From the point of view of an audience member and a Titanic fanatic!

Rating: Null/10 (9 February 2011)

Viewing James Cameron's film today (I was six when I first saw this film) I have mixed emotions about it. When you look at it from an entertainment point of view, the film fits the bill perfectly and offers both a substantial love story for the girls, and a great build up of action for the guys that occurs around the last hour or so of the film.
I also give credit where credit is due, I do believe it does have a good "fictional" storyline full of emotion, and Cameron intertwined the factual characters in the story rather nicely. Also the sets are incredible, replicating Titanic almost to a "T". The special effects were also incredibly well done, and at times quite astounding. Cameron also does a fairly good job at recreating the atmosphere of that night, with an excellent score to back it up composed by the very talented James Horner.
From a critical point of view, from someone who is quite obsessed with the subject, the film is a tad unoriginal. Not because I've seen this story done before, but because certain story elements just are. For one, the story itself is a standard Hollywood formula, possibly too Hollywood for my liking. Repeating the tale of star crossed lovers/two people who can never be together because they are from different worlds. Two, because it channels both the 1943 Nazi propaganda film "Titanic", and the 1960 MGM film "The Last Voyage". Maybe it was coincidental, but nevertheless it seems to be a re-imagining.
In the 1943 version Henry must go back down to steerage to find his brother Bobby who was arrested and imprisoned in a cell. As the hallway continues to flood Henry finds an axe to break down the cell door.
In "The Last Voyage" Cliff Henderson and Hank Lawson are in the dining room as she begins to flood with water.
I guess nowadays many film ideas are are recycled, but at the same time some credit should be given to both these films.
On another note entirely, James Horner's score is quite possibly what makes this film so emotional, unfortunately I feel that too much of this film rides on the coat tail of the love story and the music score. What should be the main focus (the story of the actual passengers and crew) is too overshadowed by the love story; you may want to ask yourself "what is really moving me to tears?" Take away the music and much of the emotional impact is gone, as it is with most films. Personally I believe a film should be able to stand on its own by impacting the viewer without the accompaniment of music. Don't get me wrong I love a good score, but the film should not have to rely on it like a crutch, which I feel at times the film does.
The love story takes away also, as it too overshadows the factual passengers and crew. At times you get so caught up in the fictional storyline that you forget about the true story. Again the film should have been able to have stood on its own without the love story, but it acts as a major crutch. I know it was not their intentions to overshadow the true story, but nevertheless it happened unintentionally.
However, there are some very emotional scenes when James Cameron does his tracking shots, as you see all of the passengers running towards the stern, and jumping off the decks of the ship. Cameron does this successfully and makes the viewer put themselves in a position to imagine what it must have been like for all of those people, and what it would have been like to be on that ship yourself during the Titanic's final moments.
Aside from that, I must point out that the last song the band played on the ship is debatable, some claim it was "Nearer my God to Thee", while others claim it was a waltz known for short as "Autumn". No matter what the final song was, the fact that James Cameron played the Bethany version of this hymn, is inaccurate. Cameron possibly used this because of how recognized this version is, but if you are going to tell a true story I believe you should tell it accurately. If anything the Horbury version of this hymn would have been played as depicted in the film "A Night to Remember", as an eye witness vividly remembers this version being played sometime that night. Otherwise it would have been the Propior Deo version of the hymn.
Lastly, the final two things I have to mention. One is the portrayal of First Officer William Murdoch, he did not commit suicide as he was spotted in the water by wireless operator Harold Bride. Two the "Break Up" of the Titanic is a question of debate, as new evidence and theories are arising which would contradict the portrayal of the break- up in the film.
In my final thoughts, it's hard to bring a true story to the big screen without having a fictional story to support it, because let's face it, for some the love story is the only thing that interests them. When in all actuality this story has so much to offer without the use of fiction. Titanic was a ship so technologically advanced for it's time, so big and powerful that man believed that they were victorious, dominant, and on top of the world. However one night changed the fate of the world forever, the tragic true story of the Titanic and its passenger and crew will forever be a story of morals, including the ignorance of man.
James Cameron's film "Titanic" is still a great motion picture aside from it's flaws. It may be overrated but you be the judge.