News culture ‘Extremely embarrassing’: This 100% rated film changed science fiction forever, but James Cameron isn’t entirely happy with the result
Looking at your own creations is a delicate task, especially if you are a director! During an interview with Empire, James Cameron looks back on what he believes is his first real film.
A critical look at his past
During this interview for Rich, James Cameron shares his views on his film Terminator from 1984.
I certainly don’t consider it the Holy Grail. Many people would be disturbed by what I write. Well, you know what? Show me your three or four greatest hits and we can talk again about the effectiveness of my lines. – (James Cameron)
According to the director, the problem lies at the more global level of production. It is understandable that after all the experiences he has subsequently gained (Titanic, Avatar, Alien), James Cameron speaks less proudly about his Terminator. During the interview, he admits that his young age (he was in his twenties in 1984) can explain the few flaws he finds in the film. It was also the lack of budget that somewhat limited J. Cameron’s enthusiasm. As a reminder: the director had sold the rights Terminator for the symbolic amount of one dollar, provided he is responsible for the project. Despite limited financial support (budget $6.4 million), the film attracted more than 3 million admissions in France alone. This success allowed James Cameron to work on the sequel with more resources.
Despite the “Very embarrassing moments” what he discovered in his first big project, Terminator is still very important to him. The director is still aware that this film is a must-see for science fiction fans. He also believes that this feature’s longevity is due in part to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who plays the lead character. Interestingly, the film crew had to wait before starting work as the lead actor was working on it Conan the Destroyer.
A pillar of SF
Terminatorwhich celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has a score of 100% on RottenTomatoes. In 1985, the film won three Saturn Awards (awards for works of science fiction): best makeup, best screenplay and best science fiction film. This means it surpasses the blockbusters competing with it this year Ghostbustersa blockbuster with a budget of 30 million dollars. James Cameron originally wanted to pay homage to robots: “So far these films have been B-series that were made cheaply. Except maybe.” Silent runningI don’t know of a film whose robots don’t look like costumed actors. I was impressed by the Imperial Quadripods of The Empire strikes backand I wanted to bring that kind of design to a human scale.” (for the website Special effects).
