quite possibly the most overrated movie of the 90s, maybe even all time

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2003)

A lot of people seem to think that "Titanic" is an overrated movie because of Leonardo DiCaprio and the whole LeoMania deal. Well, it's not. DiCaprio's performance in the movie is very good. In fact, I seem to remember thinking he was robbed of an Oscar nom. DiCaprio is a good actor. If you don't believe me, then watch "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?," "Celebrity," and to a lesser extent, "The Man in the Iron Mask."

Moving on.
The reason this film is so overrated is the screenplay. The screenplay is God-awful. If you recall, the screenplay didn't even get an Oscar nom. This is probably the only movie ever to win Best Picture to hold that distinction, and will probably remain that way. There are a ton of lines that are stupid, dumb, inaccurate for the time, and just plain worthless. The screenplay also helps create a bunch of clichéd characters. Cameron might be able to direct great spectacle, but his writing skills are lacking. Kinda like George Lucas, only Lucas can't direct too well anymore either.
The supporting performances are also wildly uneven. Both leads are good, by the way. As for the supporters, Kathy Bates, Victor Garber, Jonathyn Hyde, and Gloria Stuart all do well. But the much larger roles of Billy Zane and Frances Fisher are horrible. It doesn't help that their characters are clichéd to the max, but sometimes good performances can make characters seem less clichéd. These two fail miserably here. Usually they're good in their roles. But here it's just bad. Especially Billy Zane. If he wants to promote his filmography, he should really mention "The Phantom" before this one.
The movie is great spectacle, however. The scenes of the ship sinking are amazing. This is probably the most accurate depiction of the disaster that will ever be seen. After all, "A Night To Remember" didn't show the ship splitting in two, which we know now happened. So the movie is handled incredibly well in this respect. You do feel like you're on the ship itself. The sets are exquisite. Beautiful to say the least. You do get an idea for how majestic the ship was.
Another problem I have with the movie is the very overrated Celine Dion song and James Horner's score. If you this is the only work of Horner's that you've ever heard, then you're missing a lot. "Glory" and "Apollo 13" are far better scores than the repetitive themes of this movie.
Overall, "Titanic" is a solid movie. Not great, but not horrible. It's a 7/10. It did not deserve to win Best Picture. That honor should have gone to "L.A. Confidential."