Review of the highest-grossing movie of all time

Rating: 10/10 (9 October 2006)

So many things have been said and written about the movie "Titanic". And well before it premiered in theaters around the globe. After all, it's not everyday that the most-expensive movie of all time is released and it was James Cameron's first theatrical release since "True Lies" in 1994, three years before "Titanic".
Since its release in December 1997, "Titanic" still is a talking subject. Not necessarily in family reunions, but in film, it's an unmissable. Not only it was the most expensive movie ever made, it also became the most successful and that title still remains up to that date.
The storyline is very simple and doesn't break any serious ground, but every guy who only has a small knowledge in cinema knows that story by heart and even the main characters' names.
The story begins in present day, where a group of researchers led by Brock Lovett (played by Bill Paxton) explore the Titanic's wreck and discover the portrait of a nude young woman wearing a huge necklace. When she learns of that discovery by the means of her granddaughter's TV, an old woman named Rose reveals to Mr. Lovett that the lady in the portrait is none other than herself.
Old Rose is brought to Lovett's ship and tells the story of what happened in early April 1912. Young Rose (Kate Winslet) is a late teenager from a wealthy family and she is engaged with Cal (Billy Zane), the heir of a big fortune. However, Rose doesn't love neither Cal, nor her very reclusive lifestyle and dreams of freedom.
She's planning to suicide until she meets Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), an American street rat who makes portraits of nude women and sells them for living.
This is the typical premise for a romantic story: the two less-likely people who could get together meet themselves. They are in a two-class difference (Rose 1st and Jack 3rd) and, at first, they don't fit much each other. But the more they pass time together, the more they realize that they're made to be together.
The first problems for that couple is evidently the fish-out-of-water situations. Jack is a poor guy who temporarily finds himself in the high society of the time and Rose, who voluntarily wants to get out of water, spends time with Jack with the other 3rd class passengers whose lifestyle is very different from the 1st class one.
But the biggest problem happens next. Because when you say 'Titanic', the first thing that should go to your mind is 'iceberg'. This is where the special effects wizards enter into action. And it's at that moment that you see why this movie cost more than what a third-world country has for all of its people.
The sinking is the best part of the movie. It's more thrilling, more exciting and more visually-dazzling than the best action blockbusters made by Jerry Bruckheimer or the like. The spectacular views of people falling from the top of the ship, the blowing furniture, the water infiltrations, the frozen bodies floating on the ocean... All of that stuff earns my best regards.
The movie is also an epic because of its representation of the early 20th century society. During all of the movie, there's one thing that's never in doubt: it IS 1912. The high society is well shown by the 1st class cabins, the costumes, the ballroom, the majordomos and the like. That kind of stuff could easily be grabbed by an history teacher to show how life was in 1912.
It's just impossible to hate "Titanic". Simply because there's something for everyone. Those who love romantic stories will definitely fall for the Jack-Rose relationship. This is strongly due to the actors' performances. It is not DiCaprio or Winslet's first acting roles, but that kind of hyper-budgeted movie is what was needed to show their talent to the world. And they don't waste their time. DiCaprio is charming (tell that to young girls) and professional, while Winslet delivers the greatest acting performance of all.
But one actor that is often forgotten is Billy Zane. His interpretation of Cal is very strong and has unfairly been locked in the closet. He's very aggressive, tyrannic and egotistical. That's exactly what's needed for the third side of the love triangle.
Those who prefer spectacle will have to wait until the middle of the movie to see the Titanic's sinking but it's worth waiting. It's time that you don't see passing.
Those who like history will definitely be pleased by the movie's sets. It's like a travel in the past. Cameron used to be a science-fiction specialist but he works astonishingly well in any time period.
Everybody should approach "Titanic" like if they know nothing about it. Because I did and I'm glad I did. I know some people who can't stand such mass publicity made about a guy with an Italian-sounding name and the mass budget allowed for that movie. But if you defer your judgment for a moment, you'll see that "Titanic" is one of the finest movies of the decade and the greatest disaster film of all time. Because there's nothing more stupendous that a catastrophe that really happened.