I have been awaiting April 4, 2012, for the longest time. When I first read online that my favorite movie was going to be re-released in 3-D, I could not contain my excitement. This past week marked the 100th Anniversary of the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic in April 1912, so what better time to bring back the movie that had such tremendous success in the ’90s than now?
In case you’ve been living under a rock for more than a decade, “Titanic” was directed by James Cameron and tells the love story of fictional characters Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) aboard the ill-fated voyage of the RMS Titanic across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Seeing the “Titanic 3D” trailer appear on television only added to my excitement for opening day. I even went so far as to watch the “Titanic 3D” red carpet premiere in London that streamed live online on March 27. Thank goodness that after converting from Greenwich Mean Time to Pacific Standard Time, I was able to watch it before I had to head off to my first class of the day.
Being that I was 5 when “Titanic” originally appeared in theaters, I knew seeing it now was going to be a whole new experience. And, of course, I was swooning at the thought of seeing the young DiCaprio on the big screen again.
I went to see “Titanic 3D” with my friend and co-worker at the Mustang Daily Erica Husting. We walked inside Fremont Theatre, gave the worker our tickets and received our 3-D glasses. Shortly after being instructed to put them on, the large, white letters spelling out “Titanic” appeared on the screen in 3-D over the dark, Atlantic Ocean water. It was then that the three-dimensional voyage set sail.
In the opening scenes of the movie, the crew aboard the Keldysh goes undersea to search for the famous necklace, “The Heart of the Ocean.” Moving through the water and having the particles come towards you in 3-D was remarkable. It was chilling to appear so close to the ship’s remains.
One of my favorite scenes converted into 3-D was when Jack exclaims the famous line, “I’m the king of the world”. The entire movie made me feel like I was a character in the plot and a passenger on the RMS Titanic. From the dancing scene below deck to Rose saying, “I’m flying,” while standing on the edge of the ship with Jack, Cameron’s 3-D creation is exquisite. And I’m not just saying that because it’s my favorite movie. I’ve seen other movies in 3-D and nothing compares to Cameron’s work in the re-release of what I would call one of the most popular movies of our time.
Other than adding the 3-D effect to the film, the only other thing Cameron changed was the alignment of the stars Rose gazes at near the end of the movie. Apparently the stars in the original film weren’t the stars that Rose would have been looking at the night of the sinking. I love that other than those two things, the film remained true to its original release.
Rose and Jack’s love story is beautiful and the movie’s 3-D aspect makes you feel more enveloped in it than ever. From when Rose is looking at Jack’s drawings on the boat deck to when Jack pulls Rose away to talk in the gymnasium, their close-up scenes give you a true sense of their emotion and chemistry on screen.
The 3-D conversion of the ship flooding added a whole new level of poignance. Being so close to the icy waters of the North Atlantic in that scene as well as the coming scenes were intense to say the least.
Rose searching the flooding corridor was another intense scene in which the movie really came to life. In fact, anytime Jack and Rose were almost completely underwater in the corridors seemed so real. It was almost as if I was right there experiencing the traumatic sinking with them every step of the way.
I can’t recall a time that I watched “Titanic” without crying (I’m a girl, it’s allowed). Just listening to certain songs on the various soundtracks gets my eyes watering. Once the ship sinks into the Atlantic Ocean and Rose and Jack are able to find each other after being pushed apart by the frigid ocean water, I prepare myself for what scene I know is just seconds away.
The close-up scene of Jack and Rose holding onto the floating door with ice covering their hair is more heart-wrenching than ever. As they say their goodbyes, tears begin rolling down my face. This scene has always made me cry, but it’s one thing seeing it at home and another in this gripping, life-like experience.
I’ve heard many people say 3-D movies give headaches but after seeing “Titanic 3D,” I’d have to disagree. In “Titanic 3D” it’s as if I’m immersed not only physically, but emotionally in the film. I think a 3-D movie should make you feel like you’re a part of the adventure and not just have you think about the 3-D aspect minute after minute. “Titanic 3D” had a more in-depth and real-life angle to it that wasn’t overpowering. The conversion added intensity, emotion and a “you-are-there” aspect throughout the film that made the story even more compelling. Well done, James Cameron.