Titanic: Blood and 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.

A really fascinating series that covers both the building of the RMS Titanic at the Harland and Wolff Shipyards in Belfast and the wider world in the early 1900s. Some interesting topics covered, including union riots, mixed race relationships, the growing divide between Irish and English and, of course, the construction of the White Star Line's allegedly unsinkable ocean liner. Of course, we all know how that turned out. The interwoven stories are brought to life over twelve episodes by a stellar cast including Derek Jacobi, Neve Campbell and others. Production values are good, and, from what I have read, events in the series are fairly true to real life.

The finale, whilst offering closure, was also a little open-ended, which made me think Blood and Steel was intended to have more than one season. It would have been fascinating to see what happened to some of the characters who set sail on Titanic.

Really good television.

If you expected a faithful retelling of the actual building of the Titanic, you've come to the wrong movie - go watch a documentary or read a book or two instead. But if you want to be entertained by a well photographed, well written 'period piece' movie about the upper class corporate filthy English rich vs lower class and Irish poor who work for them, Protestant vs Catholic, England in charge of Belfast Ireland (all hoping for independence and 'home rule'), start of women's rights, and how the building of the Titanic impacted and 'directed' their lives, you won't be disappointed. Sure it bends and takes some liberties with actual facts to create the story, but so what? Veers into 'soap opera' mode occasionally, but all in all, 12 episodes provides ample time to develop at least a dozen main characters and multiple story lines, and the actors do a fantastic job.

12 very good episodes. And the drama wasn't overdone (over acted). How refreshing. No spoiled, uneducated and overly emotional Hollywood types in significant roles so they could not spoil it. Well worth the time. I loved the ending...

A show about the building of the Titanic, has little to do with the building of the Titanic. It's a solid show if you're looking for Downton Abbey. I really wished they showed a lot more of the Titanic herself instead of fictional love stories and family dramas.. that being said it's well acted and the look of the series is great.