Paramount re-released Titanic the weekend before Valentine’s Day this year, presumably to coincide with the Oscars, reminding voters that James Cameron is a great director, and persuading them to maybe vote for Avatar: The Way of Water for Best Picture.

Why else would they rerelease the film on its 26th anniversary instead of the 25th-anniversary last year? I don’t think it’s going to work in that way, Avatar it’s much more of a long shot at this year’s Oscars for Best Picture. But, one thing is for sure, audiences do get to enjoy Titanic on the big screen again.

I went to see this before the Super Bowl on Sunday. There was only one showing in IMAX 3D where I am and of course, I had to see it on the biggest screen possible. As cliché as this sounds, it was like seeing it for the first time.

What is it about Titanic that still captures our hearts to this day? Is it the Rome and Juliet, star-crossed lover’s romance? Or, is it just the true story of the unsinkable ship sinking? Maybe it is the white knuckle intensity when the ship begins to sink. It could be, it’s just one of the most technically impressive films ever made.

Honestly? It’s probably all of the above. For some, it may be a couple of those. For others, like myself, it is all of those factors which make it an indelible classic. Seeing it in IMAX only reaffirms why this film is amazing.

I’ve always had a fascination with shipwrecks, and that was born out of seeing this film in a theater as a seven-year-old kid. I had puzzles, books, anything I could get my hands on that was Titanic I’d ask for. It was even the first film score I can remember owning on CD. It’s a film like Jurassic Park, it imprinted on me at a young age and never left.

When I was seven I wasn’t marveling at how the film was made. I was just marveling at how big the Titanic looked. To the point that the shot of the propellers coming out of the water when it is sinking terrified me. One specific Titanic book had that picture as a two-page spread and it scared me to look at it.

Terrifying to seven-year-old Eric.

It was almost like I couldn’t comprehend how large this ship was, but it scared me to think about it crushing me. It was not until later in my life I now realized I was captivated, and maybe trying to figure out how they did that. It all looked so real.

I don’t know what else to say about one of the biggest movies of all time. Not only in size but in profits as well. It will always hold a special place in my heart and seeing it on the big screen reinvigorated that love again.

5/5 Stars…Obviously.