The Titanic has been digitally recreated: as far as technology goes, it looks almost the same as the original

A recent recreation by fans of a scene from James Cameron’s hit film Titanic looks almost, if not as good as the original.

Cameron’s Titanic premiered in theaters in 1997 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The film follows the tragic story of Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) as they fall in love during one of the most famous doomed journeys in history. Titanic was an instant hit and even almost 25 years after its launch, it still exists as a staple of pop culture.

When the Titanic was first launched, it was hailed as a visual marvel for its time (a trend that Cameron will continue with his film Avatar). He starred in the Academy Awards that year, winning a total of eleven awards, including Best Picture, for all time. The film also won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, which is no surprise, given that it was a revelation at the time, from this point of view, and they are still impressive today.

The famous digitally recreated Titanic scene

Today, as a tribute to the original Titanic VFX team, Jealouse Statement, a YouTube channel dedicated strictly to everything related to the original ship, released a video in which one of the film’s most famous frames was digitally recreated.

There are many parodies of the scene in which Jack holds Rose while standing in front of the ship saying, “Fly!” Jealouse Statement impeccably recreated this famous digital scene, albeit without any characters standing on the ship. In the video, viewers can see the Titanic digitally rendered in detail as they sail. The camera moves up and around, from left to right, to focus on where Jack and Rose would normally sit, mimicking exactly the movement shown in the film. See the full video below.

What is most impressive is how similar the two frames really look. It’s interesting when you think that what were revolutionary CGI frames for 1997 are now commonplace, which a YouTuber can recreate with tools, in his own home. While this may be shocking to some, to see how far digital effects have come in such a short time, for many, this means that there has never been a more exciting time to be a budding director.

Cameron is known for revolutionizing film technology every time he sets out to lead a new blockbuster. It certainly makes us wonder what tricks Cameron will have up his sleeve when Avatar 2 is released this year.