James Cameron is the craftsman behind some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. He is the director behind the Terminator and Aliens, just to name a few. However, he has never followed up on the disaster movie genre since he made Titanic. After Avatar 2 had terrific success at the global box office, people looked forward to what James Cameron would do next. An epic disaster movie by James Cameron would be a great addition to his filmography and an excellent watch for the following reasons.
He Does The Research
James Cameron's directing style is informed by his knowing the correct details. During the filming of his movie Titanic, Cameron went underwater to capture the footage needed to program the film's special effects. Cameron is committed to the realism of the concepts he puts in his films. He even commissioned a scientific study to prove Jack couldn't have lived in his Titanic film.
His attention to detail with research will make an epic disaster movie even more epic because his filmmaking decisions come from personal experience. Cameron took numerous deep sea dives himself personally during the filming of Titanic. His expeditions were crucial in developing the special effects and making the disaster scenario true to life.
After filming Titanic, he put on his inventor hat to descend over six miles deep into the ocean in a submarine he was involved with designing. In 2012, James Cameron became the first person to reach a deep 11km ocean trench on his own. This accomplishment is thanks to Cameron's drive and help from his Deep Sea challenge team. Cameron has a passion for exploring and developing different technologies based on his research and experiences. This quality of Cameron makes his movies satisfying to watch.
He Is an Expert at Combining Fact and Fiction Seamlessly
While Cameron has a high standard of incorporating actual research into his movies, he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story. Cameron uses science and facts to set the foundation for his story, but he still is able to incorporate fictional story elements seamlessly into the films he makes.
For example, in Titanic, he was able to do his research to tell a historically accurate recreation of the tragedy of the Titanic's maiden voyage. Despite this rigidity in the facts, he was also able to tell it with fictional characters and story beats. He is able to accomplish this seamlessly because he is extraordinarily detail-oriented. He edited the film, so the timeline and pace of the film matched the real disaster. Cameron made the runtime of the film exactly match the duration of the sinking of the Titanic tragedy. With the integrity of the film's accuracy in the background, Cameron made a believable fictional story feel more alive.
He Has a Proven Track Record with Sequels
James Cameron bucks the usual trends when he follows up on a film. Typically, sequels to beloved movies are rated lower than the originals, with very few exceptions. However, throughout his career, Cameron has repeatedly proved that when he works on a sequel, he often produces an even better film. Terminator 2, Aliens, and recently Avatar 2 have all been praised as good movies, with some saying they are even better films than their predecessors. With Cameron's proven track record of producing equal or better content on projects he follows up on, you can confidently say that a future disaster movie by Cameron would also be a quality film.
His Stories Capture Human Emotion with Precision
The factual details and story elements are just one-half of the formula behind Cameron's success. As a director, he is also an expert at capturing human emotions. James Cameron is notoriously a demanding director to act with because he is focused on a singular and uncompromising vision. This allows him to direct his actors to produce the performance he needs for any scene. Leonardo DiCaprio was almost passed up for his role in Titanic over the clashing of their personalities when auditioning. The only reason that DiCaprio was able to stay in the movie was delivering a poignant and emotional performance as Jack. Cameron would not put up with a performance that is less than what his vision requires.
He Is Always Pushing The Boundaries of What Movies Can Do
Perhaps the most crucial reason that a disaster film needs the James Cameron treatment is that visual effects are considered one of Cameron's legacies as a filmmaker. He is excellent at creating cost-effective effects while at the same time re-inventing the wheel when necessary. Epic disaster movies are grand in scale and require a lot of special effects magic to sell what is happening on screen. People are not wowed by special effects as easily anymore, and the spectacle of the newness of CGI has passed by audiences. If a disaster film used someone of Cameron's expertise and knowledge to its advantage, it would be an excellent and immersive experience for the audience.