CAST: Leonardo DiCarpio (Jack), Kate Winslet (Rose) Billy Zane (Cal); DIRECTOR: James Cameron; SCREENWRITER: James Cameron; PRODUCED BY: James Cameron, Jon Landau; EDITING BY: James Cameron, Conrad Buff IV, Richard A. Harris; MUSIC BY: James Horner; GENRE: Drama, Romance, Classic; CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russel Carpenter; DISTRIBUTOR 20th Century- Fox & Paramount; LOCATION: North Atlantic Ocean; RUNNING TIME: 195 minutes
Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 2.5
Cinema rating: For viewers 14 years old and above
In 1912, RMS Titanic, aka “The Unsinkable Ship,” is about to set sail for her maiden voyage, and everyone is excited to board it; everyone except Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), that is, who calls it a “slave ship” that will take her back to America and to a life of privilege with her fiance, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). Meanwhile, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his friend Fabrizio win a Third Class ticket onto the Titanic in a game of poker five minutes before the ship is to depart, and they run through the crowded English streets trying to catch the ship before it leaves. Rose ends up making Jack’s acquaintance in an unusual situation once on-board, and even Cal and his henchman (David Warner) cannot tear them apart. The romance is tested, of course, when the ship hits an iceberg and it is revealed by the ship’s architect Mr. Andrews (Victor Garber) that Titanic will be at the bottom of the ocean within two hours.
People below age 24 couldn’t have seen—or liked, if
they’ve seen it—the original Titanic,
the blockbuster film by James Cameron circa 1997 that earned for Kate Winslett
an Oscar nomination. Whether or not you
go for love stories or romantic fantasies, Titanic
will prove too big for you or anyone to ignore.
Okay it’s a formulaic number—rich girl is engaged to rich man who’ll
bail her family out of debt; rich girl meets spirited, self-confident poor boy
who gives her all the excitement missing in her life; rich girl and poor boy
fall in love and go for it; then the gigantic unsinkable boat sinks. Never
mind that it could be manipulative in some parts, the film has the power to carry
viewers away—and much of this would be due to the exceptional editing. Even if you have seen the 1997 original, this
3D version will most likely blow you away. Unlike most movies that decide to remarket themselves in 3D, Titanic 2012 is enhanced by the 3D conversion. Released worldwide to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic
on April 15, 1912, Titanic’s return has been announced in movie theaters since
months back, and guess who are most eager to see it? People from teeners to senior citizens—just shows
the enduring power of well-told love stories.
It also shows how Cameron—who also did Avatar 12 years after Titanic—is
so ahead of his time, able to pull off convincing CGI that would still stun
audiences a dozen years after its maiden screening. If only to feel with the characters what it's like to be confronted by the inevitability of your own death, the movie is worth the price of admission. By all means, see it.
