With the 3D re-release of James Cameron’s blockbuster disaster love story looming on the horizon and the 100th Anniversary of the famed ship’s sinking I’ve seen a few Titanic related products either resurfacing or, like ABC’s mini-series, being created to capitalize on the mass interest that is sure to ensue when the time comes. I’m a little torn having reviewed History Channel’s fantastic Titanic: The Complete Story and now having seen ABC’s offering. Not only did I feel like, in contrast with the documentary, I wasn’t getting the definitive story, I just didn’t enjoy the pace of the four part mini-series. So what did I like and what didn’t I like about ABC’s Titanic?

The first thing that came to mind when I watched the Titanic mini-series was Christopher Nolan’s Memento. The core of the show takes place on the night the ship sinks and we get to see the same sequence of events over the course of the series happening over and over, only from different characters points of view. With each retelling we get a bit of back story on main characters, follow the everyday lives of some of the maids and butlers, as well as some of the ships live on workers. Despite the amount of back story I got from the different characters I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was simply watching the last episode that aired. It is a bit grating but you are rewarded in some instances where you find out something important about one character that might shine a light on another.

Unfortunately screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Downtown Abbey) uses this opportunity to further explore his Downtown Abbey roots by making this series more about class differences then about the actual people and the sinking of the Titanic. Every now and then I’d see some familiar flash of recognition in contrast with the large amount of fact from the History documentary. Unfortunately telling what these instances are would be nothing less then spoilers, but the big picture stuff seemed to be quite lacking. All I really got from the series was a dose of very shallow one dimensional characters all around that weren’t fleshed out enough in their stories. It’s because of this that I ended up hating about 99% of all the characters and couldn’t muster up enough interest to care weather they lived or they died. In short, the series was simply a huge mess that felt rushed, nonsensical, and very lacking.

The one thing that I did enjoy about the series were the set designs. If you go to ABC’s Titanic page you can see all the special behind the scenes features that show the sets being built. The show really does carry that air that transports you to another time and place. If only that place were more interesting, its characters more depth worthy, and the story of the Titanic a bit less rushed. For those who simply like the drama of disaster shows or the intrigue of a love story, you might enjoy this. As always, final judgment is yours. Enjoy.