Titanic: Special Collector's Edition

For anyone over the age of 18, the frenzy that occurred upon Titanic's initial release back in December of 1997 is at least somewhat memorable. In fact, the story is primed for the Hollywood history books: big, expensive, delayed movie with bad buzz opens to amazing reviews and tons of awards. What's more is that it stayed number one at the box office for months upon months and made more than any other movie in the history of film. So you'd think that the release of its first special edition DVD would be accompanied by some sort of hype. However, somewhere in past eight years, Titanic found some serious overkill and has failed to age as well as its $400 million-plus counterparts (Star Wars, E.T.). Though its DVD set is certainly admirable, it somehow becomes hard to remember that this is that same movie that teenaged girls saw 38 times back then. We all know the story: starving Jack (Leonardo diCaprio) meets engaged socialite Rose (Kate Winslet) on the big boat, a big chunk of ice causes some problems and Jack and Rose fight for their lives and, sob, their hearts. James Cameron's screenplay is horrendous, at times, but the radiant performances, awesome special effects and absolutely stunning sets and costumes make for a truly great film. But the biggest and best film of all time? Not on DVD. Titanic was made for movie theatres and perhaps its failure to rake in the DVD sales of films that made a fraction of what it grossed proves this. Obviously, the "special edition" suggests a plethora of extras. There are commentaries by Cameron and two "on-set historians" that provide the usual context, 29 new deleted scenes and an amusing "alternate ending" (spoiler: the boat still sinks). Beyond this, the rest seem like desperate attempts to fill the discs: Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" video? Nonetheless, die-hard Titanic fans will appreciate this rather delayed full-service DVD, but even they might question their Titanic love back in 1997. (Paramount)