I AM KING OF THE WORLD! Ranking James Cameron's Films

[Bedrockgames]

Y'know, people have been telling me that no one talks about Avatar for 8 years now. It's not too surprising; the movie obviously doesn't have the marketing strength of Star Wars or Marvel movies. But it is interesting to note how much people talk about how no one talks about Avatar

But there is a reason they keep bringing this up: it is true. It is one of the only things people say about it (that and maybe that the effects were excellent). Other than that it has no cultural relevance I can pick up on. I think when they are released they are a big deal. And like I said, I enjoy them. But they have a very odd effect in that they make a big splash but not a long lasting impression in the conversation around media.

While it certainly doesn't have Star Wars marketing power, it also isn't a series of obscure indie movies. I mean it is James Cameron. I recall it getting about the same coverage as most big movies of its type. But there are plenty of other movies, I am sure got equal marketing, that lasted longer in public memory.

 

[Zaukrie]

I always wonder if Avatar is one reason it's hard to get Old Man's War made.....

 

[Autumnal]

I’m not saying this is anywhere close to a significant reason for Avatar to be popular in general, but…I needed to use a wheelchair a while in high school, and again for the last three years. For me, Jake Sully’s journey is gripping and absorbing. Likewise Sigourney Weaver’s character’s. Throws fantasies of escape beyond the limits some of us face is powerful and comforting in bad times.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Uwe Bol or we riot!

I mean ... on principle I shouldn't. I really want to do Kubrick and Fincher.

But I could just do one, have them all ranked bottom tier ... and honestly, who could argue with the specific placement of suckage?

Is there a single person who would argue that any of the films are better than others?

 

[Clint_L]

2. The easiest rankings for me were the top three. Personally, I think #1 is indisputable, but all of the top three are, by far, the best of the films.

T1 vs. T2 is an interesting debate, and I think T2 takes it because:

1. Sarah Connor is a far more interesting character. In T1, she's essentially an extra plucky Final Girl. A damsel in distress for most of the film. In T2, she has an agenda, and her ability to twist her perspective of the Terminator into seeing him as a kind of messed up father figure reflects her unconquerable will to save her child.

2. Flipping Arnold's character into a protagonist is a genius move. He's great in the first film but doesn't have to do much, really, besides be a terrifying hunk of beef. He's not even in the final scene; it's all FX.

However, I think that Aliens being the best of Cameron's films is indisputable; it's the best action film ever made, and Ellen Ripley is the best action hero.

 

[payn]

T1 vs. T2 is an interesting debate, and I think T2 takes it because:

1. Sarah Connor is a far more interesting character. In T1, she's essentially an extra plucky Final Girl. A damsel in distress for most of the film. In T2, she has an agenda, and her ability to twist her perspective of the Terminator into seeing him as a kind of messed up father figure reflects her unconquerable will to save her child.

2. Flipping Arnold's character into a protagonist is a genius move. He's great in the first film but doesn't have to do much, really, besides be a terrifying hunk of beef. He's not even in the final scene; it's all FX.

I'd add a #3 in the T2000. Coming up with a more frightening terminator was a good way to raise the stakes. However, this would prove to be a trap for the franchise as each film afterwards tries to come up with a badder, scarier, and tougher terminator.

 

[Bedrockgames]

On the T1, versus T2, just my opinion but for me it just comes down to T2 isn't as good of a film. Terminator, the original is a perfect movie. Everything from the sound design to the plot, to the way the backstory is presented, the love story and the conclusion. Terminator 2 is a fun movie, and Like it a lot, but it also has a lot of dangly bits and feels bloated in comparison. I could list all the reasons but it ultimately comes down to T1 has a stronger emotional impact on me.

On the point about Sarah Conor, I quite like her in both. I think the good thing with both movies is she is a real character. In the first one, she is reacting how I would expect a real person to react to the horror of the situation. If she comes across as a damsel in distress that is just a product of her being a normal person who is protected by a soldier sent back in time with the knowledge and training to deal with a Terminator. But importantly, she kills the Terminator in the end. And I think she shows real grit and determination there. To me it is almost more impressive having a regular terrified person do that than a character like the one she eventually became (but her becoming more of a soldier in the second one is a direct outgrowth of everything that happened in the first one. Reese isn't even a particularly heroic figure by 80s standards. And I kind of like that about him. He is a good contrast to Arnold.

The other thing with these movies is T1 is before Commando and T2 is after. So T1 isn't really an Arnold movie in the sense of being a film like Commando, Predator, or Total Recall. I love Arnold movies, but I think Terminator works better as a non-arnold film. There is too much Arnold in T2 for my taste compared to T1.

 

[Bedrockgames]

However, I think that Aliens being the best of Cameron's films is indisputable; it's the best action film ever made, and Ellen Ripley is the best action hero.

These are all pretty subjective call. I don't consider the best action movie ever made but it definitely belongs in the pantheon of best acton movies. And I consider it a great movie. I also don't think it is better than Terminator 1. But then I prefer the first Alien to Aliens as well.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I'd add a #3 in the T2000. Coming up with a more frightening terminator was a good way to raise the stakes. However, this would prove to be a trap for the franchise as each film afterwards tries to come up with a badder, scarier, and tougher terminator.

I can only enjoy 1-3 these days. Part three is tolerable at least. But all the ones that came after just felt like a convoluted mess. Even Arnold couldn't save them

 

[Deset Gled]

I can only enjoy 1-3 these days. Part three is tolerable at least. But all the ones that came after just felt like a convoluted mess. Even Arnold couldn't save them

See, I kind of enjoy Genisys for this reason. After T2, there was always the question of "if the machines can send something back more than once, why don't they just keep doing it?" And you would expect that kind of repeated screwing with the timeline would inevitably result in a convoluted mess.

Which is exactly what Genisys showed us. It's like the "Funny Games" of time travel movies.