OK, it’s true. I haven’t seen “Titanic.”

It’s nothing against the movie itself. I can’t say something’s bad if I haven’t seen it. It would be unfair to do that even if I suspect I wouldn’t like it, although that’s not the case with this movie. I’ve heard good things.

It’s not even a principled stand against the “enthusiastic” fans who gave me a preview of contemporary Internet culture 23 years ago following the film’s release. At least, not anymore.

Back then I was writing for the student newspaper at Bluefield High School and I had to come up with a new column because my original idea wasn’t going to work.

Inspiration came from the cover of an issue of “Entertainment Weekly,” detailing the production of what was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever made. My prediction, delivered with at least attempted humor, was that there’s no way a period romance, directed by the “Terminator” guy, where everybody knows the ending and the biggest star is Bill Paxton, is going to make $200 million to break even, let alone a profit.

It was, in my mind, a reasonable prediction.

And of course it was completely wrong.

That might have been OK, had the article been published as anticipated, before the movie came out. But that particular issue made it into the hands of students in January. So of course we all had a good laugh at my miscalculation.

No, actually I had people almost immediately asking me (some yelling, as I recall) how I couldn’t have liked the movie and ridiculing my poor taste. I managed to explain to one of them that I hadn’t actually seen it, so I could neither dislike it nor declare my undying affection for the cinematic marvel and monument to human achievement many seemed to consider it.

A classmate once told me she understood I hadn’t badmouthed the movie itself but thought I would like it if I gave it a chance. I said I thought I would still prefer “As Good As It Gets,” which I’d already seen twice. Another classmate yelled at me, saying I didn’t know anything about “Titanic.”

My printed transgression did generate multiple letters to the editor, something we usually only received if English teachers offered extra credit. One chastised me for claiming Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t a big star (which he wasn’t … when I wrote it), citing his roles in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” and “Growing Pains,” among others.

In response, to paraphrase Johnny Cash, I made me a vow to the moon and stars not to watch the movie. If that sounds petty, well, yeah, probably. Although at this point, the experience is more amusing to me than anything else. I don’t begrudge my classmates or Candice Black their enjoyment of a movie that didn’t appeal to me and that I’ve never seen.

I’ve thought about watching “Titanic” at some point, but sometimes the time for one to fully appreciate a certain movie has passed. It took me over 20 years to finally get around to watching “The Princess Bride.” It’s a fine movie, eminently quotable, but it didn’t captivate me the way I know it sincerely has so many others, in part because I knew it was so beloved and perhaps had skewed expectations.

Besides, those three hours could be spent doing other things. Watching my favorite movie, “Avengers: Endgame,” again comes to mind.

Evan Bevins writes for The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and about comics, movies, movies about comics and other stuff at asterisk51.blogspot.com.