Review of Titanic 3D (1997) by Mike

Title: Titanic 3D (1997)

Original UK Release Date: 23^rd January (1998)

Original US Release Date: 19^th December (1997)

UK Rating: 12

US Rating: PG-13

Director: James Cameron

Genre: Historical/Drama/Romance

Plot: During the voyage of the ill fated RMS Titanic, a boy and a girl from different social backgrounds fall in love.

Mike's Review

So in the tradition set by George Lucas, an old film is jazzed up and rereleased. But is it worth it? Does the 3D work? Does the film hold up with the test of time?

Unless you have been living in a cave you will know about the legendary ship RMS Titanic. The “unsinkable” ship that hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and (Spoiler alert) it sinks! Director James Cameron set out to make a film about the ship. It took over 2 years to make and included actual shots of the wreck taken by Cameron himself in a submersible.

The first half of the film focuses upon the lives of Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) from a wealthy background and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) a street wise boy from a poor background. The two meet on the ship and fall in love. Then history takes over and the ship hits an iceberg and over the course of the final half of the film it sinks.

The film itself is a masterpiece. A true timeless classic. The visual aspect of the film is simply stunning. Cameron is a true master film maker. The acting by the whole crew is excellent. The cast is made up of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Gloria Stuart, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill, David Warner & Danny Nucci. But it is the lead roles played by Kate Winslet as the shy and inexperienced Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio as the street smart rogue Jack that are truly magical. Both give outstanding performances that catapulted them into Hollywood royalty. They play off each other well and the chemistry is perfect each giving a stronger performance because of the other.

The film is captivating with the visuals of the sky, sea and the ship truly breathtaking. The film sucks you in and doesn’t let go...ever. Even once the film has ended the images stay with you for a lifetime. The beauty of the sunset on the horizon and the terror of the ship breaking up, the fun and excitement of the festivities onboard and the terror on the faces of the passengers knowing they are going to die. The film is moving and leaves you emotionally drained. At over three hours long the time just flies by.

But what about the 3D conversion? It doesn’t always work for example Clash of the Titans (2010) and other times it’s great as with Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). In this case it is the best conversion out there. It works because it is subtle, but exceptional. While it doesn’t add anything to the story it does add to the big screen experience. The added depth of the visuals really brings the film to life.

Cameron has also made some subtle changes, most importantly with the stars. After a fan pointed out that the stars were wrong for the time he changed them to reflect the true skyline. With the 3D this change really stands out. The film has been sharpened and for some reason it appeared that some of the scenes had been zoomed in at various times. The film is beautiful in every way.

If you have never seen this before you should see it. If you have seen it...see it again! The film is great but you will either love it or hate it, or at least say you hate it to your friends while secretly knowing there were tears in your eyes and the film moved you! I for one love it. I loved it the first time I saw it in 1998 and I love the 3D version 15 years later.

10 out of 10

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Kate Winslet as Rose & Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack

The film won 11 out of 14 Academy Awards

Trailer