Review: ‘Titanic 3D’ – a phoenix that rises to startle, to amaze!

Zeenews Bureau

Once you walk out of the theatre after watching ‘Titanic 3D’, your mind can hardly register the happenings around you. Such is the charm of ‘Titanic’, and such is the work of art that James Cameron has breathed fresh life into. Back in 1997, when the lanky bourgeoisie boy romanced the beautiful aristocratic lady, audible gasps were heard in the circles of the high society. And when the same star-cross’d lovers, whose love blossomed on board the massive liner, suffered separation on the mighty Atlantic, tears were just not enough for the people on the other end of the screen. That ‘Titanic’ as a movie is Cameron’s consummate work, has been proved time and again, beginning with the yet-unparalleled Eleven Oscars that the film was awarded with in 1998. Fifteen years down the line, Cameron’s tribute to the liner that embraced the depths of the Atlantic hundred years back, is nothing short of magnanimous. ‘Titanic’ is an epic, perhaps the only story of disaster which still remains insurmountable as a work of art. And in 3D, ‘Titanic’ comes across as an experience. James Cameron’s use of 3D to recreate the fateful love story is successful in piercing hearts and minds (and bodies, thanks to the 3D!). As far as the story is concerned, nothing really is different. What boggles the mind is the strange juxtaposition of that world of a century back and this. The difference appears all the more now than fifteen years back, thanks to our altered perspectives. The Rose (Kate Winslet), whose relationship with Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) on board the Titanic, appears charmingly incongruous in the world of today. And the rapscallion bohemian Jack’s penniless manifestation looks brilliantly old world. And Billy Zane still strikes hard as Rose’s harsh fiancé. The only difference is that his character is way more fitting today than it was then. Amazing change in just fifteen years! Cut to the sinking of the ship. The Titanic tugged at our heartstrings then, it tears them asunder now. Sorrow and misery overshadows every other feeling when the giant snaps into two, and devastation is writ large on the face of the Atlantic. The ship is a living, breathing creature, a Kraken out of the depths of some hitherto-unknown sea – which rises after fifteen years to strike where it hurts the most – and it’s job done, goes back into the bowels of the sea. James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ hits even harder this time. The horrifying incident of the sea turning into a mass grave comes across as pure tragedy. The death statistics don’t tear us apart – the individual tragedies do. So much so, that when the immovable, lifeless Jack lies there on the plank of wood, and the ship sinks in the background – you’re at a loss of understanding. Whether to imbibe the brilliant technology or to take off your glasses to wipe your tears. For a moment, you let your mind sway in a limbo. For no nuance, no intricacy in the film is worth missing. Even a blink of an eye might result in the ship sinking into the Atlantic. Ratings: Four cheers for this one!