The doomed luxury liner Titanic set sail from Southampton for the first and last time 100 years ago, taking down with it the hopes and dreams of a vast array of some 1,500 people. In honor of the centennial anniversary of the tragedy, a four part miniseries, penned by "Downton Abbey" and "Gosford Park" scribe, was released detailing ongoings in all three class levels of the ship. I hate to admit it but I think James Cameron has a stranglehold on this territory, and too many this miniseries's scenes, though never dull, mirror that overrated 1997 juggernaut. What sets up quite nicely only makes way for a final episode rife with melodramatic cliches. Fellowes does have a good ear for dialogue from this era, and his game cast acts the material out well, with Toby Jones rising to the top in a particularly good turn as a complacent 2nd class attorney. Although the material is familiar, the story remains nonetheless compelling all these years later.
