James Cameron's soppy, overrated epic Titanic is due to be, purely for the sake of revenue, re-released in 3D here, in Victoria, as of tomorrow. The film sucked upon its release in 1997, continues to
suck now and, without doubt, will suck in a 3D format. In short: this is a scam of, pardon the pun, epic proportions.
Observation of the relationship between Jack and Rose does not require 3D glasses. The film's melodramatic form and content is intense enough; magnifying it furthermore will only make the mind ache and the eyes strain. I understand that the film forms part of the disaster genre and, in scenes, might be complimented by the engulfing experience of viewing it in 3D. This, however, is not the reason for its re-release. Some might argue that the re-release commemorates the
film's 15th year in existence and 100 years since the Titanic crashed. This notion, however, only comforts the minds of optimists, not realists. Without sounding too blunt, this is another cash-in exercise.
Cameron's film has already grossed over $1bn worldwide; the film will continue to make its money. There will be those that argue that the film's gross revenue is symptomatic of the film's 'heart-wrenching' narrative. For those that adhere to that notion, I pity you. Cameron's
brilliant 1991 sci-fi/thriller/action sequel Terminator 2:
Judgment Day is heart-wrenching; John Connor needs a father and the T-800, despite his mechanical make-up, fills the boy's paternal void. Aliens, much like T2, is another Cameron film that deserves a re-release far more than Titanic. It's a scintillating, terrifying follow-up to Alien, Ridley Scott's
strong, but relatively slow-paced 1979 original.
In short, a schlocky melodrama like Titanic in 3D will only entertain those that are easily entertained. Sure, we get it: the steamy, window-gripping Jack-Rose encounter bursts with romance and passion. Yeah, so does Before Sunrise, so does Annie Hall and so does Last Tango in Paris, but I cannot recall any of these features being given the sort of air time that Cameron's soppy flick has been given.
By Chris Traficante