James Cameron has routinely found excuses to deny that his directorial debut is actually his first feature film, instead preferring to call The Terminator his first movie. Over the last 40 years, James Cameron has become one of the most celebrated and acclaimed filmmakers in history, with movies including Aliens, Titanic, and the Avatar film series helping to make him the second-highest-grossing director ever – behind Steven Spielberg. His remarkable career in the years since the 1984 release of The Terminator means it might surprise you to learn that Cameron actually hates his first directed movie.
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While Cameron might suggest that The Terminator was his first directed feature film, this honor actually falls on Piranha II: The Spawning from 1982. The sequel to Joe Dante’s Piranha from 1978, which was a commercial success has since become a cult favorite, Piranha II: The Spawning was ultimately a massive box office bomb and a critical failure. Cameron was hired after the original director, Miller Drake, left the project due to creative differences, but he has omitted the movie from many bios in the years since.
During a 1991 interview with Us (via Terminator Files), James Cameron revealed that he is “ambivalent” about Piranha II: The Spawning. He posed the theory that he was only attached to the movie for two-and-a-half weeks before producer Ovidio Assonitis fired him and took over control. This theory could prove true, as Drake departed the movie due to creative differences with Assonitis, but many other crew members maintain he was present for the entire schedule. This could just be a symptom of Cameron hating his freshman foray into feature film directing.
Piranha II: The Spawning holds a 5% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been lauded as one of the worst films in recent memory. The movie was criticized for its overuse of tired cliches, poor visual effects – especially when concerning the titular piranhas, repetition of the first instalment’s narrative, and lack of fun even in the face of its outlandish storyline. It’s no wonder James Cameron fought to have his name removed as director of the movie – unsuccessfully.
Many will have forgotten, or simply never knew, that Piranha II: The Spawning was James Cameron’s first movie, which means the filmmaker’s trick of ignoring the project may have actually successfully erased it from memory. James Cameron has gone on to write, produce, and direct some of the most acclaimed and beloved movies in history – The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar all have significant places in pop culture. Let’s just forget Piranha II: The Spawning ever happened, just like James Cameron hopes we will.
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