Good portrayal of a ship, less that admirable plot.

Rating: 5/10 (12 August 2003)

I think that one thing about this film that is easily overlooked is that Cameron brings us a very accurate and realistic portrayal of the ship itself and the disaster that resulted from negligence of the ship's designers and crew. However, it is served up in a story that focuses on useless and unrealistic dialogue, essentially a generic love story that is written to cater to the masses. The film is written such that we see the modern day underwater wreckage at the beginning of the film, as much as we may see on a half hour special on the discovery channel, then transitions to the past to show us the ship in all of its grandeur. The love story leads to a romp of the ship, showing all of the types of passengers, their quarters, and how they lived aboard the ship during the short trip across the Atlantic. Cameron also managed to show us all the major parts of the ship, including the decks, the engine, and the storage areas. To weave all of this into the story is a notable accomplishment in itself. The film falters in its attempt of a realistic portrayal of attitudes and ideas during the time in which it is set. Many ideas and actions that are not true to the time period penetrate the plot, as Cameron attempts to tell a historic story in a fashion that is tailored for audiences nearly a century later. The result is a more of a fantasy meets documentary than a realistic film. People who enjoy the love story tend to proport that this is a good film. Since there is so much focus on the DiCaprio-Winslet superstar combination, however, others will overlook the accurate portrayal and the realistic sets, and claim that the movie is a waste of tape. Although Cameron managed to woo love stricken audiences, he fell short of reality on the plot.