Do you think James Cameron is over-rated?

[bullets]

You would think in the span of his career he would of done more but everything he has done has been sucessful so it's hard to doubt the man.

 

[redhawk23]

hey man if there was nuclear war, a copy of terminator will still be protected, its status for preservation has nothing to do with T-2. Aliens kicks ass on many different levels.

As much as I like Cameron though i must say, I hate Titanic. I truly do. I just don't think that it is that good of a film. I don't like kate winslet. The story is rediculous, people say its like an epic love story but you know what, rose was just a lonely sl*t. Knew a guy, a couple of days, a week? and then first pose naked for him and then shack up in the back of a model T? yeah thats most romantic thing in the world. that films status as the highest grossing film of all time just bugs me. especially since if anything beats it, it will still just come down to inflation a people will still be gaga over it.

i have no faith in avatar. I'm saying it will be bad, but saying its a revolution similar to sound or color in films is just overhyped dissapoint waiting to happen.

 

[Drizzle]

I've enjoyed every movie of his that I've seen, "Terminator 2" most of all. The only ones of his that I haven't seen are "True Lies" and "The Abyss". I don't think he is overrated, because he is very good at what he does. The only thing I have against him is that he chose not to direct T3. I'm looking forward to "Avatar", and let's face it, who isn't? I just wish he did more projects in the 12 year time gap between "Titanic" and "Avatar".

 

[TNC9852002]

Since when is calling True Lies a dumb action movie a bad thing? That's actually the GENRE. You're blaming the movie for being exactly what it is. You're trying to imply that comedy and action don't mix. By doing so, you're missing the point of the entire movie.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

No, because he directed T2 and Aliens. I have a feeling that Titantic wouldn't be my cup of tea so I haven't watched it. Also I haven't seen True Lies because again, I'm not interested.

 

[dark_b]

i hope i will find someday on youtube a video where he screams on actors. i really want to see this

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

i hope i will find someday on youtube a video where he screams on actors. i really want to see this

You don't need proof of JC's assholary because everybody already knows he full of himself. Still doesn't mean that he isn't hella talented.

 

[co2]

Is Titanic over-rated..Yes.
I'm not a Titanic hater. I did enjoy it, but I don't think it deserved the status that the public placed it in. Really, the status it holds it not as the greatest film of all time, but as the most successful. Again, it's a great film, but it's my least favorite of his six.

Is cameron over-rated..No.
Look at his record. In my opinion he's 6 for 6. The most reliable director ever. You know you are in for something that not only will be a great film, it's going to push the boundaries in some way or another. Cameron strikes me as someone that won't do it unless it's going to be a challenge. Probably the movie you feel he is the least invested in was True Lies. He did that as an obligation to fulfill his original contract for being given Aliens. And you know what? He's such a perfectionist, it was still a terrific film.

 

[I'm Old Greg]

actors are ****ing tools they deserved to be screamed at and treated like the meat puppets that they are...you really feel bad for an actor??

James Cameron can scream and yell at them all he wants,

 

[Schlosser85]

Personally I don't think Cameron is overrated.

I DO think Titanic was one of the most grossly overrated movies ever made.

But The Terminator, Terminator 2, and Aliens are three of the best sci-fi action movies ever made, and the Terminator series redefined the whole genre.

Even True Lies is a great action-comedy. And between the Terminator series and True Lies, Cameron has been about the only director to actually make 100% good use out of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

[dark_b]

You don't need proof of JC's assholary because everybody already knows he full of himself. Still doesn't mean that he isn't hella talented.

i dont need proof but i want to see it. i want to see him scream

 

[DorkyFresh]

I started talking about this in the Terminator Salvation thread but I decided to start a new thread so I wouldn't derail that one. I am a firm believer that Jame's Cameron is over-rated and the passing of time seems to have made him seem like a much better director then he really is. I'll go through his popular films and give my reasons.

i don't think Cameron is overrated at all...especially since his popularity has dwindled quite a bit since the turn of the century. he's not the end all be all of film making, but he is certainly one of the most visionary.

1. Terminator: A good movie that does well as a futuristic 80's movie. I doubt it'd be considered the classic that it is if there was no T2. I think if Terminator stood alone it wouldn't be considered on the same level as other sci-fi classics like Blade Runner

i'll disagree...as a kid, i was much more interested in the mythology of Terminator than with Blade Runner, even before the 90's (when T2 was released). i'll agree that it doesn't hold up to today's standards, but it's possibly the best example of quality gorilla film making.

2. Aliens: This was one of his better films and I do think it deserves the hype it gets.

3. The Abyss: Long, boring, self-rightous story-telling. The directors cut is even worse. It's just one of those movies that thinks it's more important than it is and a lot of what would be called "suspense" I call drawn-out and boring.

definitely agreed with Aliens, but definitely DISAGREE with the Abyss. long? yes.....boring? at times.....self-righteous story telling? i don't even know what that means, let alone how you came to that conclusion but i like the director's cut even more than the theatrical cut. this was Cameron's first film where he truly tried to delve into the DRAMA more than ACTION and imo, he succeeded. it was even one of the first movies i remember seeing that moved me because of the (near) death of a character. the acting is absolutely spot on. despite the bad blood between Cameron and the cast, together they made a very underrated movie that never fails to intrigue me no matter how many times i've seen it.

4. Terminator 2: Now this is a classic, it dates itself in some ways but almost every movie does. This is the movie that redefined action and sci-fi films.

5. True Lies: Dumb action movie that tries to hard to put comedy in every scene it can. Now I get why some of you may like this movie, it's kinda fun, Jamie Lee Curtis was hot, nice action. But if this film was made by someone like Steven Sommers all that would be talked about is how dumb it is and what a crappy director Sommers is. But for some reason Cameron can get away with it.

again i agree with T2, but disagree with True Lies. yes, it's a dumb action flick...but it's also FUN! if Steven Sommers had directed it, then yes...we would be talking about how dumb it is but that's because Sommers doesn't have Cameron's talent. there's something about the pacing, the cues, and the chemistry that when all of those things are combined it makes a good film even if there's no REAL substance. what sets Cameron apart from directors like Steven Sommers (and why he's able to get away with it) is because Cameron just 'gets' film making. his lesser efforts are still better than many director's best efforts.

6. Titanic: I said in the other thread that this movie was part of a histeria that caused everyone to go see it. It was always highly over-rated, shouldn't have been nominated for best picture, and really poorly acted. I never had one emotional responce to anyones death in this film which is sad cause the real tale of the Titanic is a tragedy.

while i definitely agree that this film is overrated...i wouldn't go so far as to say that it's poorly acted. none of the acting makes me facepalm or roll my eyes. really the only reason it's overrated is because of all the women who flocked to the theaters to see it and the men who went with them because they knew they'd get some @$$ afterwords (guilty as charged). i actually like (not love) the film. there's a certain 'magic' that it has and it benefited greatly from an awesome score/soundtrack.

So in 25 years Cameron has directed 6 films that people know him for

what's that old saying? oh yes...*ahem*


it's about the QUALITY, not the quantity. i would rather see 5 fantastic movies over the span of a decade than 50 mediocre ones.

 

[Wheels]

i don't think Cameron is overrated at all...especially since his popularity has dwindled quite a bit since the turn of the century. he's not the end all be all of film making, but he is certainly one of the most visionary.



i'll disagree...as a kid, i was much more interested in the mythology of Terminator than with Blade Runner, even before the 90's (when T2 was released). i'll agree that it doesn't hold up to today's standards, but it's possibly the best example of quality gorilla film making.



definitely agreed with Aliens, but definitely DISAGREE with the Abyss. long? yes.....boring? at times.....self-righteous story telling? i don't even know what that means, let alone how you came to that conclusion and i like the director's cut even more than the theatrical cut. this was Cameron's first film where he truly tried to delve into the DRAMA more than ACTION and imo, he succeeded. this was one of the first movies i remember seeing that moved me because of the (near) death of a character. the acting it absolutely spot on. despite the bad blood between Cameron and the cast, together they made a very underrated movie that never fails to intrigue me no matter how many times i've seen it.




again i agree with T2, but disagree with True Lies. yes, it's a dumb action flick...but it's also FUN! if Steven Sommers had directed it, then yes...we would be talking about how dumb it is but that's because Sommers doesn't have Cameron's talent. there's something about the pacing, the cues, and the chemistry that when all of those things are combined it makes a good film even if there's no REAL substance. what sets Cameron apart from directors like Steven Sommers (and why he's able to get away with it) is because Cameron just 'gets' film making. his lesser efforts are still better than many director's best efforts.


while i definitely agree that this film is overrated...i wouldn't go so far as to say that it's poorly acted. none of the acting makes me facepalm or roll my eyes. really the only reason it's overrated is because of all the women who flocked to the theaters to see it and the men who went with them because they knew they'd get some @$$ afterwords (guilty as charged). i actually like (not love) the film. there's a certain 'magic' that it has and it benefited greatly from an awesome score/soundtrack.


what's that old saying? oh yes...*ahem*


it's about the QUALITY, not the quantity. i would rather see 5 fantastic movies over the span of a decade than 50 mediocre ones.

Who wants to start the 80s teen film slow clap?

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

I've enjoyed every movie i've seen by him, so no; i don't think he's over-rated in the least.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Who wants to start the 80s teen film slow clap?

I do.

 

[WeaponXProject]

I don't think he's overrated, I think he's a *****e in interviews, but he definitely is a top notch director. I would like to see him do more work though...

 

[DorkyFresh]

there are few things/people that i consider overrated. the only time i consider stuff overrated is when there is little or no substance but it manages to gain maximum attention....for example, Lil Wayne and Beyonce (not hatin', just statin'). Cameron has given us more magical and everlasting experiences than both of those artists combined and he's not nearly as popular as they are right now.

Who wants to start the 80s teen film slow clap?

lol!!!

 

[gwynplaine]

Do I think Cameron is overrated ? No.

 

[CELTICPRED]

Cameron has a great ability to summon massive performances from actors and is a technical genius whose work has helped push film to new extremes time and time again.

He deserves every single ounce of credit he is given.

And I honestly don't see how anyone can hate True Lies let alone say it's a poor film.

 

[gwynplaine]

Cameron has a great ability to summon massive performances from actors and is a technical genius whose work has helped push film to new extremes time and time again.

He deserves every single ounce of credit he is given.

And I honestly don't see how anyone can hate True Lies let alone say it's a poor film.

QFT. As for true lies, it's even better when you've seen the mediocre original french film it's based on ("la totale"). I saw it, great concept, poor execution, Cameron took it to another level.

 

[hitmanyr2k]

The man gave me Terminator, T2 and Aliens (all of which I consider classics and watch at least once a year). Titanic gets a ton of hate but not too long ago when I was flipping channels in the middle of the night I caught it on TNT and watched the whole damn thing commercials and all and still enjoyed it. Billy Zane and his servant cracks me up in that movie. I've never seen the Abyss so I'm not sure about that one but I consider True Lies to be his weakest film by far and haven't seen it in quite some time.

 

[gwynplaine]

The man gave me Terminator, T2 and Aliens (all of which I consider classics and watch at least once a year). Titanic gets a ton of hate but not too long ago when I was flipping channels in the middle of the night I caught it on TNT and watched the whole damn thing commercials and all and still enjoyed it. Billy Zane and his servant cracks me up in that movie. I've never seen the Abyss so I'm not sure about that one but I consider True Lies to be his weakest film by far and haven't seen it in quite some time.

David Warner is the best. He was awesome in Tron and also a great Jack the ripper in Time after time.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

The can see why some people wouldn't like The Abyss but I did.

BTW

I've only seen the directors cut.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

David Warner is the best. He was awesome in Tron and also a great Jack the ripper in Time after time.

He also played Jor-El on Lois & Clark and was the voice of Ra's Al Ghul on Batman: The Animated Series.

 

[gwynplaine]

He also played Jor-El on Lois & Clark and was the voice of Ra's Al Ghul on Batman: The Animated Series.

Yeah and he was also great in Sam Peckinpah's "straw dogs".