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Titanic
directed by James Cameron

Many things have been said about this James Cameron movie, but I only have one word to say: "Impressive".

Forget that hundreds of millions of dollars was spent on the movie or that it is over three hours long. This is movie that works: it is a love/dramatic/disaster movie that works unlike many of the stuff I've seen lately.

The disaster that befell the Titanic is well known, so Cameron does not waste time trying to build up a story solely around the ship. Instead, he concentrates his efforts on two lovers caught in the disaster: Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose Bukater (Kate Winslet) who are on opposites of the social spectrum: she in a world of stiff and unyielding riches and he in a world of poverty filled with the scents of life. They meet and their lives are never the same again.

Cameron intercuts scenes from the past and present in the movie. The present is shown in the form of Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his crew hunting for treasure on the Titanic. Instead, they find a portrait of a naked Rose that acts as the link between past and present. The old Rose of the present narrates the story as the young Rose acts it out. Cameron also wisely shows (in the present) how the Titanic sank, allowing the audience to grasp in awesome detail what will happen at the end of the movie. This lets me concentrate more on the people involved.

The way the effects integrate into the movie is excellent. Digital Domain has done an impressive job on the special effects, bringing to wonderful realism the sight of a ship towering hundreds of meters in the air as it prepares to plunge into the depths of the ocean. Unlike other special-effects laden movies in the past, the effects here enhance the drama rather than being the centerpiece.

I have to say that if there was only one movie I am allowed to watch within twelve months, I would be sorely torn between watching this one and Contact. Both are truly wonderful movies and Titanic is a truly impressive "disaster in real life" story. The only other recent real-life disaster movie that has a shot at matching this one is Apollo 13.

So, if you have a chance, watch it. Forget the money spent and its length. See it for what it is: an chance to sail on one of the most luxurious liners in history and well as having a ring-side seat to one of the greatest man-made disasters in the 20th century.

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Titanic directed by James Cameron

Titanic
directed by James Cameron