FROM THE BACK OF THE BOX:
To obtain a supply of a rare mineral, a ship raising operation is conducted for the only known source, the Titanic.
FROM THE BACK OF MY BRAIN:
“Raise the Titanic” was a giant bomb way back in 1980. Basically, it’s an adventure tales about recovering a rare material that was in the cargo hold of the Titanic when it sank. The cast is amazing, but the direction and script almost jettison everything that worked about the original novel. That’s not to say that Cussler was ever an amazing writer, but the dude had a plot that would’ve worked unmolested onscreen. But, I guess the studio got antsy releasing this flick in the summer of “The Empire Strikes Back”.
Clive Cussler novels on film begin with “Raise the Titanic” and end with “Sahara”. It’s not exactly an exciting legacy of literature to film, but films share the same problems. Cussler plays with big scale ideas that involved the use of multiple locations and nationalities. By hampering and directing their focus to a shared objective, issues of cooperation and teamwork are Brundlefly’d into an incoherent mess. ITV knew what they were doing here, even if the execution came across bungled. That being said, I appreciate a time when films like this could exist in a bizarre action subgenre that allowed for the best character and classic actors to work together in something that would be considered beneath them in the modern era.
The Blu-Ray comes with an interview, DVD copy and a trailer. The 1080p transfer is a lot cleaner than I’ve ever seen this film look. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is pretty overpowering for a film like this. While the channel is correct, I wish we could’ve heard something closer to the original mix. But, I’m just being picky. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans of classic schlock.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!