In one sentence: Titanic follows a forbidden love between Jack and Rose, two young passengers from opposite worlds aboard the ill-fated ship.

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With Titanic’s long-standing Oscar nomination record recently surpassed by Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, I felt compelled to revisit James Cameron’s epic, particularly in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Few films feel as synonymous with romance, spectacle and heartbreak as Titanic and revisiting it only confirms why it has endured for nearly three decades.

When Titanic was released in 1997, it was the film everyone was talking about. I was too young to see it in the cinema, but I vividly remember receiving the VHS for Christmas and watching it again and again. It holds a deeply nostalgic place in my heart. As an adult, I tend to revisit it every four or five years and without fail, it still reduces me to floods of tears.

The film centres on Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), a young woman of high society bound to a wealthy but controlling fiancé, Cal (Billy Zane). Travelling aboard the Titanic with her mother, Ruth (Frances Fisher), Rose feels suffocated by the life mapped out for her. In contrast, we meet Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a poor but free-spirited American artist who wins his ticket aboard the ship in a last-minute poker game with his friend Fabrizio (Danny Nucci). Their worlds collide when Jack saves Rose from jumping overboard and what follows is one of cinema’s most iconic love stories. Their chemistry is electric, yet a looming, iceberg-shaped shadow hangs over their romance as the audience knows the ship’s tragic fate.

The narrative is framed through a modern-day storyline involving treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) who is searching the wreckage of the Titanic for the Heart of the Ocean, a legendary blue diamond once owned by Louis XVI. When footage of a life drawing of Rose wearing the necklace is broadcast, it brings the now 100 year old Rose (Gloria Stuart) to the site where she recounts her experience aboard the doomed ship.

Watching Titanic as an adult brings a much deeper appreciation for its craftsmanship. It is a true epic in every sense with its scale, sets, costumes and visual effects still looking astonishing nearly thirty years later. No expense was spared and it is a film that will likely still impress audiences a century from now. Its universal appeal comes from its genre blending of romance, action, drama, moments of comedy and genuine horror, all rooted in a real historical tragedy. While Jack and Rose are fictional, many of the background characters are based on real passengers and the attention to historical detail is remarkable.

Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had already appeared in acclaimed films such as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Sense & Sensibility, but Titanic undeniably launched them into global superstardom. They are perfectly cast and their chemistry is undeniable. It is youthful, intoxicating and emotionally charged. DiCaprio’s charm and boyish good looks make Jack instantly compelling, while Winslet’s Rose is passionate, defiant and deeply affecting. Their relationship captures the thrill and rebellion of young love, especially when set against a rigid social structure that offers Rose no freedom of choice.

James Cameron’s meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout from the ship’s opulence to the depiction of its catastrophic sinking. The decision to frame the story through a modern day expedition enhances its emotional pull, grounding the romance in loss, memory and the passage of time. The film’s exploration of class and wealth is also striking, particularly in the way passengers are separated whether it be by decks, lifeboats and ultimately by survival. Characters like Cal and Ruth embody the cruelty and entitlement of privilege, while the lower-class passengers are repeatedly treated as expendable.

James Horner’s score is one of the most effective film soundtracks ever composed, perfectly combining a maritime sound with romance, urgency and devastation. The iconic themes have become inseparable from the film itself and Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On remains one of the most recognisable movie songs of all time, even if Kate Winslet herself can no longer bear to listen to it.

For me, Titanic is a perfect film. Its emotional power, technical brilliance and universal themes make it endlessly rewatchable. I genuinely cannot imagine anyone getting through it without at least a tear in their eye. While Sinners may have surpassed it statistically, it simply cannot rival the enduring spectacle, emotion and legacy of Titanic.

★★★★★ (5/5)