person to visit the deepest part of the ocean, Hollywood icon James Cameron, was released

just in time for Oscar contention in late 1997 - and with a $200 million dollar budget

was the most expensive movie ever made, at the time - and adjusted for inflation, more

than $50-million more than it cost to construct the original ship in 1910. Luckily for all

parties involved, this fictionalized account of the world's most famous shipwreck, the

sinking of the RMS Titanic, went on to gross nearly two billion dollars, making it the

highest-grossing film of all time for twelve years, until Cameron's next picture, Avatar,

surpassed it. Book-ended by present day scenes on board a salvage ship floating over the

North Atlantic resting site of the famed liner, the story of Titanic is told through the aging

eyes of prolific 1930's actress Gloria Stewart, who plays a 101-year-old survivor, eager to

share her memories of the ship's final cruise to the modern-day treasure hunter salvagers,

lead by Bill Paxton. At 87-years-old, Stewart was the oldest person to ever be nominated

for a competitive Oscar, sadly, her Academy Award was one of only three Titanic did not

win that year. The film did grab a record-tying 11 awards, including of course, Best Picture.

Although not intended to be an entirely historically accurate depiction of Titanic's voyage, the

engaging story interweaves delicately, and effectively with true events. At this film's

center is a remarkable love story between Leonardo DiCaprio, a poor artist relegated

to steerage, and Kate Winslet, who plays the young, rich-socialite version of Stewart's

character. Unfortunately, their steamy romance is interrupted when the massive ocean-liner

strikes an ice-berg, and begins to slowly sink into the cold Atlantic ocean - a fate

sternly predicted by ship designer Victor Garber. [CLIP] A disaster picture on the grandest

scale, Cameron incredibly guides the audience through the chaos with carefully executed

shots, coupled with some of the most astonishing visual effects in any film, past or present

- to present us not only with a heart-wrenching and nail-biting final act, but an emotionally

resounding one as well. Anchored by an instrumental version of Celine Dion's beautifully powerful

"My Heart Will Go On", the best-selling single of the entire decade, the love-story here

is one for the ages - the two young actors convey a truly magical romance, that even

a few lines of corny dialogue can't ruin. While our lovable leading duo are incredibly

easy on the eyes, and easy to root for, what elevates this film is the outstanding supporting

cast. There are over 100 speaking roles here, and every character shines in one memorable

scene after the next, from Billy Zane as Winslet's arrogant fianc�, insisting on bribing his

way off of the sinking ship, or Kathy Bates' steadfast common sense as the Unsinkable Molly

Brown, to Jonathan Hyde's brilliant performance as the cowardly White Star Line managing director,

eager to make headlines. Even non-Actor Lewis Abernathy, as Paxton's brash salvage partner

adds welcome comedic relief. It's no secret that a film this popular has it's detractors...

but regardless of the its faults, there's something appealing and entertaining here

for everyone. With the exception of some repetitive "out-run the rising water" sequences, every

single scene of this 194-minute epic is littered with touching, exciting, erotic, and frightening

moments that tug on every single human emotion, all building to an immensely violent, thrilling,

and depressing final act. Having spent more time with Titanic than its doomed passengers

ever did, Cameron's dedication to this movie does not go unnoticed - his trademark strong

female lead charging the way through one of the greatest and most impressive films ever

made. Technically speaking, there are zero-missteps here; from the shot composition, editing,

sound effects to the music and costumes, everything here is filmmaking at its finest. Having been

a Titanic buff since the 3rd grade, I first saw this film over 14 years ago... and watching

it again with a critical perspective made me appreciate the scope and scale that much

more. Re-released last week to commemorate the centenary of the tragedy, the newly applied

post-converted 3D is expertly handled, and remarkably executed -- adding a new layer

of depth and realism to this incredible motion picture. For those who love the film, this

new version is most assuredly worth your time - giving some hope to the previously considered

awful concept of post-converting a movie to three dimensions. As groundbreaking today

as it was 15 years ago, phrases like "I'm the King of the world", and "I'll never let

go" still resonate... having been permanently burned into the public psyche. A monumental

epic that's entertaining and enjoyable in every sense of the word, Titanic is a "Wonderfully

grand achievement. Emotionally exhilarating." Now that I've exhausted every adjective in

my lexicon with the longest review in Movie Night history, let's read some of your reviews

from the YouTube comments.

Here's the Rate-O-Matic to share our scores for "Titanic"... a TEN and a NINE. Unanimously

impressed by this film's action and technical achievements, it was some poor dialogue and

length-issues you didn't care for as much, you thought it was Awesome. Although it's

one of the most impressive movies in existence, Titanic is hardly the best ever made... hell,

it's not even my favorite James Cameron picture -- but it's few flaws are greatly out-shined

by the stunning, and emotional achievements throughout. There's a reason it spent a record

fifteen consecutive weeks at #1, this is an amazing motion picture, no doubt about it.

It's just a shame not everyone is able to objectively appreciate it.