Movie Review: Titanic

One of the most epic and monumental productions ever attempted, Titanic soared to the top of the box office charts in 1997. Winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, this grandiose film often takes a lot of heat for catering too much to female crowds, a.k.a. the "chick flick". However, the historical tale of the doomed monstrosity of the sea packs quite a bit of action, amazing special effects, an excellent score and lavish designs that can appeal to everyone.

Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his crew of deep-sea treasure hunters investigate the ruins of one of the most famous wreckage sites: the final resting place of the Titanic. When they discover a drawing of a beautiful young woman (Kate Winslet) wearing the "Heart of the Ocean" diamond, the jewel they've been hunting for, they announce it on the news. Rose, now a 101 year old lady comes forward to claim ownership of the drawing. Fascinated by the thought of uncovering the secrets of the diamond and details about the fateful night of the legendary ship, the crew patiently listens as Rose tells them about her adventure and romance with Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) aboard the unsinkable Titanic.

What begins as little more than a treasure hunt quickly turns into a colossal romance on the Atlantic between two unlikely lovers. Their love is consubstantial to many on-screen romances, considering that the boy is poor and the girl is rich. The snobbish mother doesn't want the two to be together, and would rather she marry the wealthy high-class gentlemen Cal Hockley, played by Billy Zane. Zane's character is also quite formulaic, with his constant deplorable acts of pride, hotheadedness and his persistence in underhanded deeds. Kathy Bates plays Molly Brown, the stereotypical kindly older lady who helps Jack fit in so that he can woo Rose. Even Jack and Rose are moderately generic - the naïve young girl who thinks only of ending her life as an escape from her lack of decision-making power, and Jack as the street-smart, carefree, live by the moment scoundrel. The love story is essentially a fairy tale, complete with every character you'd expect to see in such a fantasy.

The acting in the film often falters between impressive and horrid, especially as the screenplay reflects obnoxiously insincere comments and jests. With the irony of mentioning Picasso as a hack, not even being recognized by his first name, or Freud as a passenger on the ship, and several hints as to the absence of light and binoculars with which they might have spotted the iceberg, the dialogue is often unpersuasive. Monotone and lethargic at times, Kate Winslet delivers many of her early lines with such noticeable lackluster amateurishness that it seems ludicrous for her to have been nominated for any awards at all. Leonardo DiCaprio is only slightly more authentic, although in all fairness the dialogue feels so modernized and petty that perhaps the actors didn't have much to work with. The captain (Bernard Hill) and the steerage band convey more convincing emotion with little more than glances and stares.

For all of its glamour and pizzazz, Titanic is just simply too unnecessarily long. With a running time of over three hours, it seems hardly important to include so much about the older Rose as she narrates the story. If the film had covered only the events of the Titanic during its short journey, not only would the pacing have been better, but the story would have been more involving. Each time the camera cuts back to the old Rose it violently yanks the audience out of the moment and away from the characters they actually care about.

What Cameron does still demonstrate admirably is his handling of suspense, and he masterfully shows chaos and panic as the ship begins to sink. Seizure-inducing flashing lights, screaming children and mob mentality violence are all portrayed with great care, and when the Titanic begins to capsize, it is believably unnerving. Great music, seamless special effects and contrasting characters add to the thrills - it's just a shame it takes so long to get to that point.

- Mike Massie (www.MoviePulse.net)