Movies: James Cameron's Current Reputation

Trap Jesus

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Feb 13, 2012
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I just think he's such an interesting figure in the movie industry. From 1998 to 2020 he will have directed a grand total of 1 feature length film, Avatar in 2009. Assuming a later in the year release date for Avatar 2 in 2021, that's 1 movie in a 24 year span. Avatar was one of the biggest financial successes of all time, but nobody really seems to bring it up as a great movie, and it's generally a pretty "meh" reception when people reflect back on it. It was seen as a big thing for 3D movies, but people grew out of that after a while, and when looking back it doesn't seem to be as important as it was when it came out.

Who knows what will happen with all of these Avatar movies that will be released next decade, but I think it's interesting that he still has this aura about him as one of the biggest directors today, when he's barely released anything in the last 20+ years, and the one movie he did release had a mixed reception. Do you think how infrequent his releases have been adds to a mystique around him? Basically that he can just swoop in out of the blue and drop these massive blockbuster movies.
 

Tkachuk4MVP

32 Years of Fail
Apr 15, 2006
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It's unfortunate that he's decided to commit himself to doing all these Avatar movies. He's the kind of creative mind you want to see trying new things all the time, it's kind of a waste for him to be spending more than a decade on a franchise that started out so mediocre to begin with.

Couldn't agree more, and this is coming from someone who really liked Avatar.
 

RandV

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I just think he's such an interesting figure in the movie industry. From 1998 to 2020 he will have directed a grand total of 1 feature length film, Avatar in 2009. Assuming a later in the year release date for Avatar 2 in 2021, that's 1 movie in a 24 year span. Avatar was one of the biggest financial successes of all time, but nobody really seems to bring it up as a great movie, and it's generally a pretty "meh" reception when people reflect back on it. It was seen as a big thing for 3D movies, but people grew out of that after a while, and when looking back it doesn't seem to be as important as it was when it came out.

Who knows what will happen with all of these Avatar movies that will be released next decade, but I think it's interesting that he still has this aura about him as one of the biggest directors today, when he's barely released anything in the last 20+ years, and the one movie he did release had a mixed reception. Do you think how infrequent his releases have been adds to a mystique around him? Basically that he can just swoop in out of the blue and drop these massive blockbuster movies.

Is it really fair to say Avatar had a "mixed reception"? Seems more to me like a really popular movie that thanks to the internet and social media had a really loud group of hecklers.

Certainly a valid point about the lack of production though, and talk about being given a ton of rope to follow up on Avatar's success. Not really the same topic but I think people are looking at it wrong here, rather than 'a bunch of movies' I see it as a trilogy. Like how Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, or Avengers split their last movie up into two parts, I'm thinking what we're getting from Cameron is Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 except with the story he wants to tell both are getting the 2 part split treatment. Very ambitious, and like I said miles of rope.
 

Trap Jesus

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Is it really fair to say Avatar had a "mixed reception"? Seems more to me like a really popular movie that thanks to the internet and social media had a really loud group of hecklers.

Certainly a valid point about the lack of production though, and talk about being given a ton of rope to follow up on Avatar's success. Not really the same topic but I think people are looking at it wrong here, rather than 'a bunch of movies' I see it as a trilogy. Like how Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, or Avengers split their last movie up into two parts, I'm thinking what we're getting from Cameron is Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 except with the story he wants to tell both are getting the 2 part split treatment. Very ambitious, and like I said miles of rope.
I think it's fair to say it had a mixed reception. So many people seem to get on it for its narrative being derivative of other stories/movies and having extremely cliched characters, even if everyone can appreciate the spectacle.
 

Kurtz

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Jul 17, 2005
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I think it's fair to say it had a mixed reception. So many people seem to get on it for its narrative being derivative of other stories/movies and having extremely cliched characters, even if everyone can appreciate the spectacle.

I think there are generally two groups of people. The group who saw the movie in 3D saw something profoundly unique, and one of the best visual spectacles ever. The group that didn't see it in 3D saw a derivative adventure movie that was nothing special.

I'm assuming that Cameron is working to again blow our minds (visually) with Avatar 2.
 

discostu

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Avatar did break ground visually, and for Cameron to achieve that on too of his prior hits is an achievement. As a story, it's not impressive, and the reason why it's faded from consciousness, but, I'm still interested in what the next films will look like.

Maybe he's writes a better story, but I'm not banking on it. The draw will be the visuals. In a decade since Avatar, there hasn't really been a comparable experience, and I'm assuming a reason for the delay is developing the technology to film his vision.

I'm uncertain of it'll generate the same box office success, but both Avatar and Titanic had people equally as skeptical going in.
 
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Osprey

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Feb 18, 2005
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He has...
...never had a flop (unless you count his directorial debut, Piranha II, which isn't fair because he replaced another director mid-filming and had no control).
...had two films become the highest grossing films of all time (and hold that distinction for a decade each).
...won Best Director and Best Picture.
...made some of the best action and sci-fi films ever.
...pioneered advancements in special effects with nearly every film.

Those are some pretty epic accomplishments. He's like a king who rose to legendary status by his exploits in his prime and still commands everyone's respect even though he's barely lifted a sword in 20 years. He doesn't have to prove himself to keep his reputation. In fact, if he tries to and fails, he could damage it. I've long wondered if fear of that is part of the reason why he's made only one film in the last 20 years. That's the curse of the perfectionist: things take longer and longer to perfect until, eventually, you've raised the bar so high for yourself that you're afraid to finish anything.
 
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ORRFForever

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I've always found him overrated. A few great movies, yes, but someone else needed to edit his movies - to get rid of the unneeded excess.

Plus, scenes in his directed movies that are non action, are often painful to watch.
 
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Osprey

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I think there are generally two groups of people. The group who saw the movie in 3D saw something profoundly unique, and one of the best visual spectacles ever. The group that didn't see it in 3D saw a derivative adventure movie that was nothing special.

I'd like to amend this slightly. I think that most of the people who were blown away on first viewing eventually realized how derivative it was and joined the chorus of those who were never impressed in the first place. I'm one of those. I came out of the theater in awe of the spectacle that I'd just seen, but, in the weeks that followed, I soured on it as I thought about the story and characters. I watched it on Blu-ray shortly after it was released, didn't enjoy it that time and haven't watched it again since. I still have a lot of respect and praise for its amazing theater experience and technological feats, but it's not a movie that I care to watch again and again (unlike, say, Aliens, which has a fantastic, original story).

I imagine that Avatar 2 will be a blockbuster because lots of people, possibly even including me, will go to it if only in hopes of getting a theater experience like we had in 2009. Avatar 3 will be the real test, IMO. If the second is a little disappointing, experience wise, and has some of the same criticisms as the first, then the third one may be Cameron's first under-performer.
 
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KallioWeHardlyKnewYe

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He has a fascinating career.

He also has a notable track record of proving doubters wrong.

It wouldn't shock me if Avatar 2 winds up being a substantial hit (hard to see it approaching or equaling the first ...). I think there will be curiosity and he's a technical wizard, one of the rare filmmakers who really does earn that IMAX/3D upcharge (which surely gooses box office figures).

But those multiple sequels beyond that though when they're coming out at a regular clip, how much taste is there really for this idea? I'm skeptical ... then again he's been more right than wrong.
 

Trap Jesus

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He has a fascinating career.

He also has a notable track record of proving doubters wrong.

It wouldn't shock me if Avatar 2 winds up being a substantial hit (hard to see it approaching or equaling the first ...). I think there will be curiosity and he's a technical wizard, one of the rare filmmakers who really does earn that IMAX/3D upcharge (which surely gooses box office figures).

But those multiple sequels beyond that though when they're coming out at a regular clip, how much taste is there really for this idea? I'm skeptical ... then again he's been more right than wrong.
Avatar being such a massive hit always surprised me as it was a new IP. I know the 3D angle was the huge selling point, but that movie didn't really have any notable star power in the cast that would really drive the movie (other than Weaver maybe?), and I always think that to casual movie-going audiences the director is never really a big selling point. But I guess if you just slap on "Titanic", "Aliens", and "Terminator" it does a lot.
 

K Fleur

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I thought Avatar was pretty mediocre when I saw it in theaters a decade ago and it has aged even worse. That movie sucks.
 

Blender

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Hasn't made a good movie since Titanic. He's made a few great movies, but is overall pretty mediocre.
 

JaegerDice

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Dec 26, 2014
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He’s earned the right to chase his passions, and his history as guaranteed box-office gold ensures he’ll get the resources to do so. He’s living the dream and I cant be angry about it.

I think it's fair to say it had a mixed reception. So many people seem to get on it for its narrative being derivative of other stories/movies and having extremely cliched characters, even if everyone can appreciate the spectacle.

You could make the same criticisms of Aliens if you wanted to. There’s something to be said for raw craft, or execution elevating something above the sum of its parts.
 

Pranzo Oltranzista

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Disclaimer: I haven't seen neither Avatar or Titanic, and have no intention to do so.

To me, Cameron is a nerd who can write a pretty good screenplay for nerds to enjoy and who has a great understanding of technical gadgets and FX. The only film he made I really respect him for is The Terminator. Everything else is rehashed-unoriginal-borrowed-sequel-remake supported by the nerdishness previously noted.
 

Pilky01

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I've never seen Avatar and have less than zero interest in seeing Avatar sequels.

Titanic was great though.
 

Hivemind

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Terminator and Terminator 2 are his only great films. Aliens was good, but I much prefer Alien to Aliens. Aliens took one of the best works of sci-fi/horror and turned into an action flick.
 
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Shareefruck

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Apr 2, 2005
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Very overrated director IMO. A handful of his movies are okay (Terminator 1 & 2), but his obnoxious and excessive use of cliches, stereotypes, and cheap manipulation tactics have always rubbed me the wrong way.

It infuriates me that Aliens has more of a reputation than Alien and seems to completely overshadow it. Re-hash the exact same premise and story structure, replace its grounded characters with dumb caricatures, replace its masterful suspense and tasteful execution with more-is-more action sensibilities, and shamelessly parade that little girl around to manipulate and get the audience invested in the cheapest way possible.

Technology-wise, he's done some admirable things (I guess, not that I care too much about that aspect), but as a storyteller, it's like he's cynically determined what tricks inherently work on people at a base level and just successfully exploits the **** out of it. People rightfully criticized it in Avatar, but he's done something similar in nearly every movie he's made.
 
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Mickey Marner

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Terminator is his only classic, IMO, but when your average film makes half a billion you can do as you please, I suppose.

Terrence Malick would probably be his antithesis and he's made one great movie since the Carter administration.

Old men and their vanity projects. :dunno:
 

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