I was thinking about saying something like "I know a lot of you are waiting for my TDKR or Spiderman reviews, but just give me a bit more time" to start this review, but I saw all of Titanic for the first time tonight, I felt like offering my opinion, and I felt like going "Ha," to the one or two people that actually pay attention to my reviews. Now, as I just said, this is the first time I've seen Titanic all the way through, I had only seen half of it before. Now, this is the 2nd highest grossing film of all time, if I'm not mistaken. Does it deserve the money it brought in, or is it as overrated as a lot of people seem to claim it is these days? Well, here's my review.
Keep in mind that this is MY opinion. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
A group of treasure hunters are digging through the Titanic looking for a priceless diamond neckless. This search draws the attention of Rose, a 101 year old woman who was a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, who claims to have been the last person to have ever seen it. She tells her story to the crew, back to when she was young, rich, and played by Kate Winslet, unhappily engaged to rich man Cal Hockley (Billy Zane, or as people here will know him, the original voice of Ansem SoD). On a cruise aboard the legendary Titanic, she meets Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a poor boy who won a ticket for the Titanic in a game of chance, and things begin to happen between the two. However, as we all know, the ship they were on met a very tragic end, and their romance quickly becomes a fight for survival in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
In terms of accurately portraying the events of the times and the Titanic, it appears that James Cameron hit the mark pretty well here. The treatment of citizens, the rules aboard the ship, the rules for evacuation, the seperation of classes, and the fact that damn near none of the life boats went back to save the people in the water, it's all done very well. It's clear that Cameron did his research when making this movie. Things begin to get very brutal and intense towards the end, and some of the imagery it shows is, for lack of a better term, very depressing, which is compounded by the fact that this was a real event. This is just further proof that Cameron knew what he was doing.
At its core though, Titanic IS a love story. The idea of a tragic romance and seperation of classes is nothing new, and the romance, at its core, is nothing new either. In addition, the fact that two people fall in love over a weekend is a BIT much to accept, though I know this happens sometimes. However, this is overshadowed by the fact that Leo and Kate really do have some great on screen chemistry, and their romance is, while maybe somewhat rushed, believable. The movie as a whole takes a while to get going, and for those who aren't into the romance genre, things get intense starting halfway through the movie, so while it's a love story, it's far from unexciting.
Acting
To my knowledge, this was Leonardo DiCaprio's big break into the movie industry, and it really does show. Even though at the time a lot of people thought he was just a young pretty boy, the guy can act, and that's a fact. He does a truly great job in this movie, alongside Kate Winslet, who also does a great job. Some of her dialogue is a little bit forced at times, but for the most part, she brings in a great performance. The entire supporting cast as well does a great job, with no weak links that I can think of at the moment. Of course, Billy Zane has proven that he can play a good villain. Even though his character was somewhat generic, Zane's performance makes him much more entertaining.
Presentation
This movie is a visual marvel, even today. This is mostly done through the use of mostly practical effects, adding to the realism of everything that is happening onboard this ship. When there is CGI, it's blended in very well with the practical effects so that when it's there, you won't notice it. Amazingly, despite coming out in 1997, Titanic is visually more impressive than a lot of movies that come out even today. The movie has a solid soundtrack with a couple memorable pieces. I will go out and say that I'm not a fan of "My Heart Will Go On," but as for the orchestral soundtrack, it's great.
Verdict
In the end, I thought that Titanic was:
Great!!
The acting is strong all around, it hits the right historical and emotional cues, and it's visually stunning. The movie isn't without flaws though, starting pretty slowly, and at it's core, the romance has been done several times before. However, the movie does succeed at taking what is considered a pretty unoriginal plot, and placing it in a setting that brings tons of excitement and drama to the table. Is it one of my favourite movies? As of now, after just seeing it, I don't think so. Is it flawed? Yes. But it's still a great movie, and without a doubt worth checking out when you have the chance.
So, have you seen Titanic? What did you think? Was I too harsh or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
I was thinking about saying something like "I know a lot of you are waiting for my TDKR or Spiderman reviews, but just give me a bit more time" to start this review, but I saw all of Titanic for the first time tonight, I felt like offering my opinion, and I felt like going "Ha," to the one or two people that actually pay attention to my reviews. Now, as I just said, this is the first time I've seen Titanic all the way through, I had only seen half of it before. Now, this is the 2nd highest grossing film of all time, if I'm not mistaken. Does it deserve the money it brought in, or is it as overrated as a lot of people seem to claim it is these days? Well, here's my review.
Keep in mind that this is MY opinion. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
A group of treasure hunters are digging through the Titanic looking for a priceless diamond neckless. This search draws the attention of Rose, a 101 year old woman who was a survivor of the sinking of the Titanic, who claims to have been the last person to have ever seen it. She tells her story to the crew, back to when she was young, rich, and played by Kate Winslet, unhappily engaged to rich man Cal Hockley (Billy Zane, or as people here will know him, the original voice of Ansem SoD). On a cruise aboard the legendary Titanic, she meets Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a poor boy who won a ticket for the Titanic in a game of chance, and things begin to happen between the two. However, as we all know, the ship they were on met a very tragic end, and their romance quickly becomes a fight for survival in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
In terms of accurately portraying the events of the times and the Titanic, it appears that James Cameron hit the mark pretty well here. The treatment of citizens, the rules aboard the ship, the rules for evacuation, the seperation of classes, and the fact that damn near none of the life boats went back to save the people in the water, it's all done very well. It's clear that Cameron did his research when making this movie. Things begin to get very brutal and intense towards the end, and some of the imagery it shows is, for lack of a better term, very depressing, which is compounded by the fact that this was a real event. This is just further proof that Cameron knew what he was doing.
At its core though, Titanic IS a love story. The idea of a tragic romance and seperation of classes is nothing new, and the romance, at its core, is nothing new either. In addition, the fact that two people fall in love over a weekend is a BIT much to accept, though I know this happens sometimes. However, this is overshadowed by the fact that Leo and Kate really do have some great on screen chemistry, and their romance is, while maybe somewhat rushed, believable. The movie as a whole takes a while to get going, and for those who aren't into the romance genre, things get intense starting halfway through the movie, so while it's a love story, it's far from unexciting.
Acting
To my knowledge, this was Leonardo DiCaprio's big break into the movie industry, and it really does show. Even though at the time a lot of people thought he was just a young pretty boy, the guy can act, and that's a fact. He does a truly great job in this movie, alongside Kate Winslet, who also does a great job. Some of her dialogue is a little bit forced at times, but for the most part, she brings in a great performance. The entire supporting cast as well does a great job, with no weak links that I can think of at the moment. Of course, Billy Zane has proven that he can play a good villain. Even though his character was somewhat generic, Zane's performance makes him much more entertaining.
Presentation
This movie is a visual marvel, even today. This is mostly done through the use of mostly practical effects, adding to the realism of everything that is happening onboard this ship. When there is CGI, it's blended in very well with the practical effects so that when it's there, you won't notice it. Amazingly, despite coming out in 1997, Titanic is visually more impressive than a lot of movies that come out even today. The movie has a solid soundtrack with a couple memorable pieces. I will go out and say that I'm not a fan of "My Heart Will Go On," but as for the orchestral soundtrack, it's great.
Verdict
In the end, I thought that Titanic was:
Great!!
The acting is strong all around, it hits the right historical and emotional cues, and it's visually stunning. The movie isn't without flaws though, starting pretty slowly, and at it's core, the romance has been done several times before. However, the movie does succeed at taking what is considered a pretty unoriginal plot, and placing it in a setting that brings tons of excitement and drama to the table. Is it one of my favourite movies? As of now, after just seeing it, I don't think so. Is it flawed? Yes. But it's still a great movie, and without a doubt worth checking out when you have the chance.
So, have you seen Titanic? What did you think? Was I too harsh or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
baylaust out.