Review of Titanic (1984) by Hank H — 11 Jun 2015

This film is impressive. Despite this, the film does have its flaws. Some of the dialogue is cheesy and the story is cliche with a sappy romance. It isn't the most historically accurate film (I love ocean liners, so I know).

However, flaws aside, there is a gem much more breathtaking than the blue diamond in the movie. This film made the American Film Institute's 10th anniversary 100 greatest films for a reason (I feel 83 is a good place for it).

It is a breathtaking epic. The special effects are what makes the movie memorable. Cliches aside, the story is moving, and you feel for these characters. The ending and the "flying scene" floor me every time.

It is a sweeping spectacle. Even at 194 minutes long, it is over before you know it. Even with historical inaccuracies and fictionalized characters, I feel the sinking scenes are the most accurate of any Titanic film.

We can argue if Titanic deserved 11 academy awards, but it misses the point. This film brought back the epic genre. It was also named the seventh greatest epic by the AFI for good reason. Everything just flows in this movie.

I found myself admiring the camera angles, the cgi, the fact that they built a life-size replica of the Titanic out of steel and cardboard, and that the actors stayed in dirty waters for hours of shooting and took off clothes and posed naked (that is a questionable scene, even if it works well).

This film deserves to be loved, even with its imperfections. The heart of the ocean is this movie, not the diamond.