Blu-ray Review: Fantastic HD Set For James Cameron’s Beloved ‘Titanic’

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CHICAGO – Some snobby film fans like to use “Titanic” as a punchline almost as if it’s un-cool to love one of the biggest movies of all time. It’s not a “serious” movie, just a popular one. It’s total nonsense. There are awful popular films you can point to but “Titanic” is not one of them. It’s a damn good movie, the definitive modern romantic epic. And people still adore this movie with good reason. It taps into something classic in filmmaking. Last week, Paramount released a beautiful set for the film’s debut on Blu-ray and fans who have been clamoring to own this movie in HD for years will admit that it was worth the wait.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

First and foremost, “Titanic” looks amazing in HD. As you might imagine it would. The Paramount set includes the recently-reelased 3D version of the film on two Blu-ray discs for those of you who have made the jump to 3D TVs. The third disc is the big draw for most Blu-ray owners with the HD transfer of the movie and it’s an absolute beauty. A visual perfectionist like Cameron probably wouldn’t let this hit stores in any form less than what he considered perfect. It’s not as breathtaking as the “Avatar” Blu-ray (still one of the best to date) but it’s close. The third disc also includes the three commentary tracks from the DVD release.

For most of the special features, the fourth disc is where it’s at with stunning totals. 30 deleted scenes. 60 behind-the-scenes featurettes. It’s a ridiculous amount of bonus material, the kind of collection that honestly seems like overkill. Only the diehards are going to take the time to watch a collection of special features that essentially breaks down every single aspect of how the film was made. More interesting to most people will be the two new special features — “Reflections on Titanic” (which runs over an hour) and “Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron.”

Fifteen years after it took over the world, “Titanic” is still a great epic movie. Is it cheesy? Sure. But I think even those people who like to use it as a sign of movie goers or Academy members being too melodramatic secretly recognize that it’s just a movie that works. Ignore the haters. This is one of the best Blu-ray releases of the season.

Titanic was released on Blu-ray on September 10, 2012
Photo credit: Paramount

Synopsis:
Experience Academy Award winning director James Cameron’s epic masterpiece Titanic like never before. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet shine in this unforgettable love story born of tragedy that became a worldwide phenomenon. Take the journey and discover why critics declare Titanic “a magnificent motion picture that remains spellbinding.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

Click here to buy “Titanic”

Special Features:
o 3 Commentaries By Cast, Crew and James Cameron
o Reflections Of The Titanic
o Titanic: The Final Word With James Cameron
o 3D Deleted Scenes
o 60 Behind The Scenes Featurettes

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com