When director James Cameron sets out to make a movie, he doesn’t fool around. Titanic was a huge gamble for 20th Century Fox, which footed the lion’s share of the production bill (Paramount came on board later with a smaller investment, to help offset the cost, in exchange for domestic distribution rights). After a grueling production schedule, which required building not only a slightly-less-than-full-scale replica of the ship itself, but an entire studio in Baja Mexico to shoot it in, Titanic become the most expensive movie ever made (estimates place the final price tag at well over $200 million). But the risk paid off in a big way, as the most expensive movie ever, became the highest grossing film of all time (making slightly less than $2 billion worldwide), and went on to win the 1997 Best Picture Academy Award.

The story is simple - Romeo and Juliet get shipwrecked. The script is uneven - slow romance for the first half, non-stop action for the second - and it’s always hopelessly melodramatic. The characters are rather two dimensional, and the acting is only fair (although good performances are turned in by Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, and Gloria Stuart - we won’t talk about Leo, who was... well, Leo).

Still, there’s no denying that Titanic works on many levels. That gimmick where you see the computer simulation of the ship sinking early in the film, to prepare you for actually experiencing the sinking later? Brilliant. This film manages to grab on to your senses (and the heart-strings of about 80% of the female population of the Earth, it seems), and shake you silly for some three hours.

Like much of director Cameron’s previous work, Titanic is a sensory tour-de-force, unlike anything that had come before. The special effects alone were ground-breaking, not to mention the sheer audacity and scale of the production. Under Cameron’s guiding hand (and sometimes fist), the great lost luxury liner literally came back to life in such magnificent detail, that you just couldn’t help but be impressed. I tend to be more inclined toward the technical aspects of a movie, so in my review you will find a few lines dedicated to this part.

The movie visual effects are just life-like effects, the intricate attention that Cameron gives to each and every effect is evident in practically every scene. Production design is first-rate. You are in the ship! Photography by Russell Carpenter (he came at the last moment, originally Caleb Deschanel (The Patriot) was desginated, he did shoot the scenes of the Russian ship) is magnificient, the soft and warm lighting in the first half and the bluish look (a trademark of Cameron’s movies) in the second half look very nice. The sound design of this movie is absolutely outstanding. There’s great dynamic range to the mix, creating a full, wide soundfield. Trust me - you will hear every creak and groan of the ship’s hull as it goes down, and every popping rivet. The bass is appropriately thunderous, yet the dialogue remains clear, and James Horner’s haunting score comes through beautifully throughout. This is just a great audio experience.

Titanic’’ is a monumental film and director James Cameron once again proves how well he can direct audience expectations into certain directions, and how skillful he is at creating interesting stories full of rich emotions and drama.

Embark on this ship!

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Somewhat revealed
Best to watch with:	Family
Movie Genre:	No Comment
Best part in the movie:	No Comment