James Cameron: A Retrospective

This is really a 3.5 star review. The author is obviously a fan of James Cameron and has done a lot of research on the director. But since he is such a fan this biography is very biased. Everything Cameron has done is the best, the biggest, and wonderful. There is not a lot of new information included. Any failings are quickly overlooked. Fans of the director will enjoy the book. Others may find it a little too perfect.

Great hardback book filled with informative content and nicely presented photography. I have read several previous books on James Cameron and this one has a good balance of text and images. It is similarly presented to the Ridley Scott hard back book released a couple of years back. The book contains mainly retrospective information on Cameron and his films up to a smaller section on Avatar 2. As a film and science fiction lover, and wanna be film director myself I recommend this book to anyone interested in Cameron or large scale blockbuster filmmaking.

My only criticism was the painterly treatment they gave many of the chapter headers. I worked with him and I can just about hear him saying, ‘What the f…”

As an introduction to the works of James Cameron, this is a good book, but it has nothing particularly revelatory to say about the filmmaker or his films. Each of Cameron's movies has a chapter dedicated to it, and even his FX work on BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is covered. There is also a biography, but don't buy it thinking this is a book that attempts to demolish some of the myths about Cameron. The author is clearly a rabid Cameron fan-boy - and there's nothing wrong with that, but it does start to wear a little thin here. On the plus side, the book is generously illustrated and is a fine-looking volume. However, for those who like more meat on the bones, this is probably not the book for you.