Titanic

This is probably the most obvious film to get a five star rating, but it's not just because it's famous and well known and whatnot, for that's just not how I rate films. I rate films based on many technical aspects, performances, and most important of all, how much they make me feel. There are some very popular films I've seen like *The Wild Robot (2024), which seem to bring everyone to tears but me. However, when rating it, I didn't buckle under the pressure and give it a five star rating; instead, I gave it my honest opinion. Or take a film like A Real Pain (2024), it may be well regarded, but maybe not a five star film, however it unexpected brought me to tears so without hesitation, I gave it a five star rating. So basically what I'm trying to say is that 1997's timeless classic, Titanic*, isn't rated five stars because of how well liked it is by people—it's rated five stars because it has made a special place in my heart for itself. Holy shit... There's about a thousand different things I could say about this film and why I loved it, but unfortunately, there's only so much I can write in a review before my fingers fall off from typing so much. Titanic (1997) has instantly become one of my favorite films of all time and I'm 100% sure, with all of my heart, that no film I ever watch will change that in a million years. The film tackled so many things all at once and yet somehow managed to execute each detail and aspect in an unbelievably masterful way. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel angry and it made me love, and so it's easy to see how this film is one of the few perfect films to ever grace the screens of each person who's seen it. As I mentioned previously, there's too much I loved about Titanic to put into a single review, so instead, I'm going to talk about my favorite parts of this film and leave the rest to speak for itself. Once you see this film, you'll know that my review doesn't even come close to praising all the amazing things about this film. I can't say anything about this film without first addressing the phenomenal and powerful performances given by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. DiCaprio is obviously a very well regarded actor in many ways, but I feel like I truly gained a new type of respect for him in this film. Obviously, I'd seen his amazing performances as Dom Cobb in *Inception (2010) and as Calvin J. Candie in Django: Unchained (2012), but those were in recent years, after he'd been in the industry for over ten years. This, however, was back when he was only 21, and just knowing that he was able to give such a truly authentic performance as Jack Dawson at that age was enough for me to gain a newfound respect for him as an actor. Moreover, it wasn't just DiCaprio's performance that blew me away, but also Kate Winslet's. I'd only ever seen Winslet before in Steve Jobs (2015), one of my favorite biopics out there, and though she'd given a good performance in that film, it wasn't one that was on par to her performance in this film as Rose DeWitt Bukater, or eventually, Rose Dawson. Similarly to DiCaprio, her role in Steve Jobs* was when she'd been in the industry for over a decade, however, in Titanic, she'd only been 22. I personally think her best moment of acting in the film came at the famous scene towards the end when Rose stops singing and tells Jack that the boat has arrived, but Jack, of course, is dead. Her realisation and frantic calling to Jack as she is forced to part with him is the moment that brought me to tears, not just because of the scene overall, but also because of Kate Winslet's beautiful acting in that moment. Furthermore, I really enjoyed watching the two leads together because they had absolutely impeccable chemistry. It always felt so natural and organic throughout, complimented by the beautiful dialogue and scenes, that I didn't for a second doubt that the love between Rose and Jack was true love and nothing less. Another one of the many things I loved about this film was the ingenious use and extraordinary scenes of the Titanic sinking. Just from watching the film, it seems like this must've been one of the most difficult scenes to portray, and yet each moment of the sinking was impeccably executed. Showing each flooded room, the destruction of chandeliers, plates, utensils, tables and all sorts of things, the actual ship sinking, the breaking of ship, and so much more was so numbing to watch, knowing it all actually happened. It truly put everything into perspective, realising that during times like that, nothing but everyone's lives matter. Like that one guy who yells at Jack and Rose that they'll have to pay for the destruction of that one door on the ship seems so stupid and petty in that moment, when it's a matter of life and death. This last sentence or two actually brings me to my last point: the real Titanic. I'm embarrassed to say that prior to watching and then reading up on this film, I didn't know as much about the Titanic as much as I would've liked to. This is why I was as shocked as I was when I watched the film and saw just how evident the gap in wealth and status was on the infamous ship. It was angering to watch the rich, first class people get onto the boats while the poorer, third class people be kept behind bars as the ship was sinking. Knowing that this actually happened 113 years ago makes it even more engaging that even when in dire circumstances like the sinking of the Titanic, we as humans couldn't put our ego's behind us and accept everyone as equals. What's even more saddening is that this behavior wasn't only in 1912, but still exists today. A perfect example of people putting selfishness over the betterment of the entirety of humanity, no matter our race, status, sexuality, gender, or net worth is the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a scary time for humankind all over the world, and yet, there were still people out there not wanting to wear a mask because it was too itchy. It's a sad fact that we see this kind of behavior throughout history, from before 1912, to many years later, but ultimately, it's the truth and something that I reflected upon after a long time because of the masterpiece that is this film. Wow... I've only touched the tip of the iceberg of this film, and yet even from just that, I feel like I've proven exactly why this film is so perfect and why it deserves a spot in my top films of all time. I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go. I promise. James Cameron Ranked 5/5 **2 January 2025 *chymp*