Ready to go Back to Titanic

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2013)

When James Cameron staple, Bill Paxton, uttered the words: "Are you ready to go back to Titanic?" I hadn't actually been sure as of late. For, I've seen it three times in the theatres back in 97/98 and maybe once more on VHS a year or two later. I've had the score and "song" memorized since and, of course, I knew the outcome.
Well, when the movie opened, I felt more than ready. Gone were the thoughts: "Be prepared, this is three plus hours" and I was once again mesmerized from minute one all the way until minute 194. This near-masterpiece made me miss how movies are supposed to made: with heart and talent. And that year, plenty were: some of other best picture nominations, L.A. Confidential, Good Will Hunting, and As Good as it Gets, were also utterly fantastic. Sadly, since 1997, we're lucky to have ONE made with such heart and incredible talent per year.
By now, everyone knows the story and has since copied it multiple times. Let me make this clear: VERY few have made one with such a great script with believable dialogue, excellent actors and above all-else, chemistry. Kate and Leo had it in spades. From the second Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) looked up when new-friend, Tommy (Jason Barry) was talking to him, and saw Rose (Kate Winslet,) I KNEW they captured true love.
Since this movie arrived 15 years ago, I've been a pretty good fan of Kate, but not so much Leo. He suffers from Denzelitis whereas almost every role he performs, he's not trying to act; he's JUST trying to win an Oscar. This annoying habit leads to way too much over-acting and an abundance of screaming. (SEE: practically any Leo or Denzel Washington role since 1997.)
But...Leo pulled it off here. Truly, he showed such a deep affection, love and purity towards his costar that I believed every word, every action and that Rose's heart will go on. He did it so well, with each viewing, I always envisioned her life, the rest of it from the Titanic sinking until her death with him in her heart.
These two, Rose and Jack amongst a few other decent characters, namely the fantastic Kathy Bates as The Unsinkable Molly Brown, were so good and deep that I never mind that it's about an hour and a half or more before the "special effects" kick in. I.E. The ship sinks. (Oops, sorry, spoiler.)
That's the genius of James Cameron. His heart and soul was in this project. He nearly bankrupted the studio and himself and practically gave himself a bad name prior to opening â€“ which was rescheduled more than once. He didn't just make an hour and half retelling of a sinking ship, even though he had the technology. And he didn't just put two romantic leads together; he made sure that the fictional love backdrop was as real as the amazing sinkage.
To give an example of an "epic" retelling following Titanic that did not have the qualities needed to further an "opening buildup" of a romance is Peter Jackson's King Kong. It was flat, boring and unconvincing. He sure had the talent â€“ Kong looked real, but sadly that CGI character held the most depth in the movie.
Beyond the romance â€“ that, yes, made me tear again after all these years/viewings and only because I believed the true love before me, was the ultimate score, one of the best songs, movie hit or not, excellent dialogue spoken â€“ mostly by Leo and Molly Brown, great special effects and breathtaking cinematography. I had to see this on the big screen again, although I would've MOST preferred to have the option of 2-D.
I would love to see a new movie of such deep quality and soul like this spend a deserved 15-weeks at number one at the box office that I would strongly stand behind. Recently, The Hunger Games did a decent four weeks at number one, and the highly inferior to both movies, Avatar, did seven. But both were just simple blockbusters. Not heart-felt movies. Not movies I would rate 5/5 stars â€“ my highest honor of reviews.
Sadly, James Cameron's follow-up, the Space Gully with Wolves film, Avatar, brought down Titanic's mind-blowing record box-office receipts. Oh, how I wished with the 2012 re-release with the "ho-hum" 3-D format would've have reclaimed the top spot. But it isn't to happen. And that's okay. It's still a great movie, still holds up today, still makes me laugh and cry and still makes me feel love all over again for movie making. If you are one of the six people in the world that hasn't seen it, SEE TITANIC.
Side Note: Way back in the day, when internet was really just kick starting and we had things like "I.M.'ing" each other, I was involved in a long-distance relationship and I actually typed out CÃ©line Dion's song, My Heart Will Go On to my partner that thoroughly made him blush.
Side Note II: As stated, I watched this three times in the theatre following its initial release. On the last turn, I was on a first date with a guy â€“ against all warnings from my friends to make Titanic a "first date" movie. Well, it did turn out to be the first and last date. This was his first viewing of Titanic and still, he fell asleep around hour one and awoke right before (spoiler!) Jack dies. I know my date was awoken because his snores stopped and he instantly began weeping. Frustrated, I said in a normal voice, despite being in the theatre, "What do you have to be crying about? You don't even know these characters!" Yep, that was the last I saw of him.