James Cameron's Titanic is an overlong, overly treacly epic romantic disaster flick, but it's hard to argue with Cameron's absolutely impeccable craft, especially when the Titanic breaks in half, causing many to plunge to their deaths while Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) prepare themselves for an icy dip. It's a difficult moment to remove from its historic or cinematic context, but let's break it down to its core components: we have a giant cruise liner, a marvel of (at the time) modern engineering, facing off against the overwhelming forces of nature, and unsurprisingly, it's nature that comes out on top. It's not so much a cautionary tale as a tragic reminder that no matter how brilliant humanity can be, we are almost always subject to the Earthly forces around us, and we should absolutely respect them. In our increasingly technological world, it's an important lesson to remember. Sure, we all love that clip of the guy falling from the top and smashing his head on the way down, but the sheer scale and chaos depicted here takes on an entirely more important meaning than that.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
