Does not hold up well twelve years later

Rating: 3/10 (5 October 2009)

This is, without question, one of the most overblown movies of the last twenty years. This is a romantic retelling of the infamous sinking and who do we have as stars? Two pretty people (Leo and Kate) who will never be compared to Clark and Vivian but nobody's perfect.
This is a real hit and miss film. The cons are just huge: the framing story is completely unnecessary, the story is so stilted, and the whole set-up prior to the climax is just boring. Not really helping matters is that the love story seems recycled from a Lifetime TV movie.
The pros are minor but save it from complete disaster. The ship sinking climax is very well done and loaded with tension, some of the cast members do very well (a good example being Victor Garber as the kindly Thomas Andrews) but I think special mention should go to David Warner as the cruel valet, Spicer Lovejoy. Warner steals every scene he's in and his death scene at the ship splitting is simply priceless.
Although it doesn't hold up particularly well and is certainly no masterpiece, it's OK overall.