Quite simply: Awesome

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2003)

As the movie prepared to open to audiences, I only had one objective. I wanted to see how James Cameron recreated the disastrous sinking like never before. There had been Titanic movies before, which were very good, but this was the first time technology would make the sinking look real and as accurate as possible. Cameron had tons of research and actual scientific knowledge available to him to tell the story and how it happened. We know now, for example, that the Titanic broke in two---a fact that was not yet known in the 1950s when two Titanic movies were released. My feeling on Cameron's movie was: I just want to see how he recreated the disaster.

What I found was a pleasant surprise. More than a special effects success, I was drawn in by the fictitious story of Jack and Rose. Iconoclast viewers brushed off the romantic story like a flake on a blue suit, but it struck me differently. I thought about the totality of the 1500 lives that Jack and Rose represented. I thought about how many couples that really loved each other, like Jack and Rose did, that perished in freezing waters. I thought about the terror that must have possessed so many as they waited to die in the freezing darkness.
The movie was powerfully realized. And although there were no Oliviers or Brandos in the cast, the acting was realistic and solid enough to invoke empathy for all of the characters. It may not be the "guy" thing to say, but I have to admit to choking a bit when Titanic angled, ready to sink to its destiny, and watching the hundreds of passengers desperately cling to their last moments as best as possible. Never have I seen a movie create despair so tangibly.
I've always been a Titanic buff. I don't know why, but I know that, for me, Titanic's story always held a certain mystique and sense of awe . And this was years and years before Cameron's movie hit the big time. For me, the movie remains a moving, triumphant experience. I can't help but feel Cameron captured my perception of the Titanic mystique and put it on film for all to see. Let the magic sweep you away to a time and ship long gone...