Succeeds as Eye Candy but not much else

Rating: 4/10 (8 November 2003)

My Rating:* out of ****.
Titanic is such a sensational looking film that it could be called the most expensive piece of eye candy. Like all films by James Cameron, Titanic is visually stunning from the sets to the special effects. Yet while Cameron's films are great to look at they usually have more going for them than this one. Titanic was unworthy of many of its oscars and is one of the most overrated films of all time.
The first problem with this film is its script. James Cameron is not a professional at writing love stories and this clearly illustrates that point. The dialogue is corny and stupid. It makes me wonder why he didnt have Aliens invade Titanic. Yes the idea sounds horrible but I will take "Get Away From Her You Bitch" over "Your gonna live on and your gonna have lots of babies" I mean how corny and dumb is that.
Strong Acting is a requirement for a film to succeed over a flat scrip. However, this is where Titanic fails again. I had no clue what Dicaprio was trying to do with this character. I am glad Spielberg taught him how to act in Catch Me If You Can. Kate Winslett is also horrible but her character is treated badly by the script. However, Billy Zane is actually quite good. Kathy Bates also holds her own, though her screentime is limited. Gloria Stewart is horribly irritating as the older Kate Winslett character.
James Cameron is a filmmaker who has great skills. Yet those skills are not on display here. His direction comes across as inept and uninspired. His skills here are better than his skills as a screenwriter for the film but thats not saying much.
Like I said, Titanic succeeds as eye candy but not much else. The Sets are glorious looking. The cinematography is beautiful. The Costumes are breathtaking to behold. The Sound is top notch. The Visual Effects rank as some of the most impressive to come out of the 90s. Titanic is nice looking in pretty much everyway. If only everything else came into play Titanic would have been a good film. The visuals of the film were something not wasted in the making of this film.
Titanic suffers from two other flaws: Unconvincing Chemistry and an OVERLONG running time. The chemistry between Leo and Kate was hailed as some of the best of the 90's but I found it flatter than a pancake. Titanic is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy tooo long. It has a very uninteresting and sluggish two hours. The only excitement I got was seeing Kate Winslett's boobs, which are more impressive than the film. During its final hour, the pace does pick up. The Sinking is a glorious sight yet Leo and Kate's characters are still there. The last shot of the film is stupid, that has deleted scene written all over it.
James Cameron has a solid resume of films. He created Terminator I and II, Aliens, and True Lies. All these films showed the work of a skilled director, even though The Terminator gets the lowest rating it was a good film and showed a director with skill. Titanic shows a cocky asshole who should give his oscar to Curtis Hanson(director of the superior LA Confidential). This is easily the worst I have seen from Cameron.