Plot: What’s it about?
A lot has changed since 1997 and more to the point, a lot has changed in film. I remember going to the theater to see Titanic. I’d heard about it, was waiting for it to come out the previous Summer, but had read of troubles with the budget and so forth. But I was home from college on break and my parents and I went down to the Darien Playhouse (a movie theater in Connecticut) where I first experienced the film. About halfway through the film, it stopped. Evidently the type of film used was lighter weight since the length of the film was so long. The manager offered to refund our money or we could sit and wait for them to fix it. Of course, most everyone stayed because it was just getting to the good part. Director James Cameron and company went onto collect a bevy of Academy Awards, the film went onto become the #1 movie of all-time (only recently being surpassed by Cameron’s own Avatar), it made Leonardo DiCaprio an overnight star and has even garnered a spot on the American Film Institute’s list of Top 100 American Films. Not too bad for a movie that everyone thought would, pardon the pun, sink.
I’ll go on the assumption that anyone reading this review has seen or at least heard of the plot, but for the handful that haven’t – here we go. The film is told in flashback fashion by an elderly Rose (Gloria Stewart). A team of glorified treasure hunters are looking for relics from the Titanic and, more to the point, the Heart of the Ocean – a priceless necklace believed to be among the wreckage. As Rose tells the tale of the ship, we meet Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a drifter. He lives his life by the seat of his pants and has won a seat on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Jack soon means Rose (Kate Winslet) and the two form a romance that’s destined for greatness. There is a small problem of Rose being engaged to Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). All domestic squabbles aside, everyone’s plans change when the Titanic hits an iceberg and it becomes a fight for survival. Will Jack and Rose end up together or will the icy seas of the North Atlantic claim more lives?
It’s somewhat daunting to compress a 200 minute movie into 8 sentences, but I think I managed to do it! As we all know, Titanic went onto break box office records left and right. Celene Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” won the Academy Award for Best Song, the movie itself won on the technical levels as well as for Best Director and Best Picture. Truly every accolade that was in existence was thrown at the film and some might say rightfully so. As of this writing, it’s been over a quarter of a century since we first experienced Titanic and it’s truly one of the great Hollywood movies. Even at the time I’d say “they don’t make ’em like they used to.” But that rings true here as well. There aren’t a lot of films like this. By now, nothing I or anyone else says will sway you. If you’ve seen it, most likely this is a disc you’ll want to own for your collection. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on one of the best epics that’s ever been filmed.
Video: How does it look?
Anyone who’s a fan of film knows that James Cameron is a perfectionist. This is, in no small part, the reason why the film was delayed from a Summer release to the holidays. Putting that aside, this has been one of the most eagerly anticipated titles in the 4K format and Cameron and Paramount have delivered. One thing about perfectionists – when it comes to how films look on disc, they’re second to none. Encompassing more than three hours, Titanic epitomizes anything and everything that we’d associate with “Hollywood.” Broad, sweeping shots that showcase the beauty of the ship, outstanding costumes and so forth. With this 4K disc we see it in all of its glory. And, truthfully, there’s nothing to fault. The picture is perfect. No errors. Colors are bold and bright, contrast is spot on, no artifacting, etc. The 2.35:1 4K HEVC image spans the width of your screen from beginning to end and looks stunning every second of the way. This was worth the wait.
Audio: How does it sound?
We also get an upgraded soundtrack from the Blu-ray’s DTS HD Master Audio mix. A full Dolby Atmos track fills the air (and your room) with beautiful, uncompressed sound. The first half of the movie contains mainly dialogue, but once the iceberg has been hit and the second part takes over, so too does the audio. James Horner’s score coupled with the lossless mix make for the perfect symphony. The LFE are very aggressive towards the end and while the front stage handles the majority of the sound, the surrounds are almost always humming away adding a bit of excitement to an already explosive track. I could go on, but suffice it to say that this is one of the more active and dynamic soundtracks that I’ve heard in a while.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The two disc set comes with a few new features as well as a plethora of legacy content.
Disc One (4K)
- Audio Commentary – From the 2005 DVD we have director James Cameron going solo, but it’s actually a pretty interesting track. I don’t know if Cameron loves to hear himself talk or that he’s so passionate about the film that he somewhat loses himself in it. Regardless, it’s a very interesting track full of little tidbits that add to the movie.
- Audio Commentary – The next track is a cast and crew commentary which is a nice way of saying that these have been edited together to make a pseudo commentary track. To be honest, I didn’t listen to it all but what I did listen to was more of a technical track. Cameron’s track is the must listen.
- Audio Commentary – Lastly we have a historical commentary track with Don Lynch, the historian of the RMS Titanic and Ken Marschall who served as the production historian. They somewhat repeat what Cameron says, but there are some more facts to be gleamed here.
Disc Two (Blu-ray)
- Documentaries – Two new features highlight this section with a four-part documentary (“Reflections on Titanic”) running at just over an hour.
- Stories from the Heart – This new segment features some key members of the cast and crew as they reflect on the film, it’s enduring legacy as well as some of the trials and tribulations of making this classic.
- Reflections on Titanic
- Titanic 25 Years Later with James Cameron – Essentially that. The eccentric director regales us with some stories about the film, the Oscars and everything in between.
- Deleted Scenes – Nearly an hour, yes an hour, of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Cameron. Given the film’s 3+ hour running time, these were wisely cut.
- Production – We get one new supplement (sort of) as well as some of the already available legacy content.
- Behind-the-Scenes Presentation Hosted By Jon Landau – We get a new introduction but this somewhat corals some of the existing content from older versions into one nice package.
- Additional Behind-the-Scenes – Again, a couple of dozen features are shown but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
- Deep-Dive Presentation Narrated by James Cameron – Cameron is an experienced diver and he shows us some of the first hand footage that he acquired from his dives. It gives more of a sense of realism with Cameron leading the way.
- $200,000,001: A Ship’s Odyssey (The Titanic Crew Video) – If gag reels are your thing (and for me, they’re not) then this one runs nearly 20 minutes.
- Videomatics – Some rough footage of the early CGI used in the film.
- Visual Effects – Essentially more of the same, but a little more in-depth.
- Archives – As the name entails, this houses the remainder of the legacy footage.
- Trailer Presentation Hosted by Jon Landau
- Music Video – “My Heart Will Go On” by Celene Dion. The Oscar-winning song that was probably at a million weddings in the late 90’s.
- Still Galleries
- Titanic Scriptment by James Cameron
- Storyboard Sequences
- Production Artwork
- Photographs
- Ken Marschall’s Painting Gallery
- Concept Posters and One Sheets
- Credits (2005)
The Bottom Line
4K discs started coming out in 2016. And as of this writing, it’s been nearly a decade and we’ve all been waiting, patiently for some of James Cameron’s films to hit the format. That wait is over. If I could pick 10 4K titles to have in my collection, this would be one of them. From reference-quality audio and video, to the expansive selection of supplements this one truly has it all. “The disc of dreams!” Perhaps.
