3. The Terminator (1984)
Writer/Director Urban legend has it that Cameron came up with the idea for The Terminator while suffering from a fevered dream on the set of Piranha II: The Spawning. Piranha II may have been enough to give anyone nightmares, but Camerons dream led to him creating one of cinemas most iconic figures as well as one of the finest sci-fi actioners of all time. Much like Camerons redefining of
Ridley Scotts original Alien, it is hard to compare The Terminator and its sequel. Cameron had more money than anyone could dream of to throw at the enormous T2; but producing this seminal masterpiece on a relative shoe-string budget (at least by Cameron standards) really is a great achievement. The Terminator, both the film and the character, set off at an unstoppable pace and doesnt let up until the cyborg is terminated itself. The film that made Cameron is bold, energetic and in spite of not having the unparalleled CGI that Cameron would later find at his disposal, the effects still stand up today (ignoring one very clunky moment near the end). The Terminator is undoubtedly one of cinemas all time greats, its legacy is testament to that there have been a number of sequels, a TV show, computer games and countless references to the film peppered throughout popular culture. All the sequels (and the TV show) expanded on the mythology of The Terminator universe that Cameron created and although most of the subsequent incarnations of Camerons vision were vastly inferior, one didnt just become an exception to the rule, it took a minigun to the rule (but only wounded it)