costing an astounding $36 million back in 1978/79 (equivalent of over $100 million today), Raise the Titanic is an obscure film that maybe found some form of an audience today but back then was one of the biggest box office flops of all time. And frankly, despite some OK underwater effects and model work, the movie is kind of dull and not terribly well acted.
Raise the Titanic (1980)
Genre(s): Adventure, Thriller
Shout Factory | PG – 114 min. – $19.97 | January 21, 2014
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Writer(s): Clive Cussler (novel); Adam Kennedy (screenplay)
Cast: Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer, Alec Guinness, M. Emmet Walsh
Theatrical Release Date: August 1, 1980
DISC INFO:
Features: Featurette, Theatrical Trailer, DVD Copy
Number of Discs: 2
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35
Subtitles: None
Disc Size: 33.2 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE
Plot Outline: Raise the Titanic is adapted from Clive Cussler’s best-seller following the exploits of American special agent Dirk Pitt (RICHARD JORDAN) as he sets out to recover vital material from the Titanic which could make the US impregnable to atomic attack. The ship is down too deep for divers and the only solution is to raise it! The project must be managed in absolute secrecy because of deadly interference from a rival nation.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5
This release does come with a DVD Copy but on the Blu-ray disc itself, there’s not even a scene selection sub-menu.
Features-wise there is a new featurette called A Look at the Making of Raise the Titanic (23:17; HD) with a few crew members including DP Matthew F. Leonetti talking about their respective jobs on the film and the challenges presented; and there’s also the Theatrical Trailer (3:09; HD).
VIDEO – 3.5/5
Shout Factory raises Raise the Titanic onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. Most of the movie actually doesn’t look back especially for its age and what I suspect is little restoration as there are a couple brief moments of dust marks. Details aren’t bad though certain close-ups are heavy with noise and colors aren’t the most vibrant I’ve come across but I suspect that’s how it was shot.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The disc comes with both a 2.0 and 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio tracks. The 5.1 track is quite good showcasing the cheesy 1980s score (non-synthesized thankfully however) and dialogue levels are nice and clear making use of the center speaker while any of the action elements help encompass the front and rear channels. It’s nothing noteworthy yet more than gets the job done.
OVERALL – 2.5/5
Overall, costing an astounding $36 million back in 1978/79 (equivalent of over $100 million today), Raise the Titanic is an obscure film that maybe found some form of an audience today but back then was one of the biggest box office flops of all time. And frankly, despite some OK underwater effects and model work, the movie is kind of dull and not terribly well acted. Add in an unnecessary appearance by Anne Archer, and you have something that could’ve been trimmed. Still, for fans, Shout has released a nice Blu-ray with good audio/video transfers and a well made new featurette.
Published: 01/16/2014