James Cameron‘s best movie isn’t an alien movie or a robot movie, as well all know. Nope – it’s the perfect blend of the best disaster movie with the best romance movie – and the result is 1997’s Titanic. It’s just been added to US Netflix today, and is already in the Top 10 (number 3, in fact) – which just shows its enduring appeal.
Titanic was re-released in theaters for its 25th anniversary in 2022, adding an additional $350 million to its already gargantuan box office haul of $2.25 billion. And you can read our Titanic review from the re-release now. James Cameron movies famously take three of the spots in the top 4 highest-grossing movies of all time.
Titanic is an historical epic that is three hours and 15 minutes long, and is obviously 25 years old. But its popularity hasn’t diminished over the years, with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio still providing the emotional core on which to hang the story of the doomed ocean liner.
James Cameron managed to claw Titanic (the movie) back from the brink of disaster and took it to box office triumph. A disaster is certainly what everyone assumed it was going to be during filming, with reports of the budget spiraling out of control and the water scenes being a nightmare to film. There’s even the now infamous tale of someone (allegedly a disgruntled crew-member) lacing the clam chowder with PCP during filming, leading to hundreds of people going to hospital.
The Titanic has been in the news again recently for an unfortunate reason, but a result of this is that James Cameron has gotten to display his expertise in deep-sea diving and exploration once more. Cameron’s obsessive nature led him to make advances in research, design and technology while preparing to make Titanic, and this continued into the Avatar movies – with him pushing VFX into new territories.
Check out our guide to the best action movies.