Titanic (1997)

Titanic (1997)

 

6/10

Starring

Leonardo DiCaprio

Kate Winslet

Billy Zane

 

Directed by James Cameron

 

Contains Spoilers

Titanic for a long while was the highest-grossing movie of all time, until it was beaten by Avatar in 2009, another Cameron movie. This James Cameron epic romantic disaster was like a drug that Cameron created to make sure women would do anything to see this movie over and over again.

At the time of its release, it was the most expensive movie ever made, costing over $200 million. It was a critical masterpiece, earning eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron. Even though I didn’t like the romantic, stupid ending of this film, if I remove that part, I have to say this movie is a visual masterpiece. An almost perfect artwork by Cameron, who wrote, produced, and directed it.

The movie does start off interesting. I recall seeing it back in 1997 when it came out and was disappointed. I ended up resenting the movie when, in the end, Jack died. I still have a huge resentment for this movie, even though I respect its place in time as a classic.

It’s not that tragic romantic movies aren’t worth seeing, but I was disappointed to see that the end of this totally engaging movie was the death of a man whom I thought (this is my thought) would have had a better chance if he had left Rose on the board and tried to find one for himself.

The movie tells a fictional tale of what led to the mighty Titanic, a ship that in 1912 was believed to be unsinkable. We meet the characters in the movie, and the captivating way acting should be done. Mind you, this is not the first time I’ve seen the powerful performance of Kate Winslet, but in this film, she is head over heels the main attraction.

Rose (Winslet) is being pawned off to a rich man (Billy Zane) by her mother so that they can be settled into wealth. You get the feeling that Rose is not into this planned union. On the ship, in the third-class region, is Jack and his friend, and their compartments are full of happiness and partying. While in the first-class, their cabin is filled with wine and dine. A series of beautiful events leads to the two meeting, and out of nowhere, a romance is born between them. It is from here that the movie takes a powerful turn of performances and lines that will forever remain burnt in my mind.

When the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink, I was so engrossed in the movie. It was like I was there and no longer a viewer. The way the people were handling how to get the people off the sinking ship, and the drama between Rose and Jack, cannot be described by words. Here are two people madly in love, being hunted by Rose’s fiancé, while the ship they are on is sinking rapidly.

Well, love did not save the day in this movie, which may be why I have a certain dislike for it. But this movie set numerous records and was a crowd-pleaser, with one of the best movie soundtracks there ever was.