Titanic is simply a masterpiece. This movie has it all. A tremendous score, deep emotion emphasized by fantastic performances, and incredibly gripping and high-stakes action. There is really something for everyone here.

Before I continue my praise of the film, I think it has one glaring weakness: the present-day plot. For me, this just did not work all that well. I understand that it was implemented for the main story to have a more emotional impact, but it was not needed. It added almost thirty minutes to the runtime, which could have been used for more character development in the story or to have a more streamlined plot. Not to mention, the acting in this section was lackluster. That might be a hot take, but it was something that I noticed during my watch.

Back to the positives. The score is magnificent here. The minute I finished the film, I had an urge to put on this score to be transported back to the Titanic. That does not happen very often to me.

The performances are great all around. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's chemistry was perfect. They played off each other so well and really sold this emphatic and rapid love the two shared. The movie spends a lot of time building their relationship and the payoff at the end is worth every second. Billy Zane was an over-the-top asshole, and even though it was cheesy at times, it worked for me. The other ancillary cast members did well, including Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher and Bill Paxton.

This film is really two movies put into one and both of them work excellently. The first half is a charming and cute love story that spends a lot of time on character development, laying the background for motivations and personalities. While this half may have been my favorite, it is slightly outdone by the second half, which is a gripping and suspenseful survival action story. This section is brutal, showing large scale panic and hysteria while also having some incredibly horrific deaths. The chaos was infectious and very scary to watch. Both halves create a great sense of emotion in the audience and complement each other very well.

Overall, this movie had twenty-five years of hype and critical acclaim to live up to, and I am happy to say it passed expectations. Since leaving the theater, I cannot stop thinking about it.

Score: 96% |
Verdict: Masterpiece

On a side note: I did see this movie in 3D during the twenty-five-anniversary re-release. While it was great to see it remastered in 4K, I do think the 3D was poor and unneeded. This did not affect my grade however, since it was not originally designed as a 3D experience, and they 3D did not really take away for my enjoyment.