Review of Titanic (1984) by Steve W — 05 Jun 2014

Yes, the film is melodramatic and the romance is cliched, but the movie is such a huge and epic spectacle that it more than makes up for its flaws! It is on the level of Gone With The Wind with how grand and sweeping it is and like that film, it is timeless.The last hour or so, when the ship is sinking is the most intense, tragic, and gripping piece of cinema I have ever seen! The panic starts slowly and builds to an almost unbearable crescendo of epic tragedy by the. end. I left the theater deeply shaken and moved by the experience. Yes, the lead up does tend to get a little sentimental and sometimes a little silly "I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD" is one of the cheesiest lines ever. However, the payoff is freaking awesome and well worth the price of admission. As Bill Paxton says near the end of the film "all my life I thought of nothing except Titanic,but I never got it, I never let it in!" That sums up my feelings exactly! Leonardo as Jack is the heart and soul of this film. He is charming, charismatic, and utterly irresistible! He lives in the moment and his life is one big adventure. I really enjoyed the dynamic of falling in love with a wealthy yet trapped socialite who has everything, yet is miserable. The distinction between the upper and lower classes is very strong in the film, especially with Billy Zanes character, who's resentment towards the poor borders on psychotic. Visually, this film is breathtaking! Lots of big, grand visuals, beautiful costumes, and luxurious interiors. The ship is a character in itself: A man created world of sheer decadence and beauty. One more thing I will say is that this movie shows the sheer stupidity of human ego and recklessness as the are literally a dozen different ways in which this tragedy could have been lessened and possibly avoided altogether! There is defiantly something to be learned from the.

Experience, and in spite of some block-buster heavy handedness, this is a great movie!