Could have been better

Rating: 5/10 (12 November 2005)

I think this film is one of those, that you are afraid to criticise because fans will lynch you. On the other hand saying you like it is not the coolest thing to say, especially for a twenty-something male, like myself. So here goes.
The film's strengths are the scale of the film, the romance element and Kate Winslet. The sheer size of this film is breathtaking and the attention to detail, which could have so easily been overlooked, eases the path of the audience into the decadence of the era. Trapped in amongst the whirlwind is the story of two star crossed teenagers (tm) falling in love and one sacrificing himself for the love of his life. Kate Winslet is impressive a feisty, red-haired, buxom, rich girl who is trapped by a domineering boyfriend (Zane) but her leading actor, to me at least, fails to match up.
Leonardo di Caprio is a good actor but looks like a little boy playing with grown ups and does not come across as a leading man, especially for a movie of this size. Billy Zane puts in a decent show as the caddish bad guy but lacks a foil of equal stature. After all Di Caprio is after his girl and to be quite honest it reminded me of the time I had a crush on a friend's older sister.
Another fault in the film came from the dialogue. It's clunky, over the top and made most of the actors look uncomfortable. The "salt of the earth" steerage passengers looked hammed up and during the sinking it all got a bit 'wishy washy' all over.
It does OK for something to watch with your love-interest but all the time you'll be left sitting there waiting for a)the boat to sink b)Di Caprio to die and c)the end credits.