James Cameron often avoids calling his very first film his directorial debut, instead considering *The Terminator* to be his first movie. Over the past four decades, he’s become one of the most successful and respected filmmakers of all time, directing hits like *Aliens, Titanic*, and the *Avatar* series. This success has earned him the title of the second-highest-grossing director in history, only behind Steven Spielberg. Despite his remarkable career since *The Terminator* came out in 1984, it might be surprising to learn that Cameron actually dislikes his first film.
Though James Cameron is often credited with directing *The Terminator* as his first feature film, he actually made his directorial debut with *Piranha II: The Spawning* in 1982. While the original *Piranha* (1978), directed by Joe Dante, was a hit and gained a cult following, its sequel was a commercial and critical disappointment. Cameron took over the project after the first director, Miller Drake, left because of disagreements about the film’s direction, and he’s often left *Piranha II* out of his career summaries.
In a 1991 interview with *Us* (as reported by *Terminator Files*), James Cameron admitted he had mixed feelings about *Piranha II: The Spawning*. He suggested he only worked on the film for about two and a half weeks before being fired by producer Ovidio Assonitis, who then took over. While actor Drake left the project due to disagreements with Assonitis, other crew members recall Cameron being involved throughout the entire production. This conflicting information may simply stem from Cameron’s dislike of his early experience as a feature film director.
With a mere 5% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, *Piranha II: The Spawning* is widely considered one of the worst films ever made. Critics slammed it for relying on overused tropes, having noticeably bad special effects – particularly with the piranhas themselves – and simply retreading the plot of the original movie. Even its ridiculous story couldn’t save it from being a dull experience. Director James Cameron even tried, but failed, to have his name taken off the film.
Most people have probably forgotten, or never even realized, that *Piranha II: The Spawning* was James Cameron’s very first film. Perhaps that’s why he’s distanced himself from it – it seems to have faded from public memory. Cameron has since become famous for directing, writing, and producing blockbuster hits like *The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic,* and *Avatar*, all of which are now pop culture staples. It’s almost as if Cameron wants us to forget *Piranha II: The Spawning* existed, and for many, that wish has come true.
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2025-10-10 16:40