Greatest ever? Tell me another one.

Rating: 1/10 (2 August 1999)

This movie might well be the most over-rated film of all time. It had a few good points -- foremost among which was the cinematography -- but these were overshadowed by the shortcomings of the movie and the ludicrous hype that surrounded it. The film is full of stock characters, with the stereotypical and cliched Jack and Rose being the most prominent examples. The entire movie was as predictable as the boat sinking at the end. The dialogue is sub-par, to say the least. The movie drags on and on forever. The scenes in the present, for example, were totally superfluous. I remember watching the boat leave dock and staring at my watch, not believing that I'd only been there for half an hour. And then the movie, like the boat, just kept going. After the ship hits the iceberg, the movie improves -- it doesn't have time to waste, so it can't waste it. Even here, though, there were just a few too many last-minute rescues for my taste. This movie tries to attain the epic quality of "Gone with the Wind," but it simply can't do it. It has very little substance, and lacks the art of that film -- an actual classic. If "Gone with the Wind" is a bit soap-operatic -- a fair criticism, I think -- then sitting through "Titanic" is like sitting through all 20 years of "As the World Turns" in one sitting. It is not an epic, it is simply long -- too long, and pretentious. This is the ultimate Hollywood movie in that it has so little too offer, and yet somehow it cleaned up at the Oscars, wins all kinds of undue praise, and heap money on it until it becomes the highest-grossing movie ever. I hope that, box-office records aside, this movie does not remain famous, or keep this silly reputation of being a classic. It does not have the quality of any of the great films it is often compared to. It is big-budget fluff. One final point: on the voting scale, I gave this movie a "1." And I will be honest: it is not quite that bad. It could be "2" or even "3" material. But the way some people talk about this movie absolutely drives me crazy. It is not a great love story, it simply imitates a lot of other ones. It is a product. It is a huge studio production without very much heart or brains behind it. I find it very sad the way this movie (and its male star, who at this very moment is trying to trademark his name) have been made into such golden calves. "Titanic" exemplifies the era of big-budget fluff that present-day movie-fans have to deal with. Once people stop buying into movies like this, actual quality may return to film. I only hope that that day comes soon.