These are exciting times for fans of James Cameron and his films. After “Avatar – Departure for Pandora” recently made its debut UHD Blu-ray* (before an ultimate version will follow soon) the classics and milestones of the master director are now also finding their way to the world of 4K. This week starts with one of the biggest blockbusters of all time – one of the most famous films that everyone really knows.
“Titanic“ will be released for the first time on 4K Blu-ray on December 15, 2023 – and therefore in the best version in which James Cameron’s super blockbuster has ever been seen. We have already convinced ourselves of this. Our conclusion: if your home theater supports Ultra HD, you cannot ignore this drive.
It has been more than ten years since ‘Titanic’ found its way to home theaters in 3D in 2012. As a fan of the film and a Cameron disciple, the author of this article obviously had to see the film’s three-dimensional premiere at the time of its release – and was absolutely thrilled with one of the best 3D experiences he’d ever had at home.
Mind you, for a film that was over 15 years old and original 3D film, but was then converted…
… more than a decade later, Hollywood’s ultimate blockbuster has now delivered the next blow. And as you’d expect from the tech-savvy Canadian who always strives for perfection, they not only scaled up old material, but made the most of it with incredible attention to detail (and enormous effort). Anyway, for James Cameron The best is simply good enough – not only in the cinema, but also in the home cinema. This is on display again with ‘Titanic’, perhaps one of the best 4K Blu-rays out there.
“Titanic” in 4K: a completely new (home) cinema experience
Last February, many people (including in Germany) flocked to the cinemas to see the new ‘Titanic’ restoration with their own eyes during a revival. A full eight months later, the home theater review is finally available – and the wait was well worth it.
The UHD drive can now be considered the undisputed benchmark in picture and sound quality and extras. Yes, the Blu-ray of old may still exist on its own, but the differences are enormous, especially when you compare it to the recently revised version – if you look a little closer.
Such depths have never been seen in ‘Titanic’, not to mention the enormous increase in sharpness. While you could count Bill Paxton’s facial hair or even Leonardo DiCaprio’s pores if you really thought about it, the old Blu-ray in comparison almost looks like you skimmed the image once (or twice) with the soft focus you went.
The 4K version is (thankfully!) not smoothed out in the slightest, but – on the contrary – has a healthy amount of film grain. This gives the film the natural look of a film shot on film, despite the beautiful images in Ultra HD, which also come in more natural colors (such as facial skin tones). In any case, on our test device, an OLED TV from Sony with a 65-inch screen diagonal, the film literally shines in a completely new light. “Titanic” never looked so good!
And it wasn’t…
If you also have a home theater with surround system at home, you should not only play the German dubbed version, but also the original sound – which comes in Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 and even goes a step further here and there. An excellent opportunity to watch the film in English, perhaps for the first time. (Most buyers probably know the film all too well anyway and can follow it in the original sound even without much knowledge of English.)
Additionally, the three-disc set contains a whopping 15 (!) hours of bonus material. In addition to a number of well-known extras, there is also brand new additional content on board, with which you can take a look behind the scenes and into the legacy of ‘Titanic’ together with the makers around director James Cameron and producer Jon. Landau. In addition to three (!) audio commentaries, you can also expect many featurettes, such as “Titanic: Stories of the Heart” (35 minutes), “The Last Secrets with James Cameron” (42 minutes) and lots of incredibly exciting insights into the making of a from the biggest blockbusters in film history – from the groundbreaking visual effects to the lifelike dives on the Titanic.
At the time, ‘Titanic’ was the most expensive film of all time, and for a long time the most successful film of all time – and over a quarter of a century later it is still one of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of all time, with eleven Oscars, up to is still a record today. Anyone who doesn’t have an allergic reaction to cinema knows it. But even if you know James Cameron’s hit inside and out, have seen it hundreds of times and can even pronounce the dialogue. With the 4K Blu-ray you have the opportunity to relive “Titanic” 25 years later.