It has been over 15 years since I first saw "Titanic" in theaters.  While age and cynicism don't have me as enthralled about the movie as I was back then (I was 21 when it came out), I still find it to be a very entertaining saga of the infamous 'night to remember'.  There are obvious flaws in this rendition of the epic sinking.  One is the focus on the young couple of Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio, in a role that swore me off his acting until "Catch Me if You Can") and Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet).  For the younger audience, the tale of young, forbidden love is enormously appealing, even it's a particularly underwhelming love story.  It distracts from the many other captivating stories that could have been told (and were told in an earlier Titanic film, based on the Walter Lord compilation "A Night To Remember").

  However, great plot and character development have never been director James Cameron's strong suit.  Where Cameron excels is in pure filmmaking that is able to create immersive transcendent environments and worlds ("Aliens"?  "Avatar"? anyone?).  The effects he developed in recreating an incredibly authentic 'unsinkable' ship make the audience feel the terror and drama as the Titanic's final moments waste away.  I still enjoy embracing this experience many years later.

  The characters are largely hit and miss.  Aside from the youthful appeal of Jack and Rose, they are largely uninteresting couple; and, for all the talent DiCaprio displayed before and after "Titanic", his acting is pretty hard to stomach here.  Winslet does a much better job in a largely thankless role.  Billy Zane chews the scenery as Rose's controlling fianc&eacute; Cal, and Danny Nucci is one of the worst, most stereotypical caricatures ever as Jack's friend, Fabrizio.
  There are also major misfires with historical figures, such as the inaccurate and slanderous portrayal of First Officer Murdoch and omitting the heroics of Second Officer Lightoller.  Cameron did manage get it right with the nobility of the ship's band continuing to play while Titanic foundered, and illustrating White Star Line executive J. Bruce Ismay's cowardice in escaping while so many others died.

  While it may seem like I am eviscerating "Titanic", that is far from the case.  I'm only highlighting some of the shortcomings in a film that still remains a very compelling piece of entertainment all these years later.
It has been over 15 years since I first saw "Titanic" in theaters. While age and cynicism don't have me as enthralled about the movie as I was back then (I was 21 when it came out), I still find it to be a very entertaining saga of the infamous 'night to remember'. There are obvious flaws in this rendition of the epic sinking. One is the focus on the young couple of Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio, in a role that swore me off his acting until "Catch Me if You Can") and Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet). For the younger audience, the tale of young, forbidden love is enormously appealing, even it's a particularly underwhelming love story. It distracts from the many other captivating stories that could have been told (and were told in an earlier Titanic film, based on the Walter Lord compilation "A Night To Remember"). However, great plot and character development have never been director James Cameron's strong suit. Where Cameron excels is in pure filmmaking that is able to create immersive transcendent environments and worlds ("Aliens"? "Avatar"? anyone? ). The effects he developed in recreating an incredibly authentic 'unsinkable' ship make the audience feel the terror and drama as the Titanic's final moments waste away. I still enjoy embracing this experience many years later. The characters are largely hit and miss. Aside from the youthful appeal of Jack and Rose, they are largely uninteresting couple; and, for all the talent DiCaprio displayed before and after "Titanic", his acting is pretty hard to stomach here. Winslet does a much better job in a largely thankless role. Billy Zane chews the scenery as Rose's controlling fianc&eacute; Cal, and Danny Nucci is one of the worst, most stereotypical caricatures ever as Jack's friend, Fabrizio. There are also major misfires with historical figures, such as the inaccurate and slanderous portrayal of First Officer Murdoch and omitting the heroics of Second Officer Lightoller. Cameron did manage get it right with the nobility of the ship's band continuing to play while Titanic foundered, and illustrating White Star Line executive J. Bruce Ismay's cowardice in escaping while so many others died. While it may seem like I am eviscerating "Titanic", that is far from the case. I'm only highlighting some of the shortcomings in a film that still remains a very compelling piece of entertainment all these years later.