"Titanic" reboot adds new depth to ship-roaring love story

　　James Cameron's spectacular new 3-D version of "Titanic" is everything I’d hoped for, and more. He judiciously — and sometimes with great subtlety — uses the technology to make a great film even greater.

　　From the already breathtaking sinking sequence to Kate Winslet’s brief nude scene, this redo breathes new life into the multiple-Oscar-winning picture.

　　Cameron, who has been vocally critical of the post-conversion of conventionally filmed movies to 3-D, has obviously taken great pains in using stereoscopic technology to enhance the experience of watching his swooningly romantic and dazzling Best Picture of 1997.

　　In fact, the 3-D in "Titanic" is more effective and immersive than for most films I’ve seen that were originally filmed in the process.

　　And though "Titanic" is a half-hour longer than Cameron's "Avatar"— which was shot in 3-D from the get-go and dethroned "Titanic" as the No. 1 grosser in 2009 after the latter spent 12 years at the top — I actually found it less of a strain on the eyes.

　　For starters, the 3-D makes the doomed ship, its decks and corridors look even longer and more vast — an amazing, wood-paneled stage on which to play out one of the most enormous tragedies of the 20th century.

　　The spectacular effects — mostly not digital — in the hour it takes for the ship to plunge into the ocean are more jaw-dropping in 3-D.