The disaster of the Titanic is a story that both awes and horrifies. In 1912, the so-called “unsinkable ship” hit an iceberg and pulled down 1514 people to their watery graves. This tragic moment provides an interesting backdrop for director James Cameron’s timeless tale of love and rebellion.

Originally released in 1997, the movie “Titanic” was re-released on April 4 in 3D in commemoration of the ship setting sail 100 years ago. The original movie was a huge hit, being the first movie to gross over $1 billion. And there is no reason why it would be any less of a good watch today. Not much can be said about the original version that has not already been said. The only differences from the original were the slightly brighter colors and the 3D effects, which did not add significantly to the film.

Jack Dawson (Leonardo Dicaprio) is a poor artist who manages to scramble onto the Titanic after winning a bet only minutes prior to the ship’s departure. On the ship, he meets a beautiful first class passenger named Rose DeWitt (Kate Winslet), and the two hit it off despite their socioeconomic differences. Through their relationship, Cameron tackles issues such as class struggle, sexism, and the meaning of love, making the “Titanic” into more than just a story of star-crossed lovers.

The film was just as charmingly dramatic as it was 15 years ago. Usually, the 3D effects were used  only to enhance the depth of the objects in the movie.They were especially noticeable during the underwater scenes to show whizzing underwater particles fly by. Other times, pieces of 3D scrap metal were flung from the sinking ship at the audience. But all these effects were extremely underwhelming.

It seemed unnecessary to convert the movie into 3D, since the effects were sparsely used anyway. The minimalistic application of 3D in the movie convinced me that it should have simply been named “Titanic” rather than “Titanic 3D.”

While the 3D effects were extraneous, the re-release of this classic film is worth the effort. The movie is still the famously high quality flick that caught the attention of millions. It is a dramatic roller coaster of a movie, building up to the climactic, tear-jerking ending. that makes its 3 hour and 16 minute run time go by incredibly fast. I would recommend watching simply for the plot, as the 3D effects are so basic that it seems as if they were only used as an excuse to re-release the movie to make more money selling tickets. The plot of “Titanic” is still firmly captivating even without 3D.