Review: 'Titanic 3D'

Film: Titanic 3D

Director: James Cameron
Cast: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates, Billy Zane and others 

 

A hundred years after it sank (April 1912) and 15 years after James Cameron introduced to us the gargantuan wreck that was Titanic, the tragic tale comes in 3D.

 

The question in your mind: Why must you sit through 3 hours and 15 minutes with 3D glasses twitching your nose? The answer is: Titanic was and is still perfectly epic in all senses (add 3D this time).

 

From Rose’s (Kate Winslet) introductory scene, arriving at the dock bathed in royalty, to the ship’s fatal encounter with the villainous iceberg, Cameron has taken minute care to bring as many scenes to life as possible.

 

A person who hasn’t watched or heard of Titanic (ship or movie) is hard to come by. For the few belonging to the group, here’s what happens. Grungy artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) wins a third class ticket in a bet and finds himself on the ship Titanic on its maiden voyage. Here he meets the hoity-toity, upper class Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), while she’s on the verge of taking an extreme step to escape her misery. Free-spirited Rose has been choking under the weight of royalty and a menacing fiancé, Cal (Billy Zane). An uncanny friendship is struck between Jack and Rose, crossing boundaries of class and status.

 

While their boat of love starts sailing, a bigger emergency threatens to destroy the camaraderie. Titanic has a fatal brush with an iceberg, which finally leads to the sinking of the "unsinkable”. What ensues is a tragedy of epic scales.

 

Cameron takes refuge in the now-overused (many times unsuccessfully) 3D technology to bring in crowds to witness the Titanic’s sinking for a second time. The iceberg is all the more intimidating this time, a bigger villain than even Cal Hockley and his cunning designs. While you secretly wish they see the iceberg this time round, you know that’s not going to happen.

 

Cameron’s story encompasses love, family, relationships, phony barriers, failures, rivalry, jealousy and finally freedom, and all these make it enchanting even after 15 years. Celine Dion’s haunting ‘My Heart Will Go On’ is more annoying than ever, but forgivable.

 

The Jack-Rose scene on the prow has seeped unforgettably into public consciousness and popular culture as the ‘Titanic pose.’ It is no doubt corny, so is some of the dialogue between the couple. Superficial characterisation is another problem this reviewer had with the film (obviously, it’s only more evident now than it was as a 9-year-old in 1997). However, Cameron’s vision takes one by surprise — the architecture, costumes, underwater imagery, attention to detail are impeccable.

 

Every time a passenger tumbles off the deck and into the freezing waters of the Atlantic, don’t be surprised if you find your hands reaching out while your face contorts at the helplessness you’re bound with.

 

The 3D works in many scenes, including the final 20 minutes detailing the sinking, Jack’s frozen nose and bodies of passengers painting a grim picture on the ocean landscape. Rest of the film works just fine without 3D. And for those curious, Kate’s not going nude this time too.  You can stop imagining her au naturel in 3D.

 

Cameron creates pure cinematic magic in Titanic 3D. It is perfectly crafted, and commands a visit, 3D or no 3D.