James Cameron Films, Ranked

James Cameron has only directed 10 narrative films. That feels kind of wild. He’s produced many more, made some documentaries, and been involved with several others. But in terms of directing a typical, narrative movie, his latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is only his 10th.

But what a lineup it has been. Though he did a tiny horror film before it, Cameron truly burst onto the scene with 1984’s The Terminator, a game-changing sci-fi action film that announced his talents to Hollywood. He went on to direct two of the greatest sequels ever after that, Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, while also working on another landmark influential sci-fi film, The Abyss.

After a quick trip to a more traditional action story with True Lies, Cameron changed the game again with Titanic, a three-plus-hour romantic epic that became the highest-grossing film of all time. How did he follow that up? Well, it took over a decade, but he made Avatar, one of the biggest gambles in Hollywood history, which then beat his own film Titanic to become the new highest-grossing film of all time.

Since then, he followed that up with Avatar: The Way of Water and, now finally, Avatar: Fire and Ash. It’s a beyond incredible list of relatively few films. Where do they each rank when you put them against each other? Let’s get to it.

TBD: Avatar Fire and Ash (2025)

We have yet to see Avatar: Fire and Ash, which opens December 19, so we can’t rank it on here. But, if we’re being real, there’s very little chance it breaks into, let’s say, the top five here, right? Maybe it’s the best Avatar of the bunch. Maybe. But Cameron’s films are generally all so good, it would have to be The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to jump into that top five.

We’ll see, though. As we’re about to illustrate, James Cameron doesn’t miss.

9. Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)

James Cameron’s first film is barely what you’d call a “James Cameron film.†Rumors have persisted for years about exactly how much control he had over it compared to his subsequent films, and the end result is a part campy, part bad horror film. It’s not terrible, mostly because you watch it knowing James Cameron directed it, but clearly it’s not only his “worst†movie, it might be his only bad movie.

8. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Let’s get this out of the way right here. With the exception of Piranha II, every James Cameron movie is amazing. So even if you rank something at number eight, it’s still amazing. You just have to weigh the pros and cons of how amazing each is to make a list like this. So, for me, the amazing Avatar: The Way of Water comes in 8th.

Why? Well, mostly because, as insanely epic and emotional as it is, it’s just not the Avatar movie I’d prefer to rewatch if given a choice between the two. It ranks a little lower because it’s a sequel. But still, it’s an incredible sequel that leaves us with high hopes for the third part.

7. True Lies (1994)

I’m old. I remember seeing True Lies in theaters when it came out, and it made me beyond happy. The fun concept of a family man who is actually a spy, and how that interferes with his personal life, layered on top of this incredible action film, just works wonders. It’s probably Cameron’s most “basic†movie, but it’s still wildly entertaining. Watching it today, it makes me just as happy, if not more so, than it did when it first came out. Bill Paxton forever.

6. Avatar (2009)

There’s a reason why, to this day, Avatar is still the highest-grossing Hollywood movie in history. It’s because the movie is so freaking beyond epic, you almost forget how epic it is. Cameron did it all with Avatar. The effects, performance capture, environments—all that, of course. But it’s the powerful, grounded story that takes us on this massive roller coaster that really makes it special. It’s one of those movies where if you watched the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes, you’d be like, “There’s no way this is the same movie; too much has happened.†And that’s why we love it.

5. The Abyss (1989)

Like Avatar, The Abyss is a James Cameron movie where so many things happen and so much changes, you are dumbfounded by how sweeping it all is. Unlike Avatar, he did it 20 years before with mostly humans, which is why it ranks here. Oddly, as bold as the story of the film is and becomes, it’s also maybe Cameron’s most constricted movie, as most of it happens on a submerged platform. But within that, he builds such a wonderful story about the beauty of life.

4. Titanic (1997)

For me, it’s difficult to separate Titanic the movie from Titanic the experience. As a movie, Titanic is magical. It’s so beautifully crafted and tells such a lovely, horrifying, ultimately hopeful story. It’s got those two amazing lead performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and, rightfully, won a ton of Oscars, including Best Director for Cameron and Best Picture.

But Titanic is here because of the experience. The release of Titanic, and the subsequent months and months of success it had in theaters, was an unforgettable journey. Looking back at it now, you almost don’t have the words for how the film captured the imaginations of the entire world and rode that to glory. I saw it something like four times in theaters. Not because I loved it that much—though I did love it—but because you felt like it meant something. So, Titanic is just kind of extra special.

3. The Terminator (1984)

Without The Terminator, none of this would have taken place. Up-and-coming filmmaker James Cameron had this dream about a metal man emerging from flames and thought, “What story can I put around that?†He came up with a bonkers, brilliant, time-travel love story that’s fun and scary and cool and launched one of the biggest movie careers ever along the way. It’s not just a seminal, iconic piece of work; it’s a legitimately amazing movie to boot.

2. Aliens (1986)

This was impossible. Truly. Ranking the final two films of Cameron’s filmography was like choosing between two children. Both are in my top 15 favorite (or so) films of all time. Both are perfect sequels that made already perfect movies even better. Both work as well today, if not better, than they did upon release. And yet, I’m ranking them, and I have to choose.

So, I chose Aliens for number two. And the reason is that Aliens wasn’t James Cameron’s franchise. Sure, he came in and made it his franchise. So much of what we think of when we think of Alien (and Predator, for that matter) is because of what Cameron did in this sequel. But he was standing on the shoulders of giants already. So, if you need one small thing to separate these two masterpieces, that was it. Which means…

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

… Terminator 2 is my choice for James Cameron’s best film. Everything I said in the previous write-up stands here. There’s not a frame of this film that I don’t adore with every ounce of my being. Watching it as a child made me look at the world of filmmaking differently. Plus, it had that impact on everyone everywhere because of its radical technological advances. The film is also a bold spin on Cameron’s first film by taking the villain and turning him into a hero, which was a true stroke of genius. It was a huge hit, universally revered, and remains one of not just the best sequels of all time, but movies too. On a list of films that are basically flawless, this one puts it all together in just the right way.

What do you think of my rankings? Which is the most egregious? And where do you see Fire and Ash slotting in? Let us know below.

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