Titanic - Blood & Steel

Opulent miniseries that chronicles the years leading up to and during which the Titanic was constructed in Belfast. As with something this complex some of the stories are more compelling than others as are some of the performances. Kevin Zegers holds the screen well in the lead, his startlingly blue eyes pulling you in. His storyline and several others intertwine and lead to interesting bits of history as well as storytelling. Neve Campbell's reporter storyline however feels superfluous. The best performance comes unsurprisingly from Derek Jacobi as Lord Pirrie. Effiiciently directed this moves along well with very few slow patches. Overall a good, if long, view with some soapy complications thrown in for good measure, but keep in mind this focuses on the building of the ship, not the ill-fated voyage itself.

It's an OK miniseries. I like the parts of the titanic being built, because well that's the whole reason I'm watching the show. Unfortunately there wasn't as much parts like that as there were of the main character in love or trying to find his daughter. Epic fail if you ask me, people are watching this to see the Titanic, not learn about this guys life. I want to see the Titanic, show me the Titanic ! That should of been the main focus.

As much as I am fascinated by the ship and the tragedy that sunk her, then this 2012 series was a very lukewarm experience. Why? Well, first of all it was 12 hours long! And secondly, but most importantly, the ship itself was a mere backdrop around which all other stories were told. And that was a major disappointment.

"Titanic: Blood and Steel" tells the backstory of Titanic, of how it was built and trying to tie in stories of the working man, the shipyard board-members, the executives of the White Star Line, and so forth. Individually there were some good enough stories, but all thrown together in a 12 hours long series, no, it just became too much.

The ship itself wasn't the heart and core of the series. It was, at best, a mere backdrop to which director Ciaran Donnelly tried to connect all other stories around. But it just didn't work out all that great. I was sorely disappointed, because I had such high hopes and expectations.

It should be said that the series was quite well-cast and that the cast really performed quite well with their given roles and characters. And there is a good early 1900's atmosphere to the series.

But all in all, a mediocre result that lacked the grand ship itself and a far too long playtime.

"Titanic: Blood & Steel" proves there are still ways to approach material that has been revisited on the big and small screens in new and appealing ways. From the laying of the hull to her departure from Belfast, this is the story of the workers, businessmen, and common Irishmen impacted through the construction process of the most famous ship in history.

It's strengths are its historical figures, such as the open-minded Lord Pirrie (Derek Jacobi at his finest) and the perfectionist, driven Thomas Andrews, who is depicted as I have always imagined him to be, soft-spoken and heroic. Its weaknesses lie in its lack of understanding for the social and sexual aspects of the period, as well as its (for me) rather unlikable leading man.

When it comes to historical accuracy, it relies more on fiction than fact to tell its story but somehow this never seems too troubling. The politics of the era are explored: the struggle to unionize Ireland, the rivalries between Catholic and Protestant fractions, even a foray into the beginnings of the Irish Republican Army. The expense of the miniseries shows not only in the terrific cast but the incredible detail on the ships, their construction, the shipyards, and the lavish interiors.

Some might complain about the ambiguous ending, but I like it, since it allows the audience to make their own conclusions about the fate of the main characters. The series held my attention and gave me twelve hours spent in the company of Lord Pirrie and Thomas Andrews -- as an amateur "RMS Titanic" historian, for that, I'm grateful.

I was channel surfing one night and came across episode 1 at the mid-way point and was intrigued. So i watched episode 1 from the beginning and liked what I saw and decided to give this series a chance, and i was not disappointed! James Cameron scored a hit with the movie Titanic by being able to infuse factual with fiction so well that you couldn't tell the difference. This series was the same thing, but in 12 parts.

The story line from episodes 2-9 were outstanding and the acting was incredible. I really felt like i had a window into these people's lives and knew what it was like in Belfast 103 years ago.

Derek Jacobi is an incredible actor and played Lord Pirrie masterfully. He was a great as he was in Gladiator. Alessandra Mastronardi is stunningly beautiful and is great as Sophia.

Her and Kevin Zegers chemistry was great and now i find myself looking for other movies they have been in and will be in because how good their acting is.

The sets and costumes were spot on and the dialogue was very well written.

My one knock about this series is that after episode 9, they rushed to finish it within 2 episodes. I really think they should have allowed the rest of the story to wrap in another 1 or 2 episode so it didn't seem rushed.

But the ending was still very good and I teared up a little as i did at the end of Titanic the movie back in 1997.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a history buff, a Titanic buff, and anyone who wants a great series to watch.

I suggest watching an episode or two a day so you can absorb they story and you will find that you can't wait to see where the story goes next! Never mind the other reviews about how the accuracy may have been off somewhat, the hats should have been different, blah blah blah.

I think that if you watch this series you would thoroughly enjoy it and you may find yourself never wanting it to end. And you may even be like me and think about watching it all over again.

Speaking of, where's my remote?