Movie review: Titanic 3D

“Titanic,” one of the highest-grossing films of all time, has been re-released in 3D for the 100-year anniversary of the ship’s sinking. Unfortunately, the 3D effects are ultimately pointless and cheapen the 1997 classic.

A film with so many breathtaking shots should only be enhanced by 3D. However, in many scenes, the difference in the shots with and without the glasses was negligible. Director James Cameron spent 60 weeks and $18 million to get the re-release in shipshape, money that would have been better spent elsewhere.

Many 3D films are big-budget action movies with no real plot or acting, but “Titanic” has a great plot and amazing actors. The reason the effects fall flat is because real 3D films are shot with 3D cameras instead of converted into 3D like this film. Cameron certainly tried his best—one impressive scene is 17-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) contemplating her suicide, dangling above the freezing cold Atlantic waters below. This scene looks eerily real in 3D, so much so that I cringed to think of the handsome and charming Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) ready to jump in after her. Unfortunately, this scene is an exception.

Despite the 3D, “Titanic” is still a truly amazing cinematic feat. As the winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, it marked the emergence of then-21-year-old DiCaprio as the acting juggernaut we know today. The intensity and realism of the action for a movie made in the ’90s is incredible. I’m not afraid to say that the forbidden love story between Jack and Rose is a tearjerker to even the most hardened of men.

This movie was flawless in nearly every way when it was first released, so it’s likely that the remake was meant to introduce the film to a younger generation of moviegoers. Maybe Cameron thought people would only go to the movies to see an expensive 3D film. Whatever the case may be, the remake sullies the masterpiece “Titanic”—for those trying to commemorate the anniversary of the Titanic disaster, watching the film in high-definition will provide the same experience without the gimmicks.

SPOILER ALERT: Rose still does not save Jack’s life in the 3D version.