James Cameron

[Josh500 1,615]

How would you rank his movies and their scores? My lists:

Movie:

1. Titanic (IMO, still the No. 1 James Cameron movie.)

2. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (One of the all-time best action movies. Also, ground-breaking SFX: T-1000)

3. Avatar (Very, very high up there, but due to the somewhat hackneyed storyline only third. Stunning visuals, though.)

4. The Terminator (A classic)

5. Aliens (Very, very good, but not better than Terminator.)

6. True Lies (Immensely watchable, but this seems to me like just another summer blockbuster... although with the special James Cameron touch, of course.)

7. The Abyss (I will say it: I can't stand the ending. The ending ruins this movie for me.)

Score:

1. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Brad Fiedel) (The score is criminally underrated, IMO. What Brad Fiedel came up with here for the Terminator and T-1000 is amazing.)

2. Titanic (James Horner) (Yeah, this is James Horner's best work, IMO.)

3. The Terminator (Brad Fiedel) (Same as above, except with more electronic instruments like Yamaha keyboards--one would think.)

4. Avatar (James Horner) (Some scenes are spectacularly well scored... but others are spectcularly badly scored. Still, overall I like it.)

5. Aliens (James Horner) (Pretty solid.)

6. The Abyss (Alan Silvestri) (Unmemorable... but then, I don't like the movie, so I am probably biased.)

7. True Lies (Brad Fiedel) (Sufficient.)

[Wycket 36]

I'll give it a go (though I'm hardly a big Cameron fan)

Movies

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

2. True Lies (I'm a sucker for Arnold and spies)

3. Aliens

4. The Terminator

5. Titantic (I still say this is one of the most overrated movies in recent times)

6. Avatar (some great visuals, but the story far too cookie cutter and acting by Worthington was too dull -- I enjoy it, but not immensely)

7. The Abyss (sort of by default -- the flow of the movie never worked for me and the ending just didn't work)

Scores

1. T2 (I agree that Fidel gave the perfect score to compliment the film)

2. Titantic (some great sweeping themes which are one of the few reasons other than Winslet that I'll watch this movie)

3. Aliens (some great 80s Horner)

4. True Lies (always liked the music for some reason, probably my love for the film more than anything)

5. Avatar (a Horner 'best of' album nearly, but it works well enough)

6. The Terminator (not a huge fan of the electronic score, but it had a few interesting pieces)

7. The Abyss (like the film, I felt it was flat and uninspired)

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Movies

1. Aliens - Amazing movie, whichever cut you choose to watch.

2. Titanic - Cameron's true old-school epic. Sure it's simplistic, but it's a return to old Hollywood with newer flair.

3. True Lies - I always put this on for some feel-good 90's action. A very funny movie.

4. The Terminator - I love this piece of 80's tech noir. Time travel creates a convoluted plot of paradoxes for any story that involves it, but at least it's a story well told.

5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - hey, it's good! But I think it's overrated compared to the superior original just because of the groundbreaking special effects.

6. The Abyss - this one puts me to sleep.

7. Avatar - a massive pile of three-dimensional phoofey.

Scores

1. Titanic - lovely score, very bold and thematic. I even like the song!

2. Aliens - old school Horner, and the militaristic segments are very robust.

3. Avatar - Fluffy, but rich with thematic development and aural depth. The song is nice too.

4. The Abyss - meanders on for a bit and doesn't really knock your socks off until the last few tracks.

5. True Lies - fun score.

6. Terminator 2: Judgment Day - I've only listened to it once. Effective in the movie, but it's not really my cuppa tea.

7. The Terminator - Again, effective in the film. Nothing's really wrong with it, but it's not easy listening.

[Brónach 1,302]

I like James Cameron but I haven't seen Titanic and True Lies IN ages and I can't remember them too well.

Movies:

1) Aliens. It's a marvelous sequel to one of my favourite movies...

2) The Terminator. Beautiful love story with time travel, now add the killing cyborg and you made a great film...

3) The Abyss. Beautiful special effects and music, great acting, plot kicks ass.

4) Terminator 2. Now that's an action film!

5) Avatar, There isn't much of what made his films great in this one. It's disappointing for me.

Scores:

1) Titanic

2) The Abyss

3) Aliens

4) The Terminator

5) Avatar

I haven't listened to the others.

[A24 4,337]

The films:

1) The Terminator 2: The theatrical Cut.

2) Aliens: A thrilling ride at the time. But movies based on rides don't age very well.

3) The Terminator: The visuals are dated.

4) True Lies: Should watch it again one of these days.

5) Avatar: One cliché after another, its so-called beautiful visuals can be easily replaced or improved upon by BBC's Planet Earth of Life. Nice landscapes have nothing to do with cinematic beauty.

6) The Abyss: I can't find anything good to say about it.

7) The Titanic: I can't find anything good to say about it

The Scores:

1) Aliens: The woodwinds in space are nice

I can't comment on the scores. I do not care for them (Cameron and aesthetics don't blend well)

Alex

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

2) Aliens: A thrilling ride at the time. But movies based on rides don't age very well.

Wow! There was an Aliens ride before the movie was made??

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Titanic, The Terminator and Terminator II are the only ones that really matter. Actually, I'll include Aliens as well since a lot of people like that one.

I can't say I ever want to see Avatar, True Lies or the Abyss ever again.

[Richard Penna 3,692]

Edit: I forgot these were rankings - just consider them my comments on the respective things. I'd never be abl to rank these!

Movie:

Titanic - I like it, although it gets far too sentimental at times.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day - A classic. One of my all-time favourite films and as far as I'm concerned it's where the franchise ends.

Avatar - Technically astounding, but empty from a story point of view. Probably won't watch it again until I can see it in proper 3D.

The Terminator - I think I only saw this once, many years ago, but I remember it being effective filmmaking.

Aliens - Haven't seen it. The franchise isn't one that really attracts me.

True Lies - Is this the one that ends with Schwarzenegger riding a fighter jet? If so, it was a nice adrenaline movie but not much more.

The Abyss - Again, not seen this for ages, but I remember a lot of it and it was a decent film.

Score:

Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Innovative, disturbing and evokes the film's themes perfectly. Count me in for a full release.

Titanic - Meh, not one of my favourites. The synths, the metal clangs, the bagpipes - all irritating. I think I'd love this score if just about anyone else had written it.

The Terminator - Don't remember enough of it. I think it was in the same vein as the sequel, but much darker and harder to separate from the film.

Avatar - Has moments of pure brilliance, and other moments where I can't see what took him so long. Definitely not the revolutionary score we were promised, but it's good stuff.

Aliens - I like bits of this, but I'm generally not into the music of the Alien films. I have Frizzell's boot, and outside the thematic material it doesn't do much for me.

The Abyss - Amazing theme, but outside that not very separable from whatever's going on in the movie.

True Lies - Probably servicable. Never heard it musically.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

Movies:

1. THE TERMINATOR

2. ALIENS (theatrical cut only)

3. THE ABYSS

4. T2

5. PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING

6. TRUE LIES

7. TITANIC

8. AVATAR

Scores:

1. ALIENS

2. THE ABYSS

3. THE TERMINATOR

4. T2

5. AVATAR

6. TITANIC

Haven't heard the other scores much away from the films.

[Quintus 5,399]

2) Aliens: A thrilling ride at the time. But movies based on rides don't age very well.

What, like Raiders of the Lost Ark?

My order:

1) Aliens - one of my favourite films, I adore it. Friggin' spectacular movie from start to finish - theatrically edited.

2) The Terminator - I like the "dated" feel, it makes for a gritty and really rather sinister piece of sci-fi storytelling.

3) Terminator 2 - a surprisingly deep and worthy expansion on the lo-fi original. Retains the 'dark' feel too, for the most part, not to mention the kick-ass "ride" from start to finish.

4) Titanic - Overblown cornfest with a heart of solid gold. A traditional epic that often flirts with knowing genius, movie will probably join the ranks of the timeless and mostly for right reasons.

5) Avatar - Overblown and seriously cheezy. And why not? Another unabashedly romantic movie in which it's sheer drive to entertain sees it prevail. Not one for the cynical minded.

6) The Abyss - Broken, but good film. I like the tone and look of the movie, but it's length works against it. Still an easy film to recommend though.

7) True Lies - Very silly, but great fun. Being an Arnie fan, I always have time for this movie. I hope Cameron and Arnie work together again.

I can't remember if I've seen P2.

Scores:

Aliens

Titanic

Terminator 2

The Abyss

Avatar

The Terminator

True Lies

[indy4 155]

Films:

1. Titanic - Pretty good, if a bit cheesy.

2. Avatar - Great SFX make for an enjoyableish watching session, but overall the film is majorly lacking on substance, and most of what little substance it does have it taken from other films

Scores:

1. Titanic - Love this score, one of Horner's best.

2. Avatar - Another great score, the love them is gorgeous.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Films

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

2. Aliens

3. True Lies

4. The Terminator

5. The Abyss

6. Titanic

[Maglorfin 196]

Movies:

1. Aliens

2. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day

3. The Terminator

4. True Lies

5. Titanic

6. The Abyss

As many raised eyebrows as this my cause - I haven't seen Avatar yet, I've had it for more than a week on Blu-ray now but my player isn't working.

Scores:

1. Aliens

2. Titanic

3. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day

4. The Terminator

5. The Abyss

6. Avatar

7. True Lies

[Trent B 337]

I'll do the movies, but not the scores.

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

2. The Abyss (especially the Special Edition)

3. Avatar

4. True Lies

5. The Terminator

6. Aliens

7. Titanic (I absolutely hate this film)

[Uni 306]

Gosh . . . this was a tough one. I'm a big fan of Cameron's work, and ranking these wasn't easy (a couple of them are close enough to be considered ties--even three-way ties). The scores were even harder--mostly because, now that I think about it, the scores to Cameron's films haven't been all that great. There's some good stuff in there, sure, but they tend to run together a bit.

THE FILMS:

- Titanic: Something bothers me slightly about naming this his best movie, but I can't really deny it. It's his most effective, large-scale film in every sense--story, execution, effects, characters, the whole thing.

- The Abyss: Titanic may edge it out, but this is absolutely one of my favorites of his. Again, great story, great realization. It's always been a completely immersive experience for me (figuratively speaking, of course). I will say that this applies to the full-length cut. The original ending did indeed suck big-time.

- Aliens: One of the most effective sequels of all time. I loved the original film, and thought there was no way it could be sequelized. Cameron proved me dead wrong.

- Terminator 2: Real close runner-up to Aliens. Phenomenal action epic. My love for the Alien franchise is probably the only thing that keeps this one behind it.

- True Lies: Again, I was tempted to put this one ahead of Aliens and T2. These three are the action trifecta, proof that Cameron knows how to make blockbuster movies with humor and heart. Harry Tasker out-Bonded Bond.

- Avatar: Great movie, yes, but the story was not Cameron's best by any means. The masterful effects and good execution just keep it out of last place.

- The Terminator: A classic, and still better than a lot of movies out there. This one falters only because it was one of Cameron's early efforts and has become a bit dated over the years.

THE SCORES:

- The Abyss: The epic scale of the main theme is enough to lift this into first place. It certainly isn't Silvestri's most effective score, but when it worked, it worked very well.

- True Lies: I'm not a big Fiedel fan, but this score was rollicking good fun. The causeway chase is one of the best action cues from a Cameron film, topped off by a great fanfare (that sounds even better with Jamie Lee Curtis's scream playing lead solo).

- Aliens: This is a great score, butchered though it was by Cameron's interfering edits. Horner definitely showed himself a solid hand with atonal underscoring here.

- Avatar: Still getting to know this one. We've gone over this ad nauseum, but it could've made the top of this list if it weren't for Horner's self-reproduction on such a grand scale.

- Titanic: Too lazy to be anything like Horner's best, but the central themes worked very well in the film. I'd like it more if Celine Dion hadn't crooned it to death.

- Terminator 2: This, too, was a very effective score for the film, though a bit too patterned in places to rank any higher.

- The Terminator: Again, a fine work when judged in correlation with its film, but not a great listener on its own.

- Uni

[Quintus 5,399]

Well explained, Uni. I'm happy to disagree with you on one or two points.

[ChuckM 1]

Movie:

1. Titanic

2. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day

3. The Terminator

4. Aliens

5. The Abyss

6. Avatar

7. True Lies (haven't seen it)

Score:

1. Titanic (James Horner)

2. Avatar (James Horner)

3. The Abyss (Alan Silvestri)

4. Aliens (James Horner)

5. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Brad Fiedel)

6. The Terminator (Brad Fiedel)

7. True Lies (Brad Fiedel) (haven't heard it)

[Josh500 1,615]

I rewatched Aliens just now, and one thing struck me:

Some scenes remind me of the raptor scenes from Jurassic Park. So Spielberg may have borrowed some ideas from Cameron, and then Cameron returned the favor and borrowed some Jurassic Park ideas for his Avatar...

But I have an idea Spielberg and Cameron aren't rivals, they are actually on pretty good terms. After all, didn't Cameron invite Spielberg and Jackson to the set when he was filming Avatar?

[Quintus 5,399]

It's all in your head

[Maglorfin 196]

I rewatched Aliens just now, and one thing struck me:

Some scenes remind me of the raptor scenes from Jurassic Park.

That's interesting Josh. Can you ellaborate a little - which scenes?

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Cameron wants every movie in the Top 10 Box Office to have been directed by himself.

[Josh500 1,615]

I rewatched Aliens just now, and one thing struck me:

Some scenes remind me of the raptor scenes from Jurassic Park.

That's interesting Josh. Can you ellaborate a little - which scenes?

Well, off the top of my head:

A bunch of scientists (JP) or marines (Aliens) are caught in the control center, and beinged threatened and attacked by dangerous creatures. There are the kids: in JP--Tim and Lex, in Aliens--Newt. (Incidentally Newt bears a close resemblance to Lex, IMO, although Lex may be a few years older.) And there are other similarities: in both movies, through the PA, other scientists are asked to leave beforehand, which explains why at the end of the movies only our heroes are left. There is plenty of crawling around in the ceiling and ducts to escape the creatures. In both movies, these creatures seem to be exceptionally (even fantastically) intelligent: in JP, the raptors are able to open doors; in Aliens, the Alien queen rides an elevator (!). Both movies feature a sleazy character who gets killed by the "monsters": in Aliens it's Burke, in JP it's the lawyer.

And I believe there are more similarities...

[Quintus 5,399]

I think its a template older than Aliens.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I reckon an Aliens vs. Dinosaurs movie would be awesome. Imagine the fights between the aliens and the raptors, and if a T-Rex tried to eat an alien, it'd burn through it's stomach, and if a facehugger latched onto a raptor, imagine what the "Rapalien" would be like! They could call it Aliens in Jurassic Park, produced by Amblin and Brandywine, distributed by Fox and Universal.

[Hitch 57]

I reckon an Aliens vs. Dinosaurs movie would be awesome. Imagine the fights between the aliens and the raptors, and if a T-Rex tried to eat an alien, it'd burn through it's stomach, and if a facehugger latched onto a raptor, imagine what the "Rapalien" would be like! They could call it Aliens in Jurassic Park, produced by Amblin and Brandywine, distributed by Fox and Universal.

I could direct it. Ryan Shore to do the music.

[Melange 446]

Film:

1. The Terminator (80s nostalgia. Dark undercurrent. Great score. And all done on the cheap)

2. Aliens (During my 15-18 age range, this was watched countless times. Stands alone,even as a sequel).

5 The Abyss (I appreciated it even before the directors cut ending,which came later. Flaws,but still good)

3. True Lies (Fabulous fun, and there are scenes I can still watch again and again....beg for buttermilk).

4. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (It made the summer of 91,very special. 19 years later,I see many flaws)

Score:

1. The Terminator (Classic,dark and clever score. And the 80s pop songs are just important as Fiedel's score)

2. The Abyss (I think the score was a highlight of this movie,for me. Sublime subtle moments, and bombast moments).

3. Aliens (I virtually wore out the cassette I owned of this. Still impressive,but it's one I've probably overplayed)

4. Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (played it endlessly in the 90s. It has wonderful moments. I would agree that it's underated)

5. Avatar (A Beautiful Mind's "

" is borrowed and tweeked to be a tree felling. But it worked well)

6. Titanic (It helped underline the emotion in the movie, but I wasn't moved to buy the score afterwards)

7. True Lies (Not overly memorable. Got lost in all the action. And the non-horner Tango always stood out the most anyway)

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Perfect, and Alan Grant will finally be killed off with a Rapalien's embryo.

[Hitch 57]

After all, didn't Cameron invite Spielberg and Jackson to the set when he was filming Avatar?

Yeah to say to them "Screw you, hippies"

7. The Abyss (I will say it: I can't stand the ending. The ending ruins this movie for me.)

The 2 protagonists kiss, the camera pans back to show alien craft surrounded by US warships in the ocean. Fade to black. Can't get any soppier than that. Doesn't ruin it for me.

[Quintus 5,399]

Doctor Grant, my dear doctor Satler - welcome... to Aliens vs. Jurassic Park.

Da da daaaa da daaaa, da da daaaa da daaaa... You always were an asshole Malcolm. BANG

[Hitch 57]

Doctor Grant, my dear doctor Satler - welcome... to Aliens vs. Jurassic Park.

Da da daaaa da daaaa, da da daaaa da daaaa... You always were an asshole Malcolm. BANG

You missed a "da" there.

[Uni 306]

"Lieutenant . . . what do those pulse rifles fire?"

"Sixteen-millimeter explosive-tip caseless. Standard light-armor piercing round. Why?"

"Well, look where your team is. They're in the genetics lab, right off the entrance to the animatronic caveman display."

"So?"

"So, if they fire in there, won't they destroy half the souvenir shop?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on . . . she's right!"

"So? So what?"

"Look, Lieutenant, this entire complex is basically one giant merchandising cash cow. So we're talking loss of licensing rights, bankruptcy, and . . . adios muchachos."

- Uni

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Films:

1) The Terminator (still the most perfect Terminator movie. Yes, the visuals are a little dated in places, but story-wise it's very tight)

2) The Abyss (DIRECTOR's CUT: perhaps the creepiest film Cameron has ever made. Wonderful action scenes and suspense)

3) Aliens (director's cut: Excellent continuation of the Alien saga, even if the marines bug the hell out of me with their inane dialogue most of the time)

4) T2 (an absolute blast from start to finish. The extended cut is probably a little more satisfying if only for the malfunctioning T100 at the end)

5) True Lies (Great fun!)

Titanic and Avatar are highly entertaining but don't make the final 5 for many reasons. Probably the biggest reason is their overblown sense of self-importance coupled with shoddy script/acting.

Scores:

I only own Abyss, and apart from a great main title theme it's pretty dull.

[Ollie 1,059]

Movies

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

2. Titanic

3. Aliens

4. True Lies

5. The Abyss

6. Terminator

Scores

1. Aliens

2. Titanic

3. The Abyss

4. Avatar

5. Terminator 2

6. True Lies

7. Terminator

[Jay 37,367]

"Lieutenant . . . what do those pulse rifles fire?"

"Sixteen-millimeter explosive-tip caseless. Standard light-armor piercing round. Why?"

"Well, look where your team is. They're in the genetics lab, right off the entrance to the animatronic caveman display."

"So?"

"So, if they fire in there, won't they destroy half the souvenir shop?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on . . . she's right!"

"So? So what?"

"Look, Lieutenant, this entire complex is basically one giant merchandising cash cow. So we're talking loss of licensing rights, bankruptcy, and . . . adios muchachos."

- Uni

For me:

Films:

1. The Abyss

2. Aliens

3. Terminator 2

4. True Lies

5. Terminator

6. Titanic

7. Avatar

Scores:

1. Aliens

2. Titanic

3. The Abyss

4. Avatar

5. Terminator 2

6. True Lies

7. Terminator

I genuinely like all the films and scores, so it was fairly hard to rank. I think that True Lies might be higher on the list if I had seen it more...the unavailablity of it in anamorphic form has prevented me from bothered to buy it or rent it so I've only seen it on VHS, 10+ years ago

[Wojo 2,453]

Films:

1. Aliens

2. The Terminator

3. True Lies

4. T2

5. Titanic (Though the Kate Winslet sequences were worth the price of admission. At Southhampton, at 16 I made a wish. Halfway through the movie, it came true. Twice!)

6. Avatar

Never saw:

The Abyss

Scores:

1. Titanic

2. The Terminator

3. T2

4. Avatar

Unfamiliar with outside of the movie:

Aliens (though I adore Star Trek III)

True Lies

The Abyss

[A24 4,337]

Films

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

2. Aliens

3. True Lies

4. The Terminator

5. The Abyss

6. Titanic

No Avatar?

Movies

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

2. Titanic

3. Aliens

4. True Lies

5. The Abyss

6. Terminator

No Avatar?

[Wojo 2,453]

I don't think Mark saw it yet.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,533]

Films- "The Abyss",

"The Terminator".

Scores-"The Abyss"/"Aliens" (equal sharing).

Everything else is trash.