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Every James Cameron Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

Oona Chaplin as Varang in Avatar: Fire and AshImage via Disney

By Jeremy Urquhart Updated 1 hour ago Jeremy has more than 2100 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows. His favorite directors include Martin Scorsese, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, John Woo, Bob Fosse, Fritz Lang, Guillermo del Toro, and Yoji Yamada. He's also very proud of the fact that he's seen every single Nicolas Cage movie released before 2022, even though doing so often felt like a tremendous waste of time. He's plagued by the question of whether or not The Room is genuinely terrible or some kind of accidental masterpiece, and has been for more than 12 years (and a similar number of viewings). When he's not writing lists - and the occasional feature article - for Collider, he also likes to upload film reviews to his Letterboxd profile (username: Jeremy Urquhart) and Instagram account. He is also currently in the process of trying to become a Stephen King expert by reading all 2397 novels written by the author. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 1 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

James Cameron is a filmmaker like no other, making movies that are simultaneously uncompromising in how singular (and frequently personal) they are while also being massively popular. He's one of the highest-grossing filmmakers in cinema history, behind only Steven Spielberg, who has far more credits than Cameron and got his start as a filmmaker earlier, too. When looking at the four highest-grossing movies of all time, three are directed by James Cameron. No matter how you slice it, that's remarkable.

He's made a total of 10 movies in the last 43 years, and isn't afraid to spend multiple years between films, as demonstrated by the fact that the 25 years between 1997 and 2022 saw Cameron release just three movies. But the waits frequently prove to be worth it, because he's made some legendary stuff, and even his lesser films tend to be worth watching. Every movie he's directed is ranked below, starting with his less-than-great efforts and ending with the movies that have made him king of the (cinematic) world.

10 'Piranha II: The Spawning' (1982)

Connie Lynn Hadden as Loretta with a piranha flying toward her head with its mouth wide open in Piranha II: The SpawningImage via Columbia Pictures

Believe it or not, there are five movies in the loose Piranha series, including a TV movie from the 1990s and two 3D releases from the early 2010s. They're generally very schlocky, over-the-top when it comes to violence, and unafraid to get kind of sleazy. Even stranger than the series' sheer existence is the fact that the second of these movies, Piranha II: The Spawning, was directed by James Cameron in his feature film debut.

Without a doubt, it's the worst movie Cameron ever directed, but he barely considers himself the director and has disowned it (understandably so, in all honesty), also claiming he was fired during production. Watching the movie nowadays, it certainly feels like one where the behind-the-scenes production was very messy, and it's overall a bit of a drag. For what it's worth, however, it did demonstrate that right from the start, Cameron always had a thing for water-heavy settings.

9 'True Lies' (1994)

Harry and Helen, played by actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, embracing in James Cameron's True Lies (1994).Image via 20th Century Studios

From this point onward, things are tricky because every James Cameron movie that isn't his debut is, at worst, very good and ,at best, masterful. As a result, some genuinely good movies need to be sacrificed by getting placed near the bottom of the ranking in question, even though they're far from bad. And it must be said, some directors would kill to have their best movie be as good as 1994's True Lies, whereas when it comes to Cameron, he's bettered it numerous times.

It was the third time Cameron collaborated with superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger, who'd already had a pretty phenomenal 1980s, and his 1990s were comparably strong, partly thanks to this and another Cameron collaboration. True Lies also featured Jamie Lee Curtis in one of her best-known roles, and she and Schwarzenegger make for a pretty good duo. The pair play a couple grappling with marriage difficulties, all the while Schwarzenegger's character also has to prevent terrorists from smuggling warheads into the U.S. It's a very broad yet ultimately fun mix of action and comedy, delivering solid thrills alongside reliably good (if sometimes cheesy) humor.

8 'The Abyss' (1989)

Lindsey and Ed operate some machinery in 'The Abyss'Image via 20th Century Fox

The Abyss might well be James Cameron's most underrated movie, as its 1989 release saw it get sandwiched between two iconic sci-fi/action sequels Cameron directed to great success, overshadowing this film to some extent. Yet it does remain a monumental technical achievement, and has an engagingly tense premise, too, focusing on an oil rig crew that gets tasked with doing a search and rescue effort for a sunken nuclear submarine.

Seven years after his Piranha movie, The Abyss let Cameron explore an underwater setting figuratively and literally, and with a genuinely high budget to boot. It's a little lacking when it comes to narrative and characters, compared to his very best movies, but it does offer solid spectacle, an intense atmosphere, and bold visuals throughout, ending up feeling unique and compelling enough to easily be worth checking out for anyone who's yet to see it. And, of course, there is so very much water, even by the standards of a James Cameron film.

7 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' (2025)

Sam Worthington as Jake Sulley in 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'Image via 20th Century Studios

There wasn’t too long a wait for Avatar: Fire and Ash, compared to the waits between Cameron’s three prior films (one in 1997, the next in 2009, and the last in 2022). Much of this third Avatar movie was shot around the same time as the second one, and you can kind of tell, because it looks and feels very similar, not really being the jump forward, technologically speaking, that the first movie was to the second. But that’s okay, since the second one was phenomenal on a technical front, and improving upon something that’s almost perfect just ain’t really possible. Perhaps less defensible is the way Avatar: Fire and Ash revisits some narrative ideas and set pieces. Regarding the narrative, at least it finds enough to do with a new Na’vi tribe serving as an additional antagonistic force, and a fair few interesting things for most (though not all) of the returning characters to do. And regarding the set pieces, familiarity is okay when the action still delivers.

Also, speaking of the action sequences, Avatar: Fire and Ash goes bigger, acknowledging that a limit might've been reached in terms of possible action, but showing very much that there are still ways to go in depicting fight sequences and even some full-on battle scenes of immense size. Further, it gets weird and psychedelic in places, which is neat, and there are some surprisingly heavy things it touches on thematically, including fantastical/sci-fi-tinged drug use, allusions to sexual violence, and some scenes that touch upon intense grief and giving up on continuing to live one's life. There’s so much here that’s awe-inspiring that some of the shortcomings aren’t too hard to forgive, or kind of handwave away. If the Avatar series did end up just being a sci-fi trilogy, Fire and Ash wouldn’t be a bad conclusion. Keeping the momentum going further could be tough, considering this is ever so slightly a stepdown from the first two, but Cameron hasn’t really missed very much for the last few decades (to put it mildly), so if he’s got more story to tell in (or there's the potential for more money to be made with) a fourth movie and beyond, you can’t rule out the possibility of him making it work.

6 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)

Some might argue that Avatar: The Way of Water wasn't quite worth the 13-year-long wait (there were many, many delays), but others clearly found the experience of this long yet beautiful sci-fi/adventure/action epic to be as good as they were hoping. It was a return to the Earth-like moon, Pandora, following Jake Sully and Neytiri, who've now raised a family together, yet find their peaceful lives disrupted by the re-emergence of an old enemy.

For as breathtaking as the first movie could be, this one pushes filmmaking technology even further, with some of the best-looking visual effects put on screen for a dazzling 3+ hour runtime. It's so strong on a technical front that the rest of the movie could be a whole load of meh, and that would be fine. It looking, sounding, and feeling this good proves to be enough. The story might not be quite as hard-hitting as the first movie (there is a sense of much groundwork being laid for future movies), but thankfully, it's still fairly compelling. And, for pure visual spectacle of the most immersive kind, The Way of Water movie is hard to beat.

5 'Titanic' (1997)

Jack holds Rose, who has her arms open wide, on the bow of the 'Titanic'

Image via Paramount Pictures

Undoubtedly up there as one of the best romance movies of all time, Titanic has a gargantuan legacy and is similarly huge in scope and runtime. Concerning the former, it's essentially two movies in one (a romance about two people from different classes falling in love, and also an epic disaster movie), and regarding the latter, it goes for 194 minutes, which, funnily enough, is enough time to watch two reasonably short feature films back-to-back.

The romance plays out onboard the ill-fated voyage, ensuring Titanic is equal parts tragedy and spectacle, with the two blurring together surprisingly effectively. It does both at once, and is remarkably consistent and broadly appealing to a fault. Like, it's an ever-popular movie, and perhaps some might feel sick of it by now, but it's hard to deny that it absolutely nails what it was going for.

4 'Avatar' (2009)

Neytiri and Jake looking at white floaty things in Avatar (2009)Image via 20th Century Studios

Between the disaster movie at sea that was Titanic, and the water-heavy Avatar: The Way of Water came 2009's Avatar, which didn't have quite as much water, but ultimately proved to be the most successful of the three at the box office. Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, with The Way of Water in third place, and Titanic in fourth place.

Like many hugely popular movies, Avatar has its detractors, but the film is, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, a triumph of blockbuster filmmaking. There's a good chance things will remain as such, as the years continue to march on, even if there are any number of nitpicks that can be thrown its way. It's science fiction at its most ambitious and approachable, blending a simple yet emotional story with excellent action and amazing special effects to create something truly awe-inspiring.

3 'The Terminator' (1984)

The Terminator, played by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a police station lobby in 'The Terminator' (1984).Image via Orion Pictures

To many (perhaps even James Cameron himself), The Terminator might count as his "real" feature debut, and unlike his Piranha movie, the filmmaker certainly hasn't disowned this one. It's an essential classic of the 1980s, and despite its fairly low budget, it still manages to successfully blend time travel, action, romance, and even some horror to thrilling effect.

On paper, it might sound silly, given it's about a robot being sent back in time to hunt down and kill a woman, while at the same time, a human comes from the future to protect her. Yet Cameron makes it work brilliantly here, and helping things immensely, of course, is a perfectly cast Arnold Schwarzenegger in the villainous role; one that helped make him a star, and might remain his best performance to this day. The Terminator is fairly simple stuff, compared to later James Cameron movies that undeniably got grander in scope, but it's the right kind of simple; maybe even the timeless kind, too.

2 'Aliens' (1986)

Newt holding a baby doll whilst an alien stands behind her in 'Aliens'

Newt (Carrie Henn) holding a baby doll whilst an alien stands behind her in 'Aliens'Image via 20th Century Studios

James Cameron knows how to do a sequel right, and Aliens was the first time he demonstrated his uncanny ability to continue a story in satisfying and dramatic ways. Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) was a fantastic sci-fi/horror movie, with Cameron taking over by directing Aliens, which continues Ripley's story while taking things in a new direction when it came to genre.

If the first movie was more about horror, this one's more about action, though it still manages to retain the suspense that made the first movie so memorable. Further, both work as phenomenal science fiction movies, albeit feeling like very different kinds of sci-fi (while retaining a surprising amount of consistency between movies). It's more explosive and action-heavy than Alien, but never in a goofy or silly way, and its success/differences as a sequel mean watching the 1979 and 1986 films back-to-back makes for a hugely satisfying double feature.

1 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as T800 firing a minigun in Terminator 2: Judgment DayImage via Tri-Star Pictures

With The Terminator and Aliens, you could say that James Cameron ruled the 1980s, or at least the decade from 1984 onward. Similarly, you could say he dominated the 1990s, too, given he released the stunning Titanic towards the decade's end, and near its beginning, he also made what's arguably his greatest film: Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

With a beefier budget, Cameron made this sequel to the already great first Terminator movie even better, with a great deal more action and, somewhat miraculously, even more heart. The story of a young boy befriending an emotionless cyborg sent to protect him is surprisingly funny and moving. The film takes Sarah Connor — the protagonist of the first movie — in a fascinating direction, and the action sequences are out-of-this-world good. It's blockbuster filmmaking at its very best, and Cameron's greatest movie yet.

Like Follow Followed Terminator 2: Judgment Day R Action Thriller Science Fiction Release Date July 3, 1991 Runtime 137 minutes Director James Cameron Writers James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher