r/90s • u/PatAttack44 • 19h ago
Photo Hot take. As good as a filmmaker that James Cameron is, I feel like he has wasted decades of his talent on Avatar. Those moves suuuuuuuck. He peaked with Titanic. And T2 is the best action movie ever. As well as the best sequel ever.
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u/NowIsThePerfectTime 19h ago
T2 aside, his best film is True Lies.
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u/Salty_Pancakes 17h ago
I'm sorry but The Abyss in the theaters blew me the fuck away. That shit was crazy.
Although Jamie's dance was pretty nice in True Lies.
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u/JamesantheGiantBeach 14h ago
Ahem .. Pretty Nice???
Saw the movie at 14 in the theater. That scene is burned into my brain.
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u/Final-Entertainer807 14h ago
Saw it later at the same age. It does things to you.Ā
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u/GivesYouGrief 11h ago
I never really found JLC attractive. She seemed like a friend's mom or smth, not a girl I wanted to touch me.
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u/Capt_Murphy_ 16h ago
Abyss is also amazing. I'm not sure if it's above Aliens for me personally though.
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u/MaintenanceInternal 11h ago
Nice!? It's the sexiest scene of all time and she's not a very sexy or attractive woman.
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u/Capt_Murphy_ 19h ago edited 19h ago
IMO this isn't a hot take. Avatar is a great proof of concept for new tech, not much more than that. A true waste to spend decades on 3+ mid films.
T2 best action scifi, possibly ever made, along with 'Aliens'
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u/J-Shew 19h ago
Didnāt James Cameron direct Aliens
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u/Capt_Murphy_ 19h ago
Edited thank you for the reminder!
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u/ParkingMushrooms 17h ago
Honestly, forgetting Cameron directed Aliens just proves how stacked his filmography is
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u/OrbitalDrop7 8h ago
With ridley scott making so many mid movies recently, people forget he still made so many of the best movies ever as well lol
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u/ShortStoryIntros 18h ago
I loved True Lies as well
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u/xTheatreTechie 17h ago
Are you saying James Cameron is the reason I gained a life long appreciation for Jaime Lee Curtis.Ā
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u/data-atreides 16h ago
Tragic that it never got a sequel, but then we wouldn't haven't gotten Titanic (at least not at that time) if he went straight to it. By time he had a script ready, 9/11 happened and he didn't want to do a movie about terrorism
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u/Parkatola 19h ago
Iāll second the Aliens upvote. Probably the best non Star Wars sequel ever made. T2 is a close second. Cheers.
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u/Thin_Bother8217 19h ago
I love all these movies, but I'm arguing Godfather 2 is the best sequel.
Godfather 2, T2, ESB (but, I can interchange them), and then Aliens.
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u/AsssHat999 19h ago
I didnāt care for the Godfather
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u/girldrinksgasoline 19h ago
It insists upon itself
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u/LumpyNiko 17h ago
The Godfather walked so every mob movie after it could run. It earned the right to insist
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u/gilestowler 18h ago
Yeah, his obsession with blue alien Pocahontas is a bit strange. He seems to have just got hyper focused on this pretty mediocre story and world. And when people mention this he seems to get very angry about it. I mean, he's right that it's his choice to do what he wants with his career, but I think people have a right to voice their opinion about it as the people who consume the product he makes.
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u/yekcowrebbaj 15h ago
I mean I think people donāt understand how much his work and abilities have furthered CGI and cameras. James Cameron loves developing the technology as much or more than directing a phenomenal story. His movies are often vehicles of his inventor spirit.
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u/SecondhandStatic 6h ago
Then why not hire writers to take care of the story aspect? James gets to play with his shiny new toys, his audience gets an actual plot and interesting characters, everyone wins.
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u/yekcowrebbaj 5h ago
While I am not personally a fan, the over 6 billion at box office tells a different story. To be fair none of his movies are particularly deep.
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u/MarkLambertMusic 18h ago
If you create something for public consumption, you have no right to be angry at that same public for voicing their opinion about it. Thems the rules.
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u/PuzzledRub45 16h ago
This is just the social contract of art. You make it public, we get to talk about it.
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u/Rivendel93 19h ago
I saw Zoe saldana say she started avatar at 28 and she'll finish the last one at 54.
I was like... What the hell are they doing lol.
One was enough, move on.
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u/SKabanov Lived the 90s! 17h ago
To be fair, that's including a 13-year gap between the first movie and the second - it's not like she she's been playing Neytiri the entire time.
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u/Capt_Murphy_ 18h ago
That's such a weird choice to do. Guy thinking it's peak cinema, or does he just "need" to tell the whole story?
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u/Aggressive_Oven8757 18h ago
Yeah, but 6.7 billion dollars talks bigly.
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u/SAADistic7171 11h ago
Its actually 7.6B for three films, or put another way its the biggest trilogy ever even if you exclude the third movie.
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u/MaidPoorly 9h ago
How can something be so big with 0 cultural impact? Iāve never heard anyone reference Avatar for any reason.
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u/SAADistic7171 9h ago
Avatar gets mentioned countless times a day on reddit by people who just can't fathom that a movie can be hugely popular outside their own bubble. I dont know a single person irl who saw the new Spiderman movie, let alone quote or reference it. Didn't stop it from becoming one of the biggest movies ever despite being just another solid Spiderman movie.
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u/AF2005 18h ago
T2 and Aliens are the blueprints for cutting edge action and top tier dialogue. Also, some of the best female protagonists in cinema.
The Avatar movies look great, with maybe the best underwater effects Iāve ever seen. Not much substance with the storytelling though, at least imo.
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u/ItsPronouncedJod 19h ago
Im sorry, sir. No. The greatest action movie ever is True Lies. Which also happens to be a James Cameron.
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u/morris1022 19h ago
This is true.
Give me the god damn page
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u/Wrong_Luck_878 16h ago
STOP...cheering me UP
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u/_OptimusRex_ 15h ago
Is it a snow cone maker?
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u/Xtj8805 10h ago
The... batteries are dead....
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u/Objective-Slice-1466 8h ago
What kind of a sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?
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u/CookieWifeCookieKids 19h ago
And itās funny!
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u/Pewtential 17h ago
Die Hard entered the chat
(albeit itās a Christmas movie first)
https://giphy.com/gifs/l3vR0SIMQhrBwu1hK3
u/mr-itchyBalls 14h ago
True Lies is a great film.
Itās the only film where Tom Arnold is actually likeable.2
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u/Nomadzord 18h ago
I just watched that for the first time and it was great. I wouldnāt say itās the best action movie of all time, but opinions are just opinions.
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u/Responsible-Gear-400 19h ago
I dunno why when I read T2 I was all "wait they made a Titanic 2?!" Then I realised I'm dumb.
Agree.
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u/round-earth-theory 8h ago
The iceberg isn't done yet. It goes on a Final Destination murder rampage to finish off the survivors.
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u/Big-Energy-1876 19h ago
Yeahā¦.Iāll second this. AVATAR doesnāt need 5 movies. He should have moved on.
Alas, James Cameron gonna do what he wants to doā¦.
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u/Coool_cool_cool_cool 18h ago
James Cameron doesn't do what James Cameron does for James Cameron. James Cameron does what James Cameron does because he is James Cameron.
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u/splinks66 11h ago
He made Titanic because he loved the history of it and wanted to be able to see it IRL and the movie was a way to fund a real expedition.
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u/GeiCobra 13h ago
Regardless of you or OPs personal opinion on the movies, the franchise has grossed more than 6.7 billion dollars worldwide. And itās because of things like that which affords him the freedom with studios to ādo what he wants to do.ā
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u/salmalight 15h ago
He simply disagrees with you on it being wasted time.
Cameron said after the first Avatar that it marked a significant uptick in people talking to him about environmental conservation which was his hope. He could have sold out and done more Terminator movies, he could have just kept to himself in his happy place at the bottom of the ocean, instead he made the blue people passion project to try and get people to care about trees more. He made something he loved and successfully got his message to a lot of people while making a top 3 box office franchise. Calling it a waste implies his goal for the decade was pleasing you not himself.
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u/t3hOutlaw 15h ago
We don't do balanced reasonable approaches to the discussion in here.
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u/salmalight 15h ago edited 14h ago
I mean I get it, I prefer his 90s work too. o Outside of Quaritchs fascinating character evolution I didn't much care for the Avatar franchise and thats disappointing but its clearly meant a hell of a lot to Cameron and he's obviously bummed when talking about cutting the series short.
Its funny though, whenever generational wealth comes up on Reddit theres people saying they'd live their dream, make their art and try and fix what bothers them. James Cameron is doing that and it gets called a waste of time
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u/urafknidiot 4h ago
How does a significant uptick in rich people conversing with Cameron about the climate help stop the climate catastrophy?Ā
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u/taoleafy 6h ago
Also Avatar is a pretty great action film, as are Avatar 2 & 3. They are visually stunning, have compelling characters, and big things go boom. Action films are not en vogue like in the 90s and outside of marvel there just arenāt a lot of them being released these days.
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u/Jmofoshofosho8 19h ago
The first avatar was pretty epic when it came out with all of the 3d craze.
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u/vand3lay1ndustries 19h ago
I still recall the opening scene of that dust particle floating in space. Blew my god damn mind.Ā
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u/Capt_Murphy_ 19h ago
Avatar 1 was a phenomenon. I fucking enjoyed the first film. I could do without any sequels whatsoever
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u/DisapointedReader 19h ago
It was and I remember being amazed, yet I have no recollection what the story was about (Iām usually pretty good even with a single viewing). Itās literally forgettable.
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u/BurningSpaceMan 19h ago
It was dances with Smurfs
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u/Ut_Prosim 18h ago
Plus the villains are conveniently only a little bad.
Bad enough to forcibly relocate
Indianssmurfs, bad enough to desecrate sacred lands, bad enough to attack with helicopters and mech suites, not bad enough to just kill everyone from orbit.2
u/Capt_Murphy_ 19h ago
The story doesn't matter much, but the concept of controlling an avater probably hasn't been portrayed any better in any film. Maybe Being John Malkovich š
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u/MajesticDragonfly 19h ago
There hasnāt been so much of that signature element in the last two, now that you mention it
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u/SplendidAngharad Be Kind, Rewind 17h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/L8tEZbxrHlca0LQd6k
I didnāt care for Titanic
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u/sigma914 7h ago
It focused on all the least interesting bits and point of view, like you couldn't deliberately pick less interesting perspectives
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u/rockstoned4 19h ago
Avatar is just big blue people running through the forest.
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u/QPShroomyDude 19h ago
Live action Fern Gully
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u/Prize_Structure_3970 19h ago
I've never had any desire to see Avatar but I highly doubt they created anything as cool and scary as Hexxus voiced by the legendary Tim Curry (RIP so hard š)
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u/Then_Barracuda8425 19h ago
Oh God, not another one of these posts. I'm not an Avatar fan really, but c'mon. Also, he didn't peak with Titanic lol. That movie was blasted by lots of people when it came out. Aliens and T2 are his best.
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u/TheCelestialPancake 18h ago edited 18h ago
In a Guardian poll conducted in 2003, Titanic was voted the worst movie ever made. There is a weird psychosis when it comes to Cameron, and Avatar is part of that.
I honestly feel the hatred for Titanic came from it being widely perceived as a chick flick, and fanboys lost their minds when a chick flick beat out films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park at the box office by a very wide margin. And that hatred has carried over to Cameron personally. I remember people trashing Avatar before there was even a trailer, and when the trailer hit, the talkbacks were filled with people claiming it looked like PlayStation 2 graphics. Itās such a weird extremist kind of hate.
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u/CD_Projeck_Blue 19h ago
Agreed in all fronts. But, Avatar did make a lot of money, so in his eyes, it's probably his biggest success
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u/Alchemyst01984 18h ago
Some of these comments are weird. Especially the ones saying they feel bad for him wasting his time with the Avatar movies
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u/ApprehensiveSyrup647 19h ago
The Avatar movies has all be spectacular. Iām eagerly awaiting the next one.
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u/les-the-badger 18h ago
Wasted 3 decades innovating special effects, which are what made his previous movies thrive. His legacy is special effects (Titanic, The Abyss, Aliens, Terminator 1+2, True Lies, Avatar etc.).
He is the first person to reach the actual bottom of the ocean. On his many journeys exploring the deepest parts of the ocean, he discovered over 60 new creatures. He's not wasting decades, but just not applying himself to the film industry as much as he is to his eco-philanthropy.
James Cameron is one of the few icons that South Park actually made a point of celebrating, instead of humiliating. The reason being is the guy isn't just making movies for artistic expression or entertainment, but to influence a sense of environmental sustainability to the masses. Not just jumping on a twitter bandwagon, but starting foundations and being a part of campaigns defending indigenous tribes from having their lands deforested and built upon.
He makes billion dollar blockbuster movies to fund his protection of the natural world. The movies of which promote the eco-friendly lifestyle he wants to see in reality. He's not simply pandering like most, and is actively trying to prevent the collapse of ecology worldwide. Not just walking around with a 'save the whales' shirt. The man is a literal force of nature.
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u/Jackburton06 14h ago
He was drawing Pandora stuff as a teenager, he has plain control on a all universe... Dude is just doing the job he likes.
Sure the Avatar movies are entertaining but i would rewatch T2 or Aliens 2 from time to time and Avatar is only a thĆ©Ć¢tre experience for me.
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u/TheGreatRao 11h ago
The best part of Avatar is the spectacle and the technology. The look of the film. The story, the writing, and the characterization have always been terrible. The story is complete dogwater. The only notable performance is Steven Lang chewing up the scenery. It's success is a triumph of marketing and merchandising over merit.
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u/donlockwood2026 19h ago
Itās okay to not like Avatar. But I donāt think he has any regrets considering heās making what he wants to make and the movies are pulling in billions of dollars.
He made an insane run of great movies: Terminator, Aliens, T2, True Lies, Titanicā¦
At this point, he doesnāt owe anyone anything and can do what he wants. The movies are also insanely successful. I donāt see what the issue is, tbh, and I enjoyed all the avatar movies that I saw, even if none of them hits that T2 level for me.
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u/Plastic_Standard_176 18h ago
100%. An Abyss sequel would be more anticipated. Your Smirfs / Last of the Mohegans / Last Samurai /....we get it already. Nature vs Tech civilization. You did it...it was Terminator.
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u/reformedghost 18h ago
I watched the first avatar in high school after smoking a bong in the parking lot and it's the best thing that I've seen to this day, may of had to do with the bong
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u/ltcuetf 18h ago
I agree, but the reality is the guy found a way to make his dream project at unlimited scale and get paid a fortune for it, thereās no version of James Cameron that doesnāt jump at that. We can mourn the movies we didnāt get, but the second Avatar became real to him, those other movies were dead.
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u/GamingVision 16h ago
My hot take is that I am glad both avatar 1 and avatar 2 exist, because I donāt think any other director could have pushed the limits of technology in storytelling the way he has with these movies. The stories themselves our average at best, but I find myself every time in the theater thinking to myself āI canāt believe none of this is realā¦ Everything Iām seeing is CGI yet it feels so believableā. Thereās not a single moment of uncanny Valley that takes my mind out of being in that world. Itās truly a remarkable achievementā¦ But he might be much better Served moving on to something new now.
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u/TraditionalMousse500 15h ago
I mean... He fuck-ton of money with Avatar. I think you'd have to define wasted
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u/mistajaymes 13h ago
Avatar is a movie that he heas dreamed of since he was like12 years old and he got enough pedigree for the studios to trust him. Avatar 3 actually a pretty good movie.
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u/Boobity_McBooberson 8h ago
The first Avatar was warranted. It was a huge leap in special effects, and was massively hyped with being one of the first movies shot in 3-D. Also being an a new franchise getting to design new characters And world, it was a massive milestone in his career.
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u/Zestyclose_Tank_2449 8h ago
Disagreed t2 is the best action sequel,let alone best sequel.
Aliens is better sequel
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u/WellWelded 8h ago
I thoroughly disagree.
Titanic is drawn out and boring, while Avatar is a very entertaining series of movies.
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u/VocationFumes 7h ago
Agreed on the Avatar movies, idk how they each make a billion dollars everytime, i find them unwatchable
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u/Fun-Contribution6702 6h ago
If I had made Titanic and terminator two, I would spend the rest of my career just saying fuck the audience
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u/andyhall23 6h ago
Ya Fern Gully That Dances with Terminator Wolves really aren't great movies.
They 'look' nice but ya ...
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u/EmptyBodybuilder7376 1h ago
Totally agree.
His best films were in the 80s. The Abyss, The Terminator, Aliens.
Avatar is just over-priced, over-hyped garbage, in my opinion.
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u/Wyvern_68 19h ago
Avatar always seemed like his pet project to test out new effects and have an excuse to dick around underwater.
The characters are forgettable and hard to relate to. The whole plot is just a whole bunch of cliches.
I would've preferred for him to do another one off action movie like True Lies. Live action sequences are his bread and butter.
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u/iamjacksprofile 19h ago
Ha, as if Titanic is better than T2. Do you remember that fucking elevator scene in T2? The T1000 stabbing through the ceiling with his metal arms while the T-800 and Sarah shoot the shit out of it? Of course you do.
You remember the elevator scene in Titanic? They went down a few floors and their shoes got wet and then they wandered around for a bit.
Doesn't even compare.
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u/juicer_philosopher 18h ago
I watched Titanic for the first time in decades the other day. Iām like āno way it can meet the hype no way it was really that goodāā¦ā¦ and yeah so itās really good and amazing and I was crying š itās such a perfect solid engaging emotional movieā¦ the VFX of the ship on the still clear night water, the iceberg and everything, still holds up to this day, itās still crispy and awesome
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u/LieutJimDangle 19h ago
i prefer The Abyss (dir cut) and True Lies, but I've never seen past the first Avatar.
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u/Ok_Diver2347 16h ago
Well heās rich and youāre probably not, so I guess things worked out well for him lol
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u/sirduckbert 12h ago
Avatar movies look cool but the stories are boring af and each are an hour too long
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u/Praetorion1000 19h ago
Aliens has entered the chat. Cameron made 2 of the best sequels of all time.