"The ship will sink".

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2011)

Imagine being the Captain of The Titanic and told by it's architect that it will sink with absolute mathematical certainty. Immediate denial sets in but the instincts are too strong. The most incredible machine ever built by human hands will lie on the bottom of the ocean floor in a matter of hours, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. The sheer horror of it reels the imagination.
It took me a long time to get past the hype of the film's original release. Sometimes it's better to let all that hoopla pass and see a picture on it's own merits rather than on the recommendation of anyone and everyone. While watching, I tended to key in on the historical elements of the voyage rather than the love story. Realizing that most films like this rely on a romance to move the picture along, I'm willing enough to go along with it. To go too far in the other direction would move it toward a documentary, and there are enough of those around if that's what you're after.
I was fairly impressed with the technical aspects of the picture regarding the disaster. Following Ismay's (Jonathan Hyde) analysis of how the Titanic would take on water and sink, and actually seeing it play out made for some dramatic special effects. What's almost impossible to comprehend is how the passengers on board ship might have actually reacted on that fateful night. The calamity of it is absolutely mind boggling and difficult to contemplate.
I give director Cameron and the special effects folks all the credit there is for producing an epic disaster film. DiCaprio and Winslet perform capably, though I wasn't necessarily wowed by their portrayals. Even if your only motivation to see the picture is it's inclusion as one of the top grossing pictures of all time, you shouldn't be disappointed.