Cinema: Titanic 3D 8/10
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Plot: a fictional love story set on the Titanic.
Titanic’s original theatrical release back in 1997 was expected to be a box office disaster; the budget was the largest a film company had ever seen ($200 million), numerous water sequences had gone wrong and the film continued to waste its money due to many mistakes. The film, labelled one of the “worst filming experiences” by cast and crew, ended up being the highest grossing film of all time – taking almost $2 billion at the box office (it has since exceeded this since its 3D re-release). The film as a whole is a true cinematic experience. The monumental scale of the production still wows 15 years on and has benefited hugely from being remastered to a 4K resolution (the becoming-traditional digital shooting rate).
The film’s stars, DiCaprio and Winslet fit their roles perfectly; Winslet playing Rose Bukater and DiCaprio playing Jack Dawson were and still are iconic roles. The films running time of 194 minutes zooms by and considering I had seen it once already many years ago, it seemed bigger, better and far more emotionally heavy the second time around. The way the film focuses on the love triangle consisting of Jack, Rose, and Rose’s fiancé Caledon Hockley, successfully makes the sinking of the Titanic far more dramatic. The films focus on the love triangle is perhaps why it’s the most famous of all the Titanic adaptations, as others have had too many sub-stories which have significantly reduced the emotional climax. The effects, thankfully, haven’t been touched by James Cameron since its original release (only one scene was altered of the night sky after an astrophysicist disagreed with the positions of the planets). The effects didn’t need to be touched either; otherwise it would’ve made the experience feel like it’d been rehashed, whilst it’s timeless in its own right.
The film’s finale, the final third of the film, is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of sad, happy, funny and brave moments (a particular scene stands out in which Rose stands up to her over bearing mother and spits in her fiancé’s face). The costumes are fabulous as well; the hats, shoes, dresses and suits make the film that little bit more special whilst the sets, specifically the eating hall, has wonderfully large Nordic tables, occupied by rich, bigoted first class members, surrounded by the shiniest cutlery and dinner plates that you later see crashing to the ground as the ship begins to sink. The time spent viewing the beauty of all the main parts of the ship makes the sinking increasingly memorable, as the audience’s favourite sets begin to flood and flatten around them.
The 3D begins well; the first few underwater sequences have benefited hugely from the post-conversion process and reels the audience into the film rather than having things fly in their faces. The first shot of Rose exiting her car with a gigantic hat was the first moment where the 3D was in-your-face, and apart from that, it didn’t do it again, it instead gave the story an additional dimension instead of the film itself. As the film progressed however, it seemed as if the 3D was slowly disappearing, which was crucially needed in particular parts (such as the cascading water down the hallways). It seemed as if Cameron had lost the energy to add 3D towards the end, with some shots consisting of no additional layers at all, (after taking off my glasses, some shots were purely 2D), which made the film change from 3D to 2D between conversations and action sequences, which became slightly tedious towards the end.
In conclusion: Titanic is a must-see on the big screen, it doesn’t matter whether you see it in 2D or 3D, the story has, if anything, become bolder the second time round, and is far more of an experience than just a film. The costumes, sets, action sequences and general drama add up to Titanic being one of the best and biggest blockbusters of all time – you just can’t miss it.
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Plot: a fictional love story set on the Titanic.
Titanic’s original theatrical release back in 1997 was expected to be a box office disaster; the budget was the largest a film company had ever seen ($200 million), numerous water sequences had gone wrong and the film continued to waste its money due to many mistakes. The film, labelled one of the “worst filming experiences” by cast and crew, ended up being the highest grossing film of all time – taking almost $2 billion at the box office (it has since exceeded this since its 3D re-release). The film as a whole is a true cinematic experience. The monumental scale of the production still wows 15 years on and has benefited hugely from being remastered to a 4K resolution (the becoming-traditional digital shooting rate).
The film’s stars, DiCaprio and Winslet fit their roles perfectly; Winslet playing Rose Bukater and DiCaprio playing Jack Dawson were and still are iconic roles. The films running time of 194 minutes zooms by and considering I had seen it once already many years ago, it seemed bigger, better and far more emotionally heavy the second time around. The way the film focuses on the love triangle consisting of Jack, Rose, and Rose’s fiancé Caledon Hockley, successfully makes the sinking of the Titanic far more dramatic. The films focus on the love triangle is perhaps why it’s the most famous of all the Titanic adaptations, as others have had too many sub-stories which have significantly reduced the emotional climax. The effects, thankfully, haven’t been touched by James Cameron since its original release (only one scene was altered of the night sky after an astrophysicist disagreed with the positions of the planets). The effects didn’t need to be touched either; otherwise it would’ve made the experience feel like it’d been rehashed, whilst it’s timeless in its own right.
The film’s finale, the final third of the film, is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of sad, happy, funny and brave moments (a particular scene stands out in which Rose stands up to her over bearing mother and spits in her fiancé’s face). The costumes are fabulous as well; the hats, shoes, dresses and suits make the film that little bit more special whilst the sets, specifically the eating hall, has wonderfully large Nordic tables, occupied by rich, bigoted first class members, surrounded by the shiniest cutlery and dinner plates that you later see crashing to the ground as the ship begins to sink. The time spent viewing the beauty of all the main parts of the ship makes the sinking increasingly memorable, as the audience’s favourite sets begin to flood and flatten around them.
The 3D begins well; the first few underwater sequences have benefited hugely from the post-conversion process and reels the audience into the film rather than having things fly in their faces. The first shot of Rose exiting her car with a gigantic hat was the first moment where the 3D was in-your-face, and apart from that, it didn’t do it again, it instead gave the story an additional dimension instead of the film itself. As the film progressed however, it seemed as if the 3D was slowly disappearing, which was crucially needed in particular parts (such as the cascading water down the hallways). It seemed as if Cameron had lost the energy to add 3D towards the end, with some shots consisting of no additional layers at all, (after taking off my glasses, some shots were purely 2D), which made the film change from 3D to 2D between conversations and action sequences, which became slightly tedious towards the end.
In conclusion: Titanic is a must-see on the big screen, it doesn’t matter whether you see it in 2D or 3D, the story has, if anything, become bolder the second time round, and is far more of an experience than just a film. The costumes, sets, action sequences and general drama add up to Titanic being one of the best and biggest blockbusters of all time – you just can’t miss it.
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