Is Titanic James Cameron's Best Film?

Hello and welcome, cinephiles. Today we shall be discussing and analyzing almost every James Cameron film that he’s directed to see which one I think stands out on top. That being said, only one film is not here and that is Piranha 2: The Spawning because let’s face it, who has ever heard of it? I will be discussing films that gave Cameron credibility and films for which he is known for. James Cameron is a man of quality over quantity and can be compared to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan- not many films from each but enough quality to be counted on two hands. While discussing these films you may notice specific themes, tropes, concepts, abstracts, and concretes in them, one example being water in three of his films. James Cameron is easily a director who is very passionate about what he does, so without further delay, let’s jump in.

Terminator 1 & 2: We’ll start with the first two films in a franchise that began in the mid-80s- The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Off the bat, the coolest thing about the Terminator universe is that it was created by James Cameron and his then-wife Gale Anne Hurd, also his producer. Plots that are easy to follow sometimes end up being some of the best films because they’re so simple, straightforward, not convoluted, and have a basic idea or message that they’re trying to get across. A great example of this is 1939’s The Wizard of Oz- a girl who is whisked away by a tornado to the dream-like land of Oz where she makes friends and puts a stop to the schemes of the Wicked Witch of the West. Simple, and yet so good, because novel writing was very popular at the time that its source material was released and books were the pop-culture medium that everyone loved and knew then and itself was most likely inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which is another very straightforward plot. With the Terminator films, it’s plot idea was: stop the Terminators from assassinating Sarah and John Connor so that the Resistance would come to fruition. Sadly, this franchise has been going around in circles with time travel, not knowing how or where to conclude. It is quite a cool idea, one I’m sure inspired the Wachowskis to create their film The Matrix and its sequels. The concept of AI taking over and either ruling or eradicating humanity entirely. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the perfect cast as the T-800. Bro barely had to act and all he had to do was not smile. He had the physicality without a doubt. It was easily a no-brainer cast. Linda Hamilton did a good job portraying a strong female character. The sequel definitely improved upon the original and upped the stakes. The T-1000 was definitely a scary threat, the T-800 was formidable enough already. They’re great action films with not too much and not too little. The fact that the Terminators are so hard to kill adds to the suspense.

Aliens: The second entry to the Alien movie franchise added more to the mythos. This time he was adding onto Ridley’s Scott’s baby who had partial involvement in the creation of the Xenomorph. As most people would agree, the sequel is better than the first. Better action, faster-paced, and feels more like a staple sci-fi film whereas Alien leans more on the horror side. One thing Alien does have over Aliens though is the original chestbuster scene. That was straight-up horror and really emphasized it by building suspense. In Aliens, it’s now a regular part of business. Aliens is more fun because, duh, there’s more than one now, plus the Xenomorph Queen. The sequel has less suspense because its faster-paced but that’s what it substitutes- action for suspense, and wittier dialogue. The thrill is still there and it honors Ridley Scott’s film. I’m sure there are original Alien loyalists but for me Aliens has the edge.

Avatar/Avatar: The Way of Water: Avatar is without a doubt Cameron’s pet project. The one he’s investing in for years and taking a gamble at it. Released in 2009, the first Avatar revolutionized the way movies were viewed in 3D as well as beginning the 3D craze which died off again at some point during the 2010s. It has amazing CGI that holds up even today and is better than most films. Special effects are phenomenal. The plot may be generic but it is visually stunning, not dizzying and it keeps you engaged. Sam Worthington is a fine lead, Stephen Lang steals the show, and Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana’s performances are both impressive. The gambling part has to do with the sequel which was released in 2022 and the reason I say this is because Avatar 2 did not live up to the hype that many people expected after a 13-year waiting period between it and its sequel. We were excited to see Quaritch again and………that’s about it. Sam Worthington isn’t exactly a ticket-seller and the trailers for the movie had me concerned because there was water in it…….a bit too much water. I had a feeling that this film would have a bit of a soft tone and more touchy-feely tone to it not only because of all the water, but the subtitle of the film itself. Lo and behold, I was right. There’s a section where it focuses almost all on just water, playing with water creatures, being in touch with the water, a bit of a snooze fest if you ask me. Most of it is talk and family interactions and there is some action but it’s mostly water-related. The most let-down aspect of it is Jake Sully settled down trying to not be the aggressive and fierce warrior that he was in the first. The Toruk-riding, Neytiri-smashing, cocky Jake Sully is gone and has gone peaceful family-man mode. Sequels are supposed to take it to the next level but this one didn’t really do that. Where the first one focused on the element of air, this one obviously focused on water, buuuuuuut, it wasn’t that interesting. The craziest part is that the sequel made $2.3 billion because the fans were expecting it to surpass the first which was a monumental and cultural achievement in and of itself. Only time will tell how Avatar 3 will do as it focuses on fire meaning it may possibly be better and much more action-induced than its predecessor.

True Lies: A fine comedy, kind of corny but decent action. Not a big scale film like the others but just a decent film.

The Abyss: This one is not as high profile or as iconic as the others here. It’s not a cultural staple and I wouldn’t even say it’s culturally aesthetic. It’s memorable enough sure but there’s no lore and not much depth, it’s a just a story. Just there. Not bad but not wow. There’s no explanation about the aliens or non-terrestrial life. What are we supposed to follow or be invested in? The aliens? The people? It’s also a little too slow for my taste. Even though Ed Harris is clearly the big name here, his performance doesn’t call me back for a rewatch.

Titanic: I deliberately left Titanic for last because it is the film that will conclude this post and answers the question that yes, I wholeheartedly believe that Titanic is James Cameron’s greatest film. It’s emotional. It’s passionate. It’s historical. It’s music is haunting and arguably the saddest of any film score. James Cameron did his homework. I watched a documentary on Disney Plus recently called Titanic: The Digital Resurrection and what the ship actually looked like on the inside and out, James Cameron recreated it to a tee. The film feels grandiose and he did a great job romanticizing it, making the audience feel for those that became victims during the sinking. James Horner’s score allows you to feel the fear and horror that the passengers felt as the ship broke apart and many drowned or froze in the ocean. For being very young, Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet sold it and had undeniable chemistry, parallel to their real-life friendship. While maybe a little unrealistic for them to fall for each other and declare undying love in the span of 2 entire days, their love story is no less one that we, the audience became invested in, because of Jack and Rose’s chemistry and their respective actors’ performances. I can understand if people find the first half boring because they want to see the disaster-film part of the film but I like a good drama as much as action. Like I said, it’s Kate and Leo who win me over. The best way to watch this film is in the dark, possibly alone, to truly feel the emotional weight of it and the impact of the music. While you may not cry on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th times watching it, you will still feel the sadness of Rose losing Jack, telling him she’ll never let go, and her dying and reuniting with the other souls who lost their lives during the sinking. A casual watch will not do this film justice. It definitely can be considered a disaster film but not a generic disaster film akin to Roland Emmerich’s films because of its heartfelt story and the disaster aspect of it is secondary to the romance story and historical retelling.

With all that said, there will be a difference of opinions of course but hey, that’s ok. I’d personally watch Terminator 2 and Avatar over Titanic preferably but objectively, I’d say Titanic is the king of the world on this one. Nuff said, thanks cinephiles.