A Complete Review of James Cameron’s work

Cast : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Giovanni Ribisi

What was it about?
Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

My two cents:
I saw this movie in IMAX 3D and the damned thing was just visually so impressive. Seriously, some people might complain that it’s too long but I thought the time passed by really fast. What I enjoyed the most was probably the fact that James Cameron several times actually completely ignored the plot to focus instead on this fascinating world. It was also a great move to focus on a completely different Na'vi tribe living on the shores of some islands. Finally, the last thing that really worked was the fact that they didn’t focus only on Jake Sully but on his whole family instead. As a result, there was not really a main character but several characters in the spotlight and I was positively surprised by how complex they were portrayed. Indeed, as displayed in this movie, Jake Sully was still a charismatic leader but also an authoritarian jerk and Neytiri was still a fearless warrior but also apparently a rather psychotic mama bear. Still, in spite of what some reviewers might argue, I don't think this movie was such an improvement on its predecessor. Indeed, back then, the first installment was so mind-blowing above all because it was so much ahead of the game and, in my opinion, it had at least a 10 years lead on the rest of the competition. However, this movie, even if it was more than a decent sequel, didn’t feel like such a game-changer after all. Anyway, in my opinion, James Cameron still delivered here an amazing blockbuster spectacle.

My rating: 08/10

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It was actually directed by Robert Rodriguez, James Cameron wrote the screenplay and produced this movie.

For how long have I been waiting to see this movie? 10 years? 15 years? Indeed, when I was kid, I bought the comic-books with my brother, I really loved them, and when I heard that James Cameron would adapt them, it sounded really awesome. However, somehow, the guy got completely obsessed with 'Avatar' and it seemed that this project would be stuck in production hell forever. Fortunately, Robert Rodriguez came on board and even if he wouldn't have been my first choice as a director, I still wanted to check the damned thing, in spite of the negative hype it received even before it was released. Well, eventually, I have to admit it, it didn't turn out to be a masterpiece, but it was far from being a failure either and I enjoyed most of it. Indeed, even though it felt rather derivative by now, the world created was interesting enough and visually quite impressive but I wouldn't expect less from Cameron. Above all, they completely nailed the main character. Indeed, Alita was just as fascinating as she was in the comic-book. Not only the way she looked worked very well (the controversy about her big eyes turned out to be completely unjustified after all) but, above all, she was just so charismatic, complex, and completely faithfull to the comic-book. Concerning the story itself, it's a shame that they tried to adapt the first 4 comic-books as it turned out to be just too much material for 2 hours of running time. Still, in spite of it flaws, I think it was a rather faithtfull adaptation and it is definitely worth a look.

Cast : Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Wes Studi

What was it about?
A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

My two cents:
Pretty much like 'Titanic', some people love it and some people hate it. Personally, I didn't care much about this average love story on a huge sinking boat but I really loved this Science-Fiction epic. I have always been a fan of good SF, Cameron spent a decade designing this whole world and I thought it was visually fascinating, even more in the theater in 3D (so far, it is the only movie that really impressed me using this otherwise tedious medium). The main issue for many viewers was the rather generic plot and, I grant you that, it was nothing mind-blowing but I thought it was entertaining enough. Personally, I think Sam Worthington gave a rather heartfelt performance and I actually cared about this poor fellow who finally could walk. The other metaphysical issue was the mixing of a human being with an alien and it was really intriguing but not really well developed, unfortunately. To conclude, I thought it was mind-blowing, at least, the first time around.

My rating: 09/10 (in the theater, in 3D) / 08/10 (at home, in Blu-Ray)

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Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton

What was it about?
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat, expecting to be married to a rich claimant by her mother, falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

My two cents:
I remember when it came out, it was a real rage. Everybody went to see this and there were those weird stories about some people who were going there 20 times... So, everybody went to see it ... except me. Indeed, I thought the whole thing was so overhyped, there was no way I was going to follow this crowd of sheep. Eventually, I watched it about two years later on my own terms and I didn't really like it. I think by now I have seen it about 3 times (it is my wife's favorite movie so no choice here...) but, even though I don't really like it, I don't hate it and I definitely can see why some many people love it. I mean, it is a crowd pleaser with broad characters, huge spectacle and not too much thinking, nothing wrong with that. The directing was definitely solid with some impressive special effects and the last 45 minutes were quite amazing to behold. The main issue I had was with the whole love story. I mean, there was definitely some chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet but the whole thing felt terribly generic and pedestrian to me. Above all, I thought it was rather shocking to substitute one of the greatest disasters in history by some trivial love story. Still, I don't think it is overrated, I think it deserves all the millions it made, it remains a very well made drama and a classic.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Eliza Dushku, Charlton Heston

What was it about?
Harry Tasker is a secret agent for the United States Government. For years, he has kept his job from his wife, but is forced to reveal his identity and try to stop nuclear terrorists when he and his wife are kidnapped by the terrorists.

My two cents:
Even though it is a rather weaker effort in Cameron's career, it was, at that time, the most expensive movie ever made (a recurring trademark in Cameron's work). Basically, it is a rather light and goofy action comedy with some rather impressive action scenes thanks to the massive budget mentioned before. As a matter of fact, it was also a remake of a French movie called 'La Totale' but it was barely seen abroad (I haven't even seen it myself to be honest). Anyway, for once, it seems that James Cameron didn’t take himself too seriously and, in fact, it is his only film which could be described as a comedy (there is still tons of action though). Therefore, you have a rather odd mix. For example, you have the now iconic lapdance by Jamie Lee Curtis, a scene which is quite awesome on one hand, but on the other hand, it doesn’t make much sense to have all those spies trying to trick this housewife. Still, even though it is nothing really amazing, it remains a decent action-comedy.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

What was it about?
The cyborg who once tried to kill Sarah Connor is dead, and another T-101 must now protect her teenage son, John Connor, from an even more powerful and advanced Terminator, the T-1000.

My two cents:
The first time I saw it, I must have been 12 years old (way too young but they didn't make a big deal back in those days), I saw it with my dad in the theater and it was definitely one of the most engrossing movie experience I had. Basically, this flick is the perfect example that a sequel doesn't necessarily have to suck. Indeed, it is rightfully regarded as one of the best sequels ever made. Even though I'm not sure if it is actually better than its predecessor, it was definitely bigger, in its budget (once again it was the most expensive movie made at the time), in its action scenes and it further developed the whole Terminator mythology. Indeed, from a cold ruthless killing machine, the Terminator suddenly became more human than the people he was protecting. The most impressing thing accomplished by James Cameron is that even though the whole thing is completely preposterous and doesn't make much sense, he still managed to make it quite fascinating and completely entertaining.

My rating: 8/10

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Cast : Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

What was it about?
A civilian diving team are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and face danger while encountering an alien aquatic species.

My two cents:
Even though it is not one of Cameron's work most heralded work, many people are really fan of this flick. And who could blame them? It is visually quite impressive and was, at the time, rather groundbreaking (It was one of the first films to make proper use of CGI technology). Unfortunately, as usual with James Cameron, the characters were really stereotypical and I especially dreaded the bad guy portrayed by Michael Biehn. Still, in spite of the poor characterization, both Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio were really good, especially during the resurrection scene which was really amazing but, apparently, they both had a dreadful time filming this. It is not really surprising but, for the viewer, there is a lot of fascinating stuff thanks to all those wet scenes or even under water scenes. Back in those days, you could see that James Cameron was already caring a lot about all that underwater stuff and it all felt really genuine. Eventually, even though it was really entertaining, there was just too much to deal with (the underwater oil rig, the major world crisis, the romance between Harris and Mastrantonio, Biehn going crazy, the aliens,...). Still, it remains a pretty good flick.

My rating: 7/10

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Cast : Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton

What was it about?
The planet from 'Alien' has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough?

My two cents:
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this flick. I mean, every time I watch it, I like it and I'm entertained throughout the whole thing but it never really blows me away. Let's start with the good stuff. It is visually impressive with a great mood from the beginning until the end. Once again, Sigourney Weaver shows that she is terribly bad-ass which is quite an achievement with this macho action genre. So, what's my problem with this fine picture? In my opinion, just like all the sequels in this franchise, it is basically a remake of the masterpiece made by Ridley Scott. Sure, they give it a new look, some impressive action pieces and it feels more like an action flick this time but, at the end, it basically follows the same plot. I thought it was rather disappointing and not the trademark of a bonafide masterpiece. Furthermore, except for Ellen Ripley, all the characters were terribly stereotypical and barely interesting which tends to get on my nerves after a while. Still, it is a good flick, no doubt about it.

My rating: 7/10

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It was actually directed by George P. Cosmatos, James Cameron wrote the screenplay.

I have to admit it, even though I didn’t care much about the damned thing, I turned out to be much better than I expected. Still, even though James Cameron did write the screenplay for this movie, it was apparently vastly changed by Sylvester Stallone afterwards. Anyway, it was basically a brainless action movie which was too bad because the first instalment was actually rather thoughtful. Still, I have to admit that the damned thing was sometimes quite entertaining, at least for the most part of it.

Cast : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Lance Henriksen

What was it about?
An robotic assassin from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to eliminate a waitress, whose son will grow up and lead humanity in a war against machines.

My two cents:
It is rather funny to see that even before he got those monster budgets, James Cameron was already able to make some pretty awesome action scenes. I mean, 30 years later, the whole thing still holds up pretty good whereas most of the 80's movies look nowadays terribly cheesy. Of course, the story is rather preposterous but they still managed to create a fascinating mythology and a dreary vision of the future. On the other hand, there are many funny scenes and some great one liners along the way. Another masterstroke was that even though Schwarzenegger couldn't act whatsoever, since he was portraying an emotionless cyborg, it was just perfect. Back then, action movies were R rated with a huge capital R and they weren't skirmish about those. The music is also pretty awesome which something impressive coming from the 80's which synonymous of the worst cheesy soundtracks. Basically, it is a great Science-Fiction feature.

My rating: 8/10

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Cast : Lance Henriksen

What was it about?
A scuba diving instructor, her biochemist boyfriend, and her police chief ex-husband try to link a series of bizarre deaths to a mutant strain of piranha fish whose lair is a sunken freighter ship off a Caribbean island resort.

My two cents:
Some directors like Quentin Tarantino, Orson Welles or Jean-Luc Godard have managed to give us one hell of a directing debut but, for some other directors, the beginning was rather embarrassing. Seriously, this movie must be one of the worst directing debuts I have ever seen. On the other hand, since James Cameron wasn't allowed to edit this flick (among other things), he doesn't consider this as his real directing debut. Even though it might be true, could he ever have done anything decent with this material? It is highly doubtful. I mean, I have recently seen the very first installment and it was not much better. Hell, I have even seen the new version directed by Alexandre Aja and even this new version with lots of babes and gore didn't impress me much. Eventually, it is pretty funny to see where Cameron started but, a part from that, it is a really tedious watch.

My rating: 4/10

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What was it about?
A woman and an engineered man are sent in a gigantic sentient starship to search space for a place to start a new life cycle. Raj decides to take a look around the ship. He comes across a gigantic robotic cleaner. Combat ensues.

My two cents:
The fans of James Cameron really love this short movie and it is quite understandable since it features so many trademarks that we would see in all his following movies. Personally, I thought it was interesting, but not really amazing though. Indeed, it was visually really intriguing and quite impressive considering the small budget they must have had. However, I didn't care much for the story. I mean, it was not bad at all but it was pretty obvious that it was an early attempt at movie making focusing on the visuals and not so much on the plot or the characters. Still, it remains a decent SF short feature and it was just pretty neat to see where James Cameron came from.

My rating: 6/10