000 in Terminator 2. $200 million spent to essentially create two movies as a vehicle for an amazing transformation sequence from our main villain in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Totally worth it in every single way and Big Jim is the only director who could have pulled that off. Especially because this was before he was even a household name.

James Cameron is a master of getting himself out of a bind. Hyping up his own ability to create important tentpole blockbusters has given him few, by choice, opportunities to change the game. Yet, he succeeds at every turn. T2 is the sequel to the original Terminator, a low-budget horror movie that is more of a marvel for its modest beginnings. That was the last time Jim could claim to be modest. In the original, the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the main antagonist. A sequel coming back to that main villain felt like an odd choice because the horror and mystique of that character felt explored.

What he developed for the sequel subverted all expectations because in this one The Terminator is a protagonist protecting a child, John Connor, played by Edward Furlong, and doubles down on the unique badassery of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. This was made even more memorable due to the technological advancements manifested into the T-1000. T2 is a moment in cinema that stretched the possibility of what could be on screen, similar to the transition of silent to sound or black and white to color.

The hubris of Jim may have fully developed here. If given the time and resources he is able to deliver and audiences respond critically and commercially. Like The Terminator he is equally protagonist and antagonist. Antagonist during the hype to his next eyeroll-y project and protagonist as soon as your ass is in the seat at the theater. Keep playing me Big Jim. I love the ride.

Streaming on HBO Max

Drew recommends…

Avatar

For the highest-grossing movie of all-time, Avatar has an odd reputation. I think my experience with James Cameron’s sci-fi epic is probably similar to many others. Back in 2009, I was mostly blown away by the technical achievement of Avatar when I saw it in 3D, but not so in love with the story that I had a desire to watch it again. While the box office-conquering, Oscar-winning sensation made history 13 years ago, it seemed like – aside from a small but passionate group of Pandora devotees – the movie wasn’t as beloved as you’d think. Now, with a long-awaited sequel finally arriving, it’s a natural time for reappraisal.

As I revisited it recently for the first time in well over a decade, I was swept away again by the breathtaking world-building, but held many of the same reservations about other aspects of Avatar. Cameron is one of our best directors of action, as well as a leading technological innovator, so his movies are always going to be crowd-pleasing and thoroughly entertaining. Even at home without 3D effects or a gigantic multiplex screen, Avatar is an awe-inspiring visual feast. The mesmerizing colors and every minute detail of Pandora is wondrous to take in. Similarly, the action scenes, most of it done with motion capture technology, are a clinic in how to dazzle an audience with coherent and inventive sequences.

However, Avatar is still a great example of spectacle threatening to overtake the story. So much attention was paid to never-before-seen technical and visual feats that original storytelling and compelling characters went by the wayside. Yes, there’s some silly sci-fi aspects in Avatar (like “unobtanium”), but those can be overlooked if the story isn’t a rehash of Pocahontas or a borderline “white savior'' plot. Cameron’s environmental activism comes through clearly in the movie, but it would’ve been better served with a fresher story attached to it. Sam Worthington, who plays main character Jake Sully, does a serviceable job, but it does feel like Avatar would’ve been better off with a more interesting leading man. And while villain characters played by Giovanni Ribisi and Stephen Lang are memorable, they aren’t exactly complex.

I could continue laying out Avatar’s shortcomings, but criticism of this money-printing juggernaut tends to do about as much damage as a Na’vi arrow does to one of those military spaceships in the movie. If it’s been awhile since you’ve visited Pandora, it’s worth rewatching the original before the sequel to see if your impression of Avatar has changed. One thing that’s undeniable is that Cameron’s spectacle is unlike any other in cinema history. It’s best experienced in a theater, but the craft and entertainment value are present on any screen.

Streaming on Disney+

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