Stunning, albeit overrated

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 1998)

When I first saw this film, I left the theatre with a sense of awe, overwhelming sadness, and a deeper appreciation for the delicate position of human nature. Like many people though, I was too quick to judge the greatness of this movie without weighing it objectively. Titanic is the work of a brilliant, gifted director who belongs in the halls of greatness with those of Welles, Hitchcock, Spielberg, Scorcese, and Coppola. You could feel the sweat and blood that James Cameron devoted to this spectacular picture. If Titanic deserved any Oscars, it was for Best Direction. I think that any award bestowed after that is riding the popularity wave. I think it deserved a nomination for Best Picture, and it probably was the best of those nominated, but the category itself was weak. What happened to Amistad, or Contact? Those movies both impressed more than Titanic. I laughed when Kate Winslet was nominated. For what talent? I'm glad the Academy didn't get too carried away and nominate the entirely overrated Leonardo Dicaprio. Gloria Stuart was a nice surprise, and she lost unfairly to Kim Basinger. But so did everyone else in that category. True, it suffered from bad writing, but there's only so much you can write with the sinking of a ship looming over everyone. Many consider this the best ever -- those who do are either teenage girls and boys (whose appreciation for fine cinema doesn't extend beyond Grease) or past generation hermits who leave the house just for groceries and evening cribbage. Anyone else who does need only sit and think about the "greatness" of Titanic for awhile.. but, still a movie worth treasuring and preserving forever.