James Cameron, as much as he is a zealot when it perceives to his many “Avatar” sequel plans, is a director that freshened and revolutionized movies forever. He produced some of the boldest, realistic action sequels to date, which are 1986’s “Aliens” and 1991’s action game-changer “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”. They not only incorporate state-of-the-art sequences to capture the graphic tone, but also build serious character structure in every single shot possible. Five years after “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”, Cameron decided after his 1994 box office smash “True Lies” that he was interested of making a movie about a devastating shipwreck. That of course would be probably the very first billion-dollar smash from 1997, “Titanic”.

Titanic illustrates two different perspectives: the fictional romantic story of Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) set in 1912 and the devastated mind of the elderly Rose (the late Gloria Stuart) narrating the tragic story to a treasure hunter named Brock Lovett (the late Bill Paxton) in a submarine. They both collide together in melancholic poetry as it develops into arguably the most striking disaster of all time. If anyone has never experienced this spellbinding spectacle, I will not explain anything further from there.

This film is perfect in many different genres. It is a perfect romance film. It is a perfect epic. It is a perfect drama. It is most importantly a perfect disaster film. James Cameron for sure firmly understands the manic stress people survived on the RMS Titanic in 1912 as well as the tragic aftermath behind it with only 6 out of 1,500 people surviving. The magical ingredients that can make this a true disaster are Russell Carpenter’s fearless  cinematography and Digital Domain’s frightening visual effects of the sinking and the water combustion of the ship. Most of all, both mentioned technical aspects importantly motivate you to feel the horrific incident as if you traveled back in 1912.

The acting in this film is probably one of the greatest motion pictures any director has ever handled. From the livid, temper emotions of the ship crew to the intimidating guests on the actual ship, this symbolizes some of the most daring strengths any great director like him, Scorsese, and Spielberg to offer. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose respectively have emotional romantic chemistry set by the late James Horner’s poignant score of “My Heart Will Go On”, which is beautifully performed by Celine Dion during the end credits. Billy Zane as the evil, cruel, love-struck Cal Hockley needed more consideration for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars because he just sets the unsettling conflict like a brand-new lightning whip from 1912. Not to forget, the modern perspective in 1996 is acted with depression and honesty including an old Rose, one of the six surviving members of the ship, played with severe sorrow by Gloria Stuart and Brock, who is the treasure hunter that finds the sinking Titanic ship itself, played by Bill Paxton.

An interesting fact to support evidence is that many critics 21 years later consider it to be one of the greatest epics ever made (comparing it to “Ben-Hur” and “Lawrence of Arabia”) with its different plot perspectives and especially it’s 3 hour and 14 minute run time. It really for granted does has the true, majestic tone for a classic epic with its many genres the film is rendering it to be, where the genres themselves are appropriately blended together in terms of the titular events occurring.

James Cameron’s epic “Titanic” not only deserves, but earns to be ranked above these classics like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Ben-Hur” as one of the most spellbinding epics ever distributed on film with high-class acting from DiCaprio, Winslet, Zane, and Stuart as well as realistic effects and cinematography (which won both respective Oscars and rightfully deserved). To me personally, this is probably the greatest film that has made over a billion dollars in terms of its high-costed, stunning production values that made it the greatest disaster of all time. Titanic in the next 25 years will forever be a timeless, disaster epic to grieve for.

Grade: 10/10