15+ Best James Cameron Movies
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Best James Cameron Movies: James Francis Cameron CC is a filmmaker from Canada. He is well known for directing epic science fiction films.
We might know him best for the masterpiece Titanic…
…but Cameron rose to prominence after directing The Terminator, another well-loved movie.
Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and True Lies’s action-comedy brought him even greater success.
Adding in more…
He has made all of his riches from his employment in the film industry. He has luxury houses in Malibu, California, and New Zealand!
If you’re looking for the best James Cameron movies for your weekend marathon, you’re in the right place!
Most of his masterpieces were such blockbusters that he’s now a film icon. Read on to see the creams of the crop and what made them so great.
Hands on the rails…
#1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)[1]
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Release date: 16 August 1991 (United Kingdom)
Director: James Cameron
Featured song: Main Title
Box office: 520.9 million USD
Adapted from: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick Votes
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures, Carolco Pictures, StudioCanal, Columbia TriStar Films AB
One of the many incredible James Cameron films, the first one on our list is “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” It was released in August 1991.
I am sure it meets your typical James Cameron type as it has all the fun, adventure, and drama that made it one of the highest-grossing films ever.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the role of an international spy who keeps his role hidden from his wife Jamie Lee Curtis. But along with all the world-ending threats, he finds his personal life at risk as well.
If you’ve seen Terminator 1, you know the back story, but if you haven’t, just watch it right now! A cyborg who was once Sarah’s enemy is now assigned to protect her.
Definitely, the best way to end a Friday night.
Check out the James Cameron movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
#2. Terminator
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Characters: Terminator, John Connor, Sarah Connor, T-1000
Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: James Cameron
Produced by: Gale Anne Hurd
Distributed by: Orion Pictures
Released date: October 1984
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Winfield, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
“Terminator” is the next best project by Cameron as this sci-fi movie continues to set trends.
In this film, a human soldier was sent back a few years into 1984 from 2029, and He has to protect a young Sarah Conner who will give birth to the key to humanity’s salvation.
In short, I can say that no one else has the credibility to make as legendary a film as James Cameron and Schwarzenneger’s combo can.
Check out: Terminator
#3. Avatar
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Release date: 23 January 1998 (United Kingdom)
Director: James Cameron
Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
Budget: 200 million USD
Awards: Academy Award for the Best Music
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, Paramount Pictures Studios, Paramount Home Entertainment
Starring: Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Micelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi, Matt Gerald, Peter Mensah, and, CCH Pounder
“Avatar” turned out to be a great theater release, as it had an incredibly huge budget of 200 million dollars.
It has been found that the production of this film was way too long, but in the end, all the hard work paid off.
The budget increased to such a high extent because of its incredible use of advanced technology.
Simply put…
The film takes you into 2154, where humans have depleted Earth’s natural resources, leading to a severe energy crisis.
The Resources Development Administration finds a valuable mineral named unobtanium on Pandora. However, Pandora is poisonous to humans and so, they face struggles to its extreme.
Avatar has a terrific narrative and showcased Cameron’s beautiful worldbuilding talents, aside from the technical parts.
Check out: Avatar
#4. Aliens
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Release date: 29 August 1986 (United Kingdom)
Director: James Cameron
Box office: $131.1–183.3 million
Sequel: Alien3
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios
Awards: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
“Aliens” is the next sci-fi movie that brings all of our imagination into reality. Don’t you love aliens?
The story of this film is about an officer named Ripley who wakes after trauma and figures that she has been dozed off for 50 years. She learns that humans have already discovered their existence and wish to explore more with her.
However, as she witnesses new things, she is shocked and nervous all at once.. As a result, she decides to end all such experiments.
Plus…
You know this will go insane with Cameron being behind the camera and also contributing to the script. Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton, two James Cameron favorites, return to fantastic performances, as well.
Check out: Aliens
#5. Titanic
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Release date: 23 January 1998 (United Kingdom)
Director: James Cameron
Featured song: My Heart Will Go On
Budget: 200 million USD
Awards: Academy Award for Best Music (Original Score), MORE
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, Paramount Pictures Studios, Paramount Home Entertainment
Apart from all such science fiction films, now we have a romance tragedy movie by James Cameron.
The story of this film revolves around Rose, a young aristocrat, and Jack, a lower-class artist, falling in love aboard the RMS titanic.
It has all the depth and conflicts that make up a good romance, as James Cameron portrayed an incredible and sincere story of love in an event that took nearly 1500 lives in the actual shipwreck.
Today, they’re no denying that Titanic has become such a classic and an icon even decades after its release.
It was a major hit for Cameron, earning him an Oscar for outstanding visual effects, along with ten other awards, including Best Picture.
Check out: Titanic
#6. True Lies
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Release date: 15 July 1994 (USA)
Director: James Cameron
Music by: Brad Fiedel
Box office: $378.9 million
Based on: La Totale!; by Claude Zidi; Simon Michaël; Didier Kaminka
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, Universal Pictures, United International Pictures
Now, let’s get some breather.
“True Lies” is a humorous, romantic action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and released in July 1994. It is well-known for its performances and other elements Cameron skillfully brought into the movie.
The plot of this astounding film revolves around a secret agent who faces a new challenge in his life as he learns about the hidden affair of his wife.
Now, he finds himself in a terrible position as he has to save his wife and the entire world.
Although the film became a massive success that it could have another sequel, it never happened thereafter.
In short, this film is filled with adventure, suspense, cleverness, and incredibly happy and sad moments. In short, it has everything you are looking for.
Check out: True Lies
#7. The Abyss
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Release date: 9 August 1989 (USA)
Director: James Cameron
Budget: $43–47 million
Music by: Alan Silvestri
Production company: 20th Century Fox
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio more.
“The Abyss” is one of James Cameron’s classic sci-fi films as it has a number of reasons to be on top.
It tells the incredible story of a team of engineering and military officers being asked to take out a deep-sea inquiry to find a long-lost submarine. But the kicker hits in when they face weird things such as aliens!
I assure you Cameron has given his level best to this romance, man vs. machine, and science fiction film that made everyone love it.
Moreover…
It is considered one of the highest-grossing films by James Cameron. People considered it to be something different as Cameron is famous for his science fiction where aliens or dinosaurs are involved.
Check out: The Abyss
#8. Piranha II: The Spawning
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Release date: December 1981 (Italy)
Directors: James Cameron, Ovidio G. Assonitis
Box office: $389,106 (non-USA) €411,480 (Spain) (20 December 2002)
Budget: $145,786
Based on: Characters; by John Sayles; Richard Robinson
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures
“Piranha II: The Spawning” is Cameron’s first film released in December 1981.
The story is about a type of fish called Piranha, which is considered extremely dangerous.
The film portrays the story of people getting killed on the coast of the Caribbean island, and everybody is just shocked to see such a mishap.
To sort it out, an instructor named Anne begins investigating the whole case and finds out that a shoal of mutant piranha is the main cause of these attacks.
The artist Roger Corman added the film’s special effects. He did such a great job that it’s hard to believe the fish were not real!
Check out: Piranha II: The Spawning
#9. Alita: Battle Angel
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Release date: 6 February 2019 (United Kingdom)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Box office: 405 million USD
Adapted from: Battle Angel Alita
Music by: Tom Holkenborg
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios
A sympathetic doctor discovers a disembodied female cyborg with an undamaged human brain in the future and gives it a new cyborg body.
She is given the name Alita after the doctor’s deceased daughter and awakens with no recollection of her history. The story continues as she navigates her new life and the dangerous city streets.
The next James Cameron film we have is named “Alita: Battle Angel,” released in February 2019. It was directed by Robert Rodrigez and produced by James Cameron.
In the story, Alita also finds herself with a teenager’s soul. She loses all her memory because of this misfortune, but now she is focused on finding out her true self as she is determined to know what’s going wrong in her life.
Check out: Alita
#10. Point Break
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As: Producer
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Genres: Action, Thriller, Crime, Drama
Star Cast: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, William Gary Busey, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley
Johnny Utah, a young federal agent investigating bank robberies, infiltrates a group of surfers known as The Ex-Presidents who commit crimes while wearing masks of former American presidents.
He also convinced a female surfer named Tyler to teach him how to surf, forming a friendship with her along the way.
Check out: Point Break
#11. Rambo: First Blood Part II
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Release date: 22 May 1985 (USA)
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Music by: Jerry Goldsmith
Box office: $300.4 million
Story by: Kevin Jarre
Distributed by: Carolco Pictures, TriStar Pictures
Another iconic film is Rambo. I’m sure your father and gramps would know about this!
Upon his release from prison, Vietnam veteran John Rambo sets out to gather proof that American prisoners of war are held in the Vietnamese jungles.
However, his superiors do not believe he will be successful. Stuck in the jungles of Vietnam, Rambo fights to free the captives.
Check out: Rambo
#12. Stranger Days
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Release date: 13 October 1995 (USA)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Music by: Graeme Revell
Story by: James Cameron
Box office: $8 million (USA)
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, United International Pictures
If watching dark stories is your thing, then you better check this one out. That is if you haven’t heard about this yet.
Former cop Leonard Nero now sells recordings that let viewers experience the recorder’s feelings and memories.
The kicker hits in…
…when he finds recordings of a horrible rape and murder of a young prostitute on a disc. With Mace’s help, he discovers that a young girl was raped and murdered.
Check out: Stranger Days
#13. Terminator Genisys
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Initial release: 21 June 2015
Director: Alan Taylor
Box office: 440.6 million USD
Production companies: Skydance Productions; China Movie Media Group
Produced by: David Ellison; Dana Goldberg
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures Studios
Yet another fantasy that made its mark in Hollywood is Cameron’s Terminator Genisys.
After Skynet sends a terminator from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate Sarah Connor, her son, Human Resistance commander John Connor, sends Kyle Reese to defend her.
However, Reese finds himself in a different reality with Sarah already having a guardian, a reprogrammed android.
Check out: Terminator Genisys
#14. Solaris
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Release date: May 1973 (United Kingdom)
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Adapted from: Solaris
Budget: 1,000,000 SUR (about $829,000 in 1972 USD)
Produced by: Vyacheslav Tarasov
Distributed by: Mosfilm
Now, this is intense!
Having been assigned to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts, a psychologist discovers that the water on Solaris is a type of brain that produces the release of repressed memories.
In short…
Dr. Chris Kelvi sets out alone to return a space station crew to Earth.
However, once overseas, Kelvin encounters strange phenomena and crew behavior that changes his life.
Check out: Solaris
#15. Xenogenesis
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Initial release: 1978
Directors: James Cameron, Randall Frakes
Budget: $20,000
Editor: James Cameron
Production design: James Cameron
Cast: William Wisher Jr., Margaret Undiel, and Margaret Umbel
Xenogenesis is a 1978 Canadian-American science fiction short film that was the directorial debut of James Cameron. It stars incredible actors, including William Wisher Jr. and Margaret Umbel.
In this science fiction short, a man and a woman are dispatched on a spaceship to search for a new home in space. Unfortunately, the pair must endure a giant robotic cleaner to survive.
Check out: Xenogenesis
Conclusion: Director James Cameron Movies
What a thrilling ride!
If you yearn for more mind-boggling stories and breathtaking cyborgs, there’s no better watchlist than a James Cameron one.
There’s just no denying it. He’s one of the kings of science fiction and drama in his time.
Want more movie lists?
You can read about other directors such as The world’s Richest Directors by clicking here.
Or maybe read about Gerard Butler’s Net Worth or Top Christian Bale Movies, just click here and Have Fun!
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