James Encounters Certain Scenes in "The Terminator" as Cause for Embarrassment
James Cameron, known for his filmmaking success, finds certain parts of his initial project, "Terminator" from 1984, a bit awkward to watch now. In a recent interview with Empire, he revealed, as quoted by Deadline, "I wouldn't call it the holy grail anymore. Watching it today, there are parts that make me cringe, and others where I think we did a decent job given our resources."
Cameron's critique is solely focused on the film's production, not iconic lines like Arnold Schwarzenegger's legendary "I'll be back." Despite frequent mockery, Cameron fails to comprehend why. He asserted, "I'm not ashamed of any dialogue, but maybe I have less shame than others when it comes to the dialogue I write."
"My first directing gig"
In the interview, Cameron emphasized the significance of success in validating his work, saying, "Show me your three highest-grossing films, and then we'll discuss the power of dialogue." He directed three of the top four highest-grossing films - "Titanic" (1997), "Avatar – The Way of Water" (2009), and the latest release, "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022). "Terminator" made over $78 million at the box office upon its release in 1984, catapulting both Cameron and Schwarzenegger into stardom.
Cameron, in his early days, had described himself as a "punk" during the making of "Terminator." At 29, it was his first time directing a film, making the project extremely significant to him. This sentiment extends to the "Terminator", which has since grown into a series with five movies and a TV program. Last month, the animated series "Terminator Zero" premiered on Netflix, featuring voice-overs from Timothy Olyphant, Sonoya Mizuno, Rosario Dawson, Ann Dowd, and André Holland.
In response to the awkward parts he finds in "Terminator," Cameron clarified, "I'm not criticizing the film as a whole, just certain aspects that feel outdated now." Despite the success of the iconic line "I'll be back," Cameron remains unphased by its frequent mockery, maintaining, "I'm not going to apologize for it or change it, it belongs to the movie."
