Raise the Titanic (1980)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

hyped garbage

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

As Good As It Gets

I suppose RAISE THE TITANIC is a better sequel than those rubbish 'TITANIC 2' B-movies that have come out over the years. This film is an adaptation of a Clive Cussler novel and follows the efforts of a salvage team to lift the wreck of the infamous cruise liner from the depths. The reason for this plot involves a made-up element and is actually cleverly written, with a great deal of thought having gone into the premise, which I appreciated it. Unfortunately the film forgets to incorporate any kind of suspense or thrills or character depth into the running time, so it's left feeling more like a mock documentary exploring the technicalities of such a huge job. It does boast some excellent special effects work, with some fantastic miniatures that really convince, and from a technical viewpoint I found it quite interesting.

I would have issued this film a 7 rating but for one scene: When the Russian captain came aboard the Titanic and informed the Americans that the byzanium (sp?) was Soviet property. I was appalled that the American commander felt compelled to resort to a show of one-upsmanship as a threat to keep the radioactive mineral.What should have happened was that in a spirit of international peace, the American captain should have offered half of the byzanium to the Soviets. That way, both countries could feel safe without the other having a major strategical,military advantage.The greed and ignorance that is "the American way" really makes me sick: It is as though we have some kind of right and imperative that no one else is entitled to, and that all other countries are evil and the "enemy".If I were the Russian captain, I would have stayed on the Titanic past the eight-minute limit, just so that the ship was torpedoed. The American sub (and aircraft) could not have stopped that.The scenes in the movie were very well filmed and the Titanic was re-created to an astounding level. The water would not have been as clear at 12,000 feet, but I can forgive that, because the clarity of the water allowed us to see everything.Another element of the movie that is perhaps unrealistic but forgivable is the mechanics involved in raising the Titanic: Balloons and "foam" would not have been enough, and the concept of "foam" that was supposed to be injected by tubing or hoses is frankly ridiculous at that depth and considering the complexity of the ship's chambers.One final, small item is that I wish that the submersible had indicated its depth (and maximum depth capacity) as it entered the trough in which the Titanic was ultimately found: It would have added to the suspense.Nevertheless, the acting, direction and replication of the actual ship are excellent in this film. It is just unfortunate that the producer felt as though he needed to resort to cold war rhetoric and sabre rattling to make a compelling picture. Certainly, all the elements to captivate an audience were already and otherwise inherent.

It's epic and it's exploitation, and it's also reasonably engaging almost in spite of itself. Richard Jordan plays a salvage expert attempting to literally raise the Titanic from her watery grave in order to recover a rare mineral, the plot concerned with his herculean effort to beat the Russians to the plate, in a Cold War twist to the sunken saga.The "special" effects are sometimes regrettable (the parts of the ship being towed back into harbour look more than just a little dubious), but director Jameson has still managed to craft a half-decent drama that contains a surprise or two, not just confined to the plot, but also the casting. Sir Alec Guinness has just a few minutes, but his presence as a survivor re-telling Jordan of his experience is very moving and a moment that almost redeems the entire picture from its plodding excesses.Aside from the durable Jordan, an unorthodox leading man who died well before his time, David Selby and Anne Archer co-star, while the minor roles go to Jameson's B-movie brigade, Michael Pataki, Stewart Moss, Paul Carr, Michael C.Gwynne, Norman Bartold - the list goes on. Not to be confused with, nor compared to, "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure", while unlikely to appeal to the modern audience whose appetite for the Titanic was whet on James Cameron's 1997 epic, it should still suffice for a late afternoon sojourn into fantasy.

There are films that are bad, and there ones that look bad, but hold value to them not everyone sees. Raise the Titanic, was loosely based off a novel by Clive Cussler. It is a race between the Americans and Russians trying to obtain a rare mineral that could decide who becomes the top world power. To do this, they must salvage the mineral from the Titanic. The only way to do this is by raising the Titanic; ergo the main titles. This may turn off people because the whole plot line is given away, but that shouldn't be something to squander over. It should be more of what is looked forward to. This film has a lot of good stuff in it.Starring as the main character of Cussler's stories, is Dirk Pitt, played by Richard Jordan. I can't say Jordan is the best choice but he's definitely not bad either. Jordan at least gives the character of Pitt some attitude that comes with the territory. For the most part, the entire film stays faithful to the paperback material. All the characters are in there, along with the most important scenes. One might say that this movie was thought to perform well because Alec Guinness, best known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, from Star Wars, plays a character as well in the story.On a side note, a particular element that could have been left out of story was the relationship between Gene and Dana Seagram. The same goes for the book but the way the situation was handled here was half-baked. From beginning to the midway point, there were various scenes that show strains on these two characters' marital status and then out of nowhere,...it stops. They get into an argument and Gene temporarily leaves Dana but the issue is never resolved. So why have it? It doesn't make sense to start something and not finish it. Adam Kennedy and Eric Hughes wrote the screenplay; so my question is, who skimmed over this part? Also some people may think the story drags but it all builds up to good ending.Besides this, there are multiple things to find enjoyable in this movie. First, the special effects. Of course it's "1980" special effects but none the less they are a sight to look at. From the submarines, to the Titanic itself, the props look really authentic. It's when the Titanic is brought to the surface that the view is beautiful. Although audiences may be annoyed to find out that the Titanic is in one piece. But what do you expect? The novel and this film where produced years before the Titanic was even discovered. It's fiction anyway, so why be so critical on accuracy when practically this whole film is inaccurate in real life?One of the most wondrous moments that takes place in this film is when Dirk Pitt enters the Titanic when it is above the water. It is truly a sight to behold and all this should do is make each of us just a little hungrier to see the Titanic for ourselves. It's plain epic. Another great aspect to Raise the Titanic is the soundtrack composed and conducted by music veteran John Barry. Barry puts in a lot of good tunes and has a gift for making the Titanic look awesome just for being on screen. His music is that moving and it's almost to the point of being angelic. For those who are skeptical, it's still at least worth a try to view.Except for a few issues dealing with the script, the film adaptation of Raise the Titanic is respectively a suitable tribute to the White Star Line cruise ship. The effects are dated but they are worthy to be seen as is Barry's score heard.