Is 'Titanic' Actually a Timeless Love Story?

Following Titanic's return to theaters for its 25th anniversary, and to the tune of an extra $22.3 million, the discussion floodgates (ahem) once again opened regarding the disaster-romance's merits. Writer-director James Cameron put the door debate to bed with science, sure, but is Titanic even good? (Yes, it is.) Seriously, though, isn't it overrated? (Nope, but it's fine if your mileage varies.) Dissecting a pop culture giant this gargantuan isn't just nerd heaven for movie fans — Titanic calls for retrospective interrogation. Cameron's undertaking genuinely changed the future of American filmmaking, and sitting pretty as the fourth highest-grossing film of all time is nothing to sneeze about. Whether Titanic's melodrama works for individual viewers largely comes down to Cameron's decision to center the tragedy of the real vessel around a fictitious, three-hour love story. So, with a romance at the film's ocean-deep heart, let us ask: is Titanic's love story actually worth the $200 million Cameron poured into his project?