James Cameron is always happy to share his views on what people say about his movies, and he recently did just that when addressing the idea that The Terminator has some cringeworthy dialogue. In short, he isn’t buying that and has a very good reason for calling out those who constantly have an issue with his “cringe” dialogue.
As The Terminator approaches its 40th anniversary, Cameron sat down with Empire to discuss the film’s legacy. While also sharing details on the future of the sci-fi franchise, the director also responded to how the movie has aged, and how there are some people who openly criticize one thing about the movie. He said:
“I don’t think of it as some Holy Grail, that’s for sure. I look at it now and there are parts of it that are pretty cringeworthy, and parts of it that are like, ‘Yeah, we did pretty well for the resources we had available.’ Just the production value, you know? I don’t cringe on any of the dialogue , but I have a lower cringe factor than, apparently, a lot of people do around the dialogue that I write. You know what? Let me see your three-out-of-the-four-highest-grossing films — then we’ll talk about dialogue effectiveness.”
Cameron has a point. Whatever anyone says of his dialogue, there is no other director who has put their name to not one or two but three of the four highest grossing movies of all time. With two Avatar movies and Titanic sitting alongside Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, Cameron’s place in cinema history seems to be one that will never be taken away from him – and for that, you need people to be happy with your dialogue, among other things.
James Cameron Could Add to His Impressive Record
While his Avatar movies have not received perfect reviews by any stretch, there is something about the franchise that demands audiences see it on the big screen. Both 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water easily surpassed $2 billion worldwide, which is just as well considering The Way of Water’s staggering reported budget of $460 million.
However, having three of the biggest movies of all time just isn’t enough for one of the most ambitious and visionary directors in Hollywood. In 2025, Cameron’s Avatar journey continues with Avatar: Fire & Ash, which he will be hoping can repeat the same success story to give him the kind of record that will surely never be beaten by any other director.
And it will not end there, with Cameron currently planning on directing another two installments, to be released in the coming years. Whether this is how things pan out is yet to be seen. Cameron could decide to hand over the franchise to another director (as he has hinted previously), or it could be a case that people begin to lose interest in the franchise and the next movies fail to reach the heights of their predecessors. The first test will come when Avatar: Fire & Ash arrived in cinemas in December 2025.
