Masterpiece Theater Meets The Poseidon Adventure

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2004)

I finally saw Titanic when it was on network television last week. I had been avoiding it because I didn't think I would like it. I hadn't liked any of James Cameron's other films and I didn't think I would be able to make it through the entire 3 hours. The first half was like a Merchant-Ivory production and it was much better than I expected. The second half was basically a remake of the Poseidon Adventure and it was pretty much what I expected.
My favorite part of the film did not involve any of the lead characters. It was when the boat was about to sink and the string quartet had finished their last piece of music. They said their goodbyes and started walking away, then the violinist started playing solo. The other members came back and joined him. This part of the film showed that the musicians knew they had nowhere else to go because they were going to die. While most of the other passengers were panicking, the musicians chose to die doing what they loved most.
That one touching scene made the movie worthwhile for me. While I don't consider it a great film and it is way too long, it is much better than I ever thought James Cameron was capable of. 7/10