In the world of cinema, few pitch meetings have achieved the legendary status that James Cameron’s pitch for “Aliens” has. It’s a story that has been told and retold, and now, with recent confirmations from Cameron himself, we can delve into the audacious creativity that brought this iconic sequel to life.
Aliens is one of the greatest movies of all time, full stop, and one of the parts that makes everything flow together is Carrie Henn’s performance as the scared, lone child survivor Newt. Henn made the character feel real as if she was a real survivor of the terrible xenomorph slaughter. So with Aliens as a strong debut, where did Henn go?
Movie sets can be a dangerous place.
These days most big stunts and action sequences are done with the support of CGI. For modern studios and directors, it’s just not worth the risk of losing an actor or stunt person to a stunt gone wrong. While James Cameron has softened alongside Hollywood, his younger and wilder self embraced practical effects to create intense action sequences. Don’t let the word “practical” fool you, because the stunts discussed in this article are as psychotic as they are impressive.
James Cameron and nearly killing actors by drowning or some other water-related death, name a more iconic duo. Over thirty years before he would revolutionize underwater filming with Avatar: The Way of Water James Cameron went all in for The Abyss in 1989, making one of the most hellish productions in history.
James Cameron really likes water-themed movies. From The Abyss and Titanic to the groundbreaking first Avatar, over half of his career involves water movies.
But the director is far from washed up and is still making waves with Avatar 2: The Way of Water. The sequel scored a projected $63.4 million this past weekend and is projected to bring in another $20 million for the extended four-day weekend.
With the recent release of James Cameron’s latest blockbuster, Avatar II: The Way of Water, it is an excellent time to recognize that even famed directors have their rough starts. James Cameron’s nightmarish first film, Piranha II: The Spawning, makes for a surprising formative moment.