Forget the Negative Backlash, See It Again and Think For Yourself

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2001)

When Titanic premiered in 1997 I remember my first reaction to it. I was very moved and couldn't remember ever seeing a film on it's scale. After a bit it seemed everyone agreed with me and I watched as it broke box office records and took the Academy Awards by storm. Then something interesting happened. Very quickly it became fashionable to dislike the film. The backlash became very strong. I have talked to people who bragged that they never stooped so low as to actually see Titanic. Were the box office receipts just hype? Did the Academy Awards bow to the pressure of the money the film earned? That seems to the the current opinion. No one wants to admit to ever having liked the film.
Recently I watched Titanic again on DVD. I watched it alone so that no one else's reaction would infringe on me. My final reaction is simple. I loved it. I loved it just as I did the first time I saw it. Everything about the film holds up just as it always did. My final opinion is that people who brag about not liking it are bowing to the pressure of negative backlash. Watch it again, see what you think (not what your friends think), and decide what you think. I think you'll agree with me.