Bad, bad, bad... (did I tell you it's bad?)

Rating: 1/10 (20 January 1999)

Although it is easy to see how this brainless saga could appeal to an equally brainless segment of the public, it is much harder to understand the honors that have been bestowed on this mediocre (albeit expensive) production. The special effects were pretty good, and the details of reconstruction of some of the inanimate objects was remarkable. The problem was in the animate entities.
The main characters are anachronistic: essentially 90's teenagers dressed in funny turn-of-the-century clothes. If you are thrilled by the fact that Rose decided to follow her heart instead of the social conventions of the time, you should consider having your fiancee/wife/daughter run away with a gang member she only met two days ago. It is easy to laugh at the social conventions of 90 years ago. A film aiming at a meaningful social discourse should make us look critically at contemporary mores. It is easy to laugh at the Victorian sexual code. Let us laugh at monogamy if we have the courage!
I expect a historic film to help me understand the age it refers to, and to help me relate it to my age. Placing to MTV teenagers in a 1912 as real as Conan the Barbarian's middle ages doesn't help me do either.
Some of the scenes are artificially emotionally charged (e.g. the two lovers looking from the bow of the ship to the horizon) but one cannot escape the impression that the number, intensity, and sequencing of these scenes come from some "How to make a movie" manual that you can probably buy for $10.95 at the nearest Barnes and Noble. All in all, I would say that the film reveals a decent craftsmanship, but not a single shred of art (a situation not uncommon in Hollywood).
I saw this film in a theatre, and I don't feel any need to see it again at home. I have better things to do with my time. But if all you like in a film is to go see some special effects, and saying "ooooo..." when the ship sink, and "aaaaah...." when the main characters kiss, then this is the film for you.