Titanic (1997) (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Mayer]

I'm pretty certain about the screens, Tino. I remember being a bit jarred by the footage of Brock as it became clear the diamond wasn't in the safe. But you should see it again just to confirm

 

[Edwin-S]

I saw it today and it was every bit as spectacular as it's always been, Cameron spending all that dough on the conversion shows, it's quite simply the best conversion of a native 2D film to 3D ever attempted by anyone. It didn't hit you over the head, it was used rather sparingly to add a little extra pop where it was appropriate which is, IMO, how 3D should be used.
TITANIC is back!

Hmmm, I was thinking of going to see the film to see what the 3D conversion was like, but after reading this it sounds like there is no need to. It doesn't sound like the conversion adds enough visually to be worth a second viewing and one viewing for the awful love story in the film was more than enough.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

It makes me sad to know that something I said has turned someone off from seeing it but ah well, that's life.
While the 3D is cool it doesn't add to or take away anything from the film itself, even if the film were re-released in 2D I would have been there in a heartbeat.
As for the ratio it did appear to me that a lot of scenes looked rather tightly zoomed in but it didn't distract me too much.

 

[Patrick Sun]

While I've seen bits and pieces of Titanic as it showed up on cable TV here and there, and having seen it in its theatrical release 15 years ago once or twice, and on my dts LD (also in bits and pieces), with fond memories of the basic story, the acting performances, and the sheer spectacle of tragedy at hand, I was not prepared for this 3D presentation (non-IMAX, unfortunately, as my nearest IMAX theater is wasting its IMAX showings on some Titans movie) to continue to move me to tears in the appropriate spots after all these years. The power of Titanic lies in its humanity, showing us the best and worst of it in the face of overwhelming fear and disaster. The film not only entertains, but enthralls, it places you on the Titanic in 1912, and the 3D presentation helps with immersing you in that world just a little bit better, you simply slip on into the galley doors, and become part of it all. Not only is the 3D presentation a welcomed element, it very much augments the atmosphere from scene to scene without calling attention to itself. My viewing was nice and bright (i.e. not hazy in sunlit scenes), and I didn't experience any eye strain while viewing through the RealD glasses. It's 3D-conversion done right. But I'd expect no less coming from James Cameron and his team. Well done.
I think it's great that a younger audience is getting a chance to experience Titanic on the big screen (with 3D being a nice bonus this time around), as it is nearly a timeless film going forward (except for older Rose's age dating the film), which can be enjoyed for decades to come.
I give it 4 stars or a grade of A.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I haven't been able to see this yet but I just got done watching TITANIC: FINAL WORD WITH JAMES CAMERON, which was an excellent documentary but there's a section where they talk about various flaws in the movie. Cameron admits to these flaws but he makes it very clear that he's not going to change anything in the movie and he's going to let it stand as what they thought was correct when they made it. He says once you fix one thing it just never ends so I'm a little curious about these changes that have been mentioned here. The white fireworks has been proven false and this here would have been an easy fix but they didn't do it. It's also clear now that the ship didn't rise as far out of the ocean. Another easy fix but they didn't do it.
I think there's an interview in Entertainment Weekly where he also says that they didn't change anything.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

While I agree that changing the color of the rockets would be simple enough, a digital color correction is all that would be needed, changing the angle of the ship during the sinking to match new evidence would not be so simple. To do that Cameron would have to completely alter the entire sinking from about the moment the water reached the bridge and that would require a complete re-shoot rather than a quick digital fix.
It would also completely change the entire ending of the sinking as they now believe the stern never stood straight up, something I don't personally believe by the way, survivors stated that they very clearly saw the stern stand straight up and hang there for a moment before going down.
Most of that new animation Cameron created I can buy but not the way they depict the final moments with the stern rolling almost on it's side before going down.

 

[TravisR]

F-what the stars really looked like that night. I don't care if Cameron corrects them but if he was going to make changes, I'd have rather seen him fix a minor continuity error (like Molly Brown re-walking up to Jack and Rose in the dining room or correct the level of water outside the port hole that Jack is handcuffed near) or use modern face replacement on Jack and Rose when they're running down a flooding hallway or modern digital people (even if it's just in the daylight shots). Overall, I'm glad he left the movie basically alone but outside of making an inside joke to a handful of astronomers with alot of time on their hands, he should have just left the stars alone too.

 

[Nelson Au]

I think I'll wait for the blu ray.
If you guys are okay with some levity, I came across this on a Star Trek site. Very well done! Especially the Michael Bay parts and the JJ Abrams bits.

 

[dpippel]

That's pretty funny Nelson! I particularly like the J.J. Abrams bit.

 

[TravisR]

That video is pretty funny. I liked the lady blowing up when she hit the water and the stormtrooper appearance.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

LOL, JJ Abrams does love his lens flares, doesn't he? God bless the man.
When they got to the Michael Bay part I thought for a second the ship was going to transform into a giant robot and start smashing the ice berg lol.
While not the most reverent thing it was damn funny lol.

 

[Tino]

Funny Video.
I saw Titanic again yesterday and you were right Chuck, the video footage IS in 3D. Strange.
And I'll have to disagree with my friend John as I think 3D absolutely adds to the Titanic experience. It brings the film to a whole new level. The added depth in the IMAX 3D version really opens up the film to be experienced in a new incredibly immersive way.
And speaking of changes, has Cameron been quoted as making changes? Or are these perceptions and there actually may not be any changes at all, because that is what he said...that he didn't change anything.
By the way, the IMAX showing I went to yesterday was 3/4 full, more than my first showing on opening day. I know it got a cinemascore of "A" so good word of mouth, spring break and all these Titanic specials are helping keep it in public awareness, so it may have a decent run at the boxoffice.
I think it will gross about $60=$75 million domestically and it will crack over $2 billion worldwide. Amazing.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Let me see if I can clarify, I loved the 3D conversion, it did add depth to the film but to me it was purely on a superficial level only, it didn't alter the film at it's most basic cellular level. I was so drawn in to it that after awhile I stopped thinking "Wow, look at that! That column popped out at me! Neat." and began to just concentrate on the film.
To take that thought to it's conclusion the film, at that point, might as well have ceased to be in 3D for me because I was no longer paying attention to that and the emotional impact took over like it has every single time I've seen the film.
The 3D was great but I won't miss it when I get the 2D BD, I'm still not ready to upgrade to 3D at home yet.
Anyhoo, did you notice the other changes this time, Tino? The funnel, the string, the stars etc...?

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks for sharing. I got a good chuckle out of it.

 

[Tino]

John, I didn't notice those changes. As I said before, are you sure these changes were made or are you just assuming they were made? I ask because, again, Cameron said he didn't change anything. Didn't he?

 

[Malcolm R]

There was an article on the CNN website about changes he made to the stars near the end, to satisfy one astronomer who'd pointed out the "mirrored" sky. But I haven't heard any other changes confirmed.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I'm starting to feel like one of the survivors trying to convince people that I saw the ship break in half lol.
I'm 100% positive those changes are there.
I'm surprised you missed them as you know the film as well as I do.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Here are screencaps where I DEFINITELY saw changes, I wrote on a couple of them to point exactly where in the frame the changes are, please excuse my sloppy writing, I was in a hurry...
The following shots have stars added to the skies in the restored version...

The following are where fixes have been made...

The following are shots that I've read were fixed/altered but can't confirm because I either didn't notice or forgot to look...

 

[TravisR]

^ Those shots are from the DVD, correct? It's not like I can pause the movie while it's playing in the theater and look but I'm also positive that that string is gone. While you no doubt know your stuff, I still wonder if the new stars (not the corrected one after the ship has sunk) aren't a result of the increase in resolution of seeing the movie in a theater rather than on DVD. If they're new, I wonder why Cameron chose to add that but leave other errors.
And I'm still saying that there is no difference in the flying scene.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Tino, of course I was right
I can't speak to the immersion of the 3D effect. I thought it was effective and very well implemented. But I also believe the 4K master also played a huge role in how immersive the film looked. Having not seen it again in 2D (I'd prefer to see it in IMAX 3D), I have no basis for comparison.
Like Tino, I think the film will have a strong second weekend. Saturday/Sunday represent the 100 year anniversary of the event, and I think interest will run pretty high. I'm itching to see it again, but don't know when I will have the time. We may take my son to a 2D showing this weekend. He expressed an interest, but his interests are mercurial.
I did watch The Final Word with Cameron last night. Pretty compelling stuff. Especially when I realize his movie was started just a decade after the Titanic was discovered. The movie is closer to the discovery than we are to the movie in 2012. I appreciated the detail they put into the computer models. As an engineer and former sailor, I was appreciative of the explanations and details they shared. I hope that the NatGeo special hits Blu when the film does.
The story the curator told about the perfume was incredible, just heartbreaking and poignant.