Too light and entertaining to be highly rated on IMDb, but still good for those reasons

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2006)

Titanic, when it came out, was a sensation. It still stands as a favourite for many, but is disliked by many for reasons that I can only guess are due to it's simplicity and entertainment value. The acting is all good, the plot is good (though predictable- as Titanic should be), the dialogue is passable and everything else fits into place. What are we left with? Dialogue. There aren't any iconic lines (barring the cheese-filled "I'm the king of the world...") or any lines with exceeding power or wit, as there frequently are in typical classic films. Alas, this movie goes beyond that. The "my heart will go on" melody played throughout the film is touching, to say the least, despite my untoward attitude of the Celine Dion version of the song. The two main characters come together in such a way typical of any romance movie. Jack and Rose etc and etc until they etc and then the ship sinks. Good. James Cameron takes us all along for the journey, though, and shows us light and shade in the process, which most good movies do.
After all, a movie is defined by the sum of it's scenes and I can't think of a scene in this movie that detracts from it. Many add to the experience, some less so than others, but it's sum total rises above numerous other films, nonetheless.
The first time I saw Titanic, I was reluctant, at best: it looked like a soggy chick flick, which I don't appreciate at all. At the video store, I had to get five movies to rent to get the special and I already had four. Standing at the end of the alphabet, I tried to see something that clicked, and considering I'd passed over Titanic many times before when left with the same choice, I might have been inclined to do so again. This time, I had no other choice ready, my dad was calling and so I grabbed it. It was the last of the five movies I watched, but (even though I can't remember any of the others) it was probably the best. I get feelings of movies before I see them- something clicks into place and I either identify with the music or a character I see in the DVD menu or the opening credits- and that happened as soon as I saw the DVD menu (don't ask me- I've got no idea why either). Historic, though modern; brutal, though beautiful; long, though quickly-passing... whatever that menu was, it did it. Thinking back, it may have been a map of the Titanic's course or something along those lines.
Silly? Maybe so, but I was right. 9 out of 10.