As a romance, it is simple, as a disaster movie, it is underwhelming

Rating: 5/10 (18 March 2010)

Let's start with James Cameron. He made the greatest action movie ever made and also one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, The Terminator 2 Judgment Day. The Terminator was excellent too, but 2 surpassed even that. By only these two movies, he has become one of the greatest directors of all time, don't you agree? However, it was really weird that he wanted to make such a movie. Thus, Titanic does not look like a James Cameron movie at all and additionally it is lack of creativity, James Cameron creativity. You know, by considering The Terminator movies, you can see how a creative director James Cameron is. Titanic is an ordinary movie, a simple movie on all counts. Everything is simple that I will mention later. At that time, Leonardo Di Caprio was at the top, the beloved of teenage girls, in fact, young or not, females were admirers of him. I like Di Caprio and he is still liked, may be even more because of the performances he gave in his recent movies, but what I am trying to say is that I try to find out the reasons, why a lot of people love the movie and it broke a record at the box office, became the most watched film of all time? It was owing to Di Caprio? Well, I don't think so, I mean not only owing to him which is sad. Because as said the movie is simple on all counts. As for Kate Winslett, as an actress, she is one of my favorite actresses ever, I just love her, but players cannot save a movie, this is what I believe. The love story is simple. Let me summarize it one more time. A poor boy. A rich girl. And the rich (and black hearted) fiancée of that girl. The family of the girl want their daughter marry him, but she is not sure. Then, the poor boy and the girl meet and fall in love with each other. See? You know, James Cameron is rather an action (and science fiction) director, isn't he? and this is a disaster movie besides romance, isn't it? but this side of the matter, action, excitement are simple either. You expect the same masterful, perfectionist and creative level for Titanic, but it is not. I did not get satisfy on this count, because Cameron does not focus on disaster, he focuses on romance and this is weird. This is a three hours movie, but the disaster side of it is unsatisfying. Therefore, the people who had expected an exciting, suspenseful disaster movie disappoint like me. As for the Oscar issue, yes it broke a record in the Oscar history too, 11 Oscars! To me, there are two wrong decisions in the Oscar history. One is Titanic's 11 Oscar winning, the other is Shakespeare in Love won the best picture Oscar instead of Saving Private Ryan. I should confess that the other was much more painful, because if you ask me, to give the best picture Oscar to Shakespeare in Love while one of the other nominees is Saving Private Ryan is something like to give the best picture Oscar to The Notebook while one of the other nominees is 12 Angry Men. Returning to Titanic, the love story in it is not heavy or dull at all like Shakespeare in Love by the way which is good news and despite I am not female, it was real touching and at the end, my ears filled with tears. However, unfortunately these do not make the movie great. Let's talk about the branches which Titanic won Oscar. By the way, as for entertainment, yes I was entertained, but not very much. The best editing. Well, this is not Memento or Amores Perros, the editing was 'normal' in this one. The best cinematography. If it is one of the bests, then what is Amelie then for example or Across the Universe? The best costume design. What were the costumes, daily life costumes? Yes. Titanic was not a period movie exactly wasn't it? Even if it was, the costumes were ordinary, daily life costumes. The best art direction. Again, Titanic is 'normal' on this count. Amelie, 2001, Batman, these are the examples come to my mind now. If we talk about the themes of the movie, it is seen that they are simple either as everything else. Follow your heart, money does not bring happiness, believe immortal love etc.