Titanic
4K Limited Edition Box Set
review by Bobby Blakey
Director James Cameron has had numerous major hits throughout his career including Terminator 2, Aliens, and the Avatar franchise. He debuted the film Titanic in 1997 that became the highest grossing film of all time for twelve years until the original Avatar was released. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Bill Paxton, Kathy Bates, Victor Garber, Gloria Stuart, Frances Fisher and David Warner. Now the film is rising from the deep to finally get the 4K treatment complete with a Limited Edition Box set.
Titanic follows a 100 year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater who tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Lewis Bodine, Bobby Buell and Anatoly Mikailavich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called Titanic when young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, and her fiancé, Caledon Hockley. Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets to the ship in a game. And she explains the whole story from departure until the death of Titanic on its first and last voyage April 15th, 1912 at 2:20 in the morning.
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I must be honest I have never been a fan of this film. The idea and execution are excellent, but I always felt there was a big, missed opportunity here. With the history and scope of the Titanic and film I think it was too streamlined to just the one story of Rose and Jack. Make no mistake, it is a timeless love story that is worthy of being the main focal point, but with the looming tragedy and length of the film there should have been some deeper sub stories for the audience to engage with that just aren’t there. Sure, we get some of them, but nothing that spends enough time with them to really have the impact when tragedy hits.
There is such a great moment as the ship is going down showcasing various characters to get the scope of tragedy that is about to strike. Sadly, you get little time to invest in them so for me I didn’t really get the impact I am sure you should have for them. On the other side I was always annoyed that we were getting a full chase scene and shoot out while the ship is going down which could have been ditched for more time with the other characters at least. I loved the way the story is crafted in present day and flashing back so I get why we stick with just that story, just think it could have been so much better.
From a filmmaking aspect the film is outstanding fully immersing you into the world of the Titanic. From the set pieces prior to the visual effects of the sinking ship it all looks amazing. I so want to love this movie like so many others, for this aspect alone, but just can’t connect with it.
Thankfully the box office and fan base outweigh my single opinion, and will no doubt love this new release that is pretty impressive. Not only does it offer up the film in glorious 4K, but its packaging and bonus content is worthy of its standing in film history.
This spectacular includes tons of bonus content including commentaries, galleries, new and old featurettes, deleted & alternate scenes, music videos and so much more. As if the HD aspect and these features weren’t enough the limited edition box set features a hardcover coffee table book, detailed schematic inspired by the actual ship blueprint, highlighting locations of key scenes, movie prop reproductions of a boarding pass, launch viewing ticket, ship menus, notes from Jack to Rose and Rose to Cal and sheet music for the multi-award-winning hit “My Heart Will Go On”.
Step back onto the final voyage and grab your copy of Titanic when the 4K Limited Edition Box Set along with the standard 4K release debuts on December 5th from Paramount Home Entertainment.
