Bobby Movie Review: "Titanic: A 3-D IMAX Experience"

Titanic: A 3-D IMAX Experience

What is it about?

A rich girl and a poor boy fall in love aboard the most famous doomed ocean liner of all-time.

How are the top performances?

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson

The very definition of a star-making role. On December 18th, 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio was a promising young actor only known for a surprise Oscar nomination as a teenager for What's Eating Gilbert Grape and good performances in little-known films like The Basketball Diaries.

On December 19th, 1997, his life was forever changed, and literally overnight, was the biggest star in the entire world. It isn't for no reason.

Not unlike his character Jack Dawson walking through the grand ballroom as if he was an oil tycoon despite being a 3rd class passenger, DiCaprio confidently sets the screen on fire in what was then the most expensive film of all-time as if he were a long-time veteran anchor of such films like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt.

It's the classic "women love him and men want to be him" role. He somehow is able to simultaneously be the romantic lead, share the heavy-lifting on the dramatic scenes and be an action star. All in the same film. And pulls off all three flawlessly.

I've heard DiCaprio speak about this film and say that while he enjoyed it, he always wishes he took the role of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights instead, so that he didn't get this astronomically famous. The real truth is, he could have starred in a Weekend at Bernie's sequel and wouldn't be able to control becoming the biggest star in Hollywood. He's too talented, too attractive and too versatile. He was the real deal from the day the film opened and continues today.

KATE WINSLET as Rose DeWitt Bukater

If one element helps Titanic more than it probably deserves, it's that they completely nailed it with both lead performances. Looking back in hindsight, they somehow plucked two unknowns who are each today, arguably, the best at their respective jobs. You can really make a case that DiCaprio is the best male dramatic actor we have, and Winslet, at least in my opinion, today is head and shoulders the best dramatic actress we have.

I don't think her performance is quite as good as DiCaprio's, but that isn't to say she isn't outstanding and deserving of the Oscar nomination (though DiCaprio's non-nomination is one of the all-time snubs in Academy history).

Looking back on it today, she clearly isn't as comfortable with the American accent as she is today. Although, once again, like Leo, she was even more unknown at the time of this release in 1997 and still strides across the screen as a seasoned veteran.

Interestingly enough, in hindsight she became widely successful, but in a different way. You have to give Winslet credit, because you have to imagine that when Titanic hit it big, she must have been offered every single shitty romantic comedy script in Hollywood and never did it. She stuck to low-key dramas, and several years later, has multiple nominations and an Oscar victory as well (which Leo doesn't have). Again, well-deserved, because with a screenplay that is not the strongest when it comes to the dialogue, it just wouldn't succeed if they didn't nail not just one, but both lead roles. And they somehow did.

What's any good about it?

Roger Ebert (although a bleeding liberal who annoys the shit out of me whenever he talks about anything but movies) said it best this week:

"James Cameron's film is not perfect. It has some flaws, but I hate the way film critics employ that word "flaw," as if they are jewelers with loupes screwed into their eye sockets, performing a valuation."

This is a film that hipsters detest. Titanic is the ultimate "so cool to hate it" movie. Everyone loves it worldwide, so it must suck.

Unless you're a complete douchebag, you will get emotional during:

Rose jumping back on the ship. I always love the moment before this, when her evil boyfriend Cal tells her that he has an arrangement on the other side of the ship where he and Jack can both get off safely. I love the look DiCaprio briefly gives, where he knows this is a lie and goes along with it anyway. Rose jumping back on the ship and frantically running towards DiCaprio starts the avalanche of emotion that follows.

Jack's speech to Rose while both freezing.



After Jack says a legitimately funny line "Just so you know, when we get back I intend to write a strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all this", you get hit by the sledgehammer "I love you, Jack."

Even though it's obvious through the whole film that both characters have fallen in love, they wisely hold off on saying the words until the very last moments.



"Jack...there's a boat, Jack."

The inevitable death of Jack, followed by Rose strongly blowing the whistle to save herself runs the gamut of emotions as well.

And finally, how about the UBER-BALLS to go 100% with the happy, fairy-tale ending. There's Jack, waiting for her at the clock after all these years.



And how about that musical score? Do you know this is the only movie in history that got a sequel to the fucking SOUNDTRACK? Seriously.

As I alluded to in the Leo section, the movie works in any way you want it to. It's a top-notch romance. It's as suspenseful and exciting as your best action film. And it hits more dramatic home-runs than any movie you are going to find.
Do you have any complaints, you whiny bitch who complains about everything?

I actually do.



About the film itself, the biggest narrative failure is that Rose throws the necklace overboard at the end as an old lady. Yeah, I'm not heartless. I get the symbolism. But there is a fantastic SNL skit from 15 years ago that puts it best.

The people catch old Rose about to throw the diamond overboard, and the granddaughter says "You've had this thing this whole time, and I've been working at Pizza Hut for the past 10 years?!"

To have something that monetarily valuable and not sell it at any point or at the very least, leave it for your family (and your granddaughter taking care of you) is selfish to a sensational degree.

It should have ended with the old lady leaving the necklace in her daughter's hand as she slept and walking away. You do that, and you have a flawless film.

You can nitpick as well at some highly questionable dialogue ("This whole place is flooded, we've got to get out of here!"...no shit), but the performances brush this aside. If it starred Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, perhaps these screenplay troubles would be at the forefront, but we're in the best possible hands with Leo and Kate.

Now then, the legitimate complaints are the "IMAX" and "3-D" presentation.

3-D sucks balls. It just does. It's a gimmick. All it does is dim the screen. And you don't even need the glasses for 3/4 of most films. It's a needless distraction is a film that is fine on its own.

Also, "IMAX" is a sham. The presentation is crystal-clear and the sound is top quality (non 3-D of course), but the only true "IMAX" screen is in NYC and upstate New York. If you go to the Garden State Plaza, for example, it's a smaller screen that doesn't represent the IMAX experience but you pay the same price. Unfortunate black marks like that can detriment even the best of films, like this.

Best Scene




As I mentioned earlier, this is still the best moment to me. DiCaprio showing us he knows Zane is lying, the stare as Rose gets lowered, the flare going off behind DiCaprio, the powerhouse music knocking us off our feet, and Rose's dramatic leap back onto the sinking ship.

Final Thoughts


Sorry hipsters, Titanic is an unquestioned masterpiece. One of my all-time favorite films.

Top to bottom: Directing, acting, writing (we're giving you a pass on that questionable dialogue, James), staging of the action, the dramatic beats and the romance of young love under star-crossed, doomed circumstances.


Titanic is every reason that we ever go to the movies. For that reason, I'm giving it an A, even though the 3-D is annoying and the IMAX is a sham.

Bobby Grade: A




Great Quote


"I saw Titanic. So that old woman, she's just a liar, right?"

"And a bit of a tramp if you ask me."

---George Costanza & Jerry Seinfeld (Jason Alexander & Jerry Seinfeld), Seinfeld