James Cameron must feel quite vindicated by the current success of his $200 million epic, Titanic. Over the past year, the movie was deemed a failure waiting to happen as story after story of the studio’s concern about the movie’s budget leaked out. But, after just over three weeks in release and over $150 million in box-office revenue later, it’s been predicted that Titanic will make at least the $425 million that it needs to become profitable. (And that’s not including the exorbitant sum that NBC just paid to air the film on TV.)
After viewing the film, it’s not hard to see where the $200 million went. It’s all over the screen in set design, special effects, and costumes. Cameron even sent an expedition to the actual wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic to film footage that’s never been seen anywhere else. He clearly wanted Titanic to be an event. He succeeded.
The plot, of course, centers around the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic, the “largest movable man-made object in the world”. Even with all the flash and glitz, the movie would be as doomed to sink as Titanic itself if it didn’t have a good story. Cameron delivers the goods in the form of a love story between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt (Kate Winslet). Although there’s clearly a formula at work (Jack’s poor and happy; Rose is rich and unhappy), the execution itself is brilliant.
The movie is told in flashbacks by a 101-year-old Rose, who has been airlifted back to the sight of Titanic’s wreckage by Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton). He’s looking for a diamond thought to buried there. Rose tells Lovett and his crew her story. It seems that Rose was travelling to America on Titanic with her fiance, Cal (Billy Zane), who was a less-than-perfect choice for a mate. Rose was pressured by her mother and friends to remain with him because of his wealth and ability to provide for her like few men could. Feeling she can’t escape the trappings of a life where success is measured by who you’re married to, Rose attempts to jump off Titanic, but is rescued by Jack, a third-class ticket holder. Clearly, he’s not in her league. Of course, in movie terms, this means they’re meant for each other.
As predictable as the love affair is, it’s handled deftly. Cameron, working from his script, wrings out great performances from both actors. In fact, the sinking of Titanic provides a backdrop to their story rather than overshadowing it — as I think it would have in the hands of a less capable director.
That’s not to say, however, that the eventual sinking of Titanic doesn’t have any power in the film. Quite the contrary. In fact, the 45 minutes or so that the Titanic takes to sink are probably the most intense 45 minutes of film I’ve ever seen. Cameron shows, with unblinking clarity, what it would it would be like to be trapped on Titanic and not have a way off. In what could have been an over-the-top, pure special effects fan’s delight, Cameron keeps it all focused on the humanity involved in the disaster. The effects simply enable the film to show what happened when the sheer stubbornness of mankind collides with the brute force of nature. The results are emotion-wrenching and eye-popping at the same time. Some of the images can only be described as horribly beautiful.
Yes, James Cameron can breathe easier now. Everything — and I mean everything — in this movie clicks: the music, the acting, the effects and, thankfully, the story. Titanic, the ship may have been doomed, but it looks like the movie is going to reach its destination: success. And it deserves to.
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
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