Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Well, and Aliens. One can't forget Aliens, a sequel arguably better than the classic original.
Aliens aside though, Cameron is perhaps most closely associated with the first two Terminator movies, which saw the writer/director craft a brilliant time-traveling blend of sci-fi, action, and horror the first time out, then expand that into an A-list blockbuster epic for round 2. Between the two films, viewers can find some of the best movies to emerge from the 1980s, and both hold up just as well over 30 years after their initial release. The test of time is the most important one, and Terminator 1 and 2 it.
Unlike an Alfred Hitchcock or M. Night Shyamalan, who both delighted in make their director cameos both noticeable and amusing, Cameron chose to appear in Terminator 1 and 2 only via his voice. Here's where he can be heard in both films.
James Cameron's Subtle Terminator 1 & 2 Cameo Roles Explained
James Cameron is actually reported to have made two different offscreen vocal cameos in The Terminator, although one has become disputed in recent years. The disputed one happens early on, with Cameron said to voice the man who breaks a date with Sarah Connor via a message left on her answering machine. It would certainly be a bit funny if Cameron had indeed voiced that part, at least in hindsight, since he and Linda Hamilton later married - and divorced - in real life. The other cameo doesn't seem to be in dispute, and that's Cameron voicing the manager at the motel Sarah and Kyle Reese stop at for the night, and end up conceiving John.
The Cameron vocal cameo in Terminator 2 is fully confirmed, but wow is it bizarre. Cameron actually supplied the inhuman screeches and screams of the T-1000 as it slowly dies within the molten steel. Cameron was unimpressed by the sounds his post-production department had created, so he proceeded to use his own voice to achieve the effect he wanted. He certainly succeeded, as the T-1000's death throes are quite unsettling to witness, both visually and aurally. Not many directors would go to those lengths to get things exactly right, but most aren't James Cameron.
