The Titanic sank back in 1912, and nearly all of us are familiar with the story of it hitting an iceberg and sinking, even though it was billed as the 'Unsinkable ship'. James Cameron puts a different twist on events in this 1998 release of the film; of course the disaster is very much the same, but director Cameron instead decides to focus on two particular people, and their relationship on the doomed liner. For me this is a much better idea, because it allows the audience to get more involved with the characters, gaining an emotional attachment with them as the film progresses. Cameron's previous films have included Alien and Terminator, so this more romantic type of film was definately something new to him. Production of this film started way back in the early 1990s, and was released later then expected and well over budget, at over £200 million. Even with the late release and lukewarm reviews, Titanic won 11 Oscars including best picture and best special effects.

The film starts in the present day, where a group of explorers are scouring the wreakage of Titanic, looking for the "Heart of the Ocean" gem which is worth millions. Instead they find a drawing of a young woman wearing the gem, who turns out to be Rose, a passenger on the doomed ship. Rose (who is now over 100) is invited onto the crew's ship to tell her story about her time on the Titanic.

Billy Zane's performance as the unstable Cal is also a highlight, particularly when he finds out that his fiance is cheating on him, and his reaction to this news. He really is the villain of the piece, but is necessary to help add pace to proceedings, as Rose and Jack not only have to try and get off the ship but have to contend with Cal chasing after them. I also liked Kathy Bates performance as the 'unsinkable' Molly Brown, who was an actual passenger on the ship. Kathy Bates is normally known for her psychotic roles such as in Stephen King's Misery, but here she gives a very bubbly and humorous performance, if at times rather annoying. In fact the acting from all the cast is of a high quality, in particular Kate Winslet, who was an unknown before this film launched her into superstardom.

As the film ends we are treated to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On", which has been played so many times since the film was released that I've become rather sick of it. However at the time I thought this was a perfect ending to a pretty much perfect film, and fits in with the Irish type music used throughout the film. Another good thing is the way past and present are juxtaposed in such a simple but effective way, helping to put the scale of the drama in context and also allowing extra detail to be put in. The film may be over 3 hours long but it really does fly by, with both the drama of Rose and Jack's relationship and the drama of the film keeping me firmly in my seat.

Titanic is really a great film, with a strong cast and superb direction from James Cameron, who really gets the best out of his cast. Although Kate Winslet gives a fine performance as upper class Rose, I did enjoy Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as down and out Jack who aspires for better things, even if his acting is not as good as Winslet's. I feel that rather then tainting the image of the Titanic with a soppy love story, this film brings the story to life more through good old fashioned romance, and helps to relate the story of the Titanic to a younger audience. This is not just a disaster film where a ship sinks and people die, it's much more than that, with Cameron's direction showcasing this beautifully.