“Once more, you open the door….”  Will Titanic go on and on?  Well, it kind of does in the spiffy new Blu-Ray edition.  But for fans of the film and lovers of quality Blu-Ray it’s wonderful to see James Cameron use the tools he wielded so well in Avatar to spiff up this modern classic.

I have to admit that I had been burnt out on Titanic.  Not surprising, as I’d seen it 7 times or so in theaters, and innumerable times on VHS, DVD and TV.  (Yes, I watch movies I own on DVD when they pop up on television.  As the fellas from Guy Code say, #DontJudgeMe.)  I think it’s just that there’s only so many times anyone can see poor Jack slip into the icy black water before your heart will go plotz.  So, as much as I wanted to see the way this film had been dressed up for it’s new debut , there was a bit of trepidation hanging around as well.  But before I knew it I was sucked back into the story of Rose, Jack and the iceberg.  Not without a gasp or two though; the Blu-Ray tweaks and primps will take the breath away from anyone who has seen the movie as originally shown in theaters.  It’s so crystal-clear it’s almost freakish.

I wanted to raise my hand and touch the fuzzy-looking rust clinging to the sunken ship, count each sequins on Rose’s black-and-red gown.  I was gobsmacked at the visual clarity, and the detail the set, art and costuming crew that put Titanic together is quite literally in sharp focus.  Which makes the scene where all those lovely White Star Line plates come crashing down from the walls that much more heartbreaking.  The iceberg is clearer, with shades of color I’d never seen before (and I could aaaaaalmost get a bit of the prop-ness of it, as the ship grazes the ‘berg.)  The cast and crew commentary track says there was a small Godzilla embedded in the “ice”.  Now?  I feel like I could probably find it.

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