I thought of this as I am currently watching the ending of The Lion King II Simba's Pride. Now even though it was nowhere near as good as the first one it's still a lot better than a lot of Disney sequels. (Toy Story 4 sticks out in my mind.) I especially love this song. (And this version is the best in my mind.
)
I nominate the 1997 version of Titanic.
Set in 1912, Titanic reimagines the dramatic sinking of the SS Titanic on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New Yok. Superimposed over the sinking is a Romeo and Juliet love story starring Leonardo DiCaprio before he got fat and took acting lessons, and Kate Whatsername.
Apart from the riveting story line (boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy dies) Titanic is known for its not-very-special effects where millions were spent on an oversized bathtub and a scaled down cardboard model of Titanic, In the Grand Ballroom two dimensional, evilly-rich characters waltz under pretentiously ornate, crystal chandeliers. Meanwhile, below decks, poor folk suffer in steerage with one bathroom, no toilet paper, and flat lighting.
Poor-but-honest Leo and (potentially) evilly rich Katie eventually meet near a funnel and the rest is inevitable. Following a tumble in the back seat of a Packard, L&K spend a torrid five minutes standing at the pointy end of the ship, arms outstretched, while Celine Dion wails interminably in the background.
Finally, they hit an iceberg and sink. While the evilly-rich folk get their watery comuppance the poor- but- honest below- deckers almost, almost escape. The band plays on and the captain goes down with the ship, while the Titanic’s moving deckchairs furnish a new and useful idiom.
And so, to the finale. Leo and Kate neck deep in freezing water. Enter, stage right, a floaty door with room for one…
Now, I’ll be honest. After 3 and half hours of this bilge I was fervently wishing for a decent, mass shark attack. But, not to be – Katie got the door and Leo slipped silently under the waves.
Titanic went on to win numerous Academy Awards including
Wettest Movie of the Year. To put these wins in focus; this was a time when Charlton Heston won
the Academy Award for Overacting for his role in Ben Hur followed by an Oscar for
Best Hairdo, as Moses in the Ten Commandments.
So… my nomination for the most
over….
Ooops… sorry… you said
underrated.
OB
