One of the ways that I like to spend my free time and unwind is by watching a good movie. Whether you are watching an old favorite on a rainy day, attending a highly anticipated midnight premiere, enjoying a matinee with friends or streaming a movie on Netflix, movies let us experience new worlds and meet characters that we come to know and love.
This quarter, I will be bringing you a bit of film news each week and sharing my insights on the trends and happenings in the movie world. Going to school in Los Angeles places us in the center of all things Hollywood, and therefore makes us especially exposed to films and film news.
Lately, it seems like going to the movies can give you a serious case of deja vu. From Disney’s releases of re-mastered classics to remakes of older films, chances are you will find yourself standing in line and paying to see a movie that you saw years ago.
This week, James Cameron’s acclaimed film “Titanic” will be re-released in theaters to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the actual ship’s departure on April 10, 1912. Audiences will be able to experience Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose’s (Kate Winslet) romance in digitally re-mastered 2-D, 3-D and IMAX.
While this release honors a special anniversary, it is no surprise that a film like “Titanic” is being welcomed back to theaters with open arms. When it was originally released in December 1997, Titanic became the highest-grossing movie of all time and was only recently dethroned by “Avatar,” Cameron’s blockbuster about the alien world of Pandora. Not to mention the fact that “Titanic” took home four Grammys and 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture of the Year.
As I contemplate reliving this voyage in IMAX 3-D, it is strange for me to think that I, like many college students, was only about 5 years old when “Titanic” was first released. When my mom bought our family’s copy, it was sold as two VHS cassettes to include all 194 minutes of the film.
In addition to commemorating the anniversary of the ship’s sinking, this re-release provides people like me, who never saw “Titanic” in theaters, to do so for the first time. While some may be frustrated by the prospect of a re-release, a whole new crop of audiences will get to experience the magnitude of this movie. There just might be something a bit more magical about seeing Jack and Rose standing at the bow of the Titanic when it’s in IMAX 3-D.
For me, the bottom line is that this re-release isn’t just about making money, though I’m sure that “Titanic” will once again assume its position at the top of the box office sales. Whether your heart will go on until the next big Hollywood re-release or you will set sail with fellow fans of this movie with 3-D glasses in hand, “Titanic” will once again make its mark on audiences.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be gearing up for the re-release of “Avatar” in a format even more advanced than IMAX 3-D.
What do you think of re-releasing movies? Email Seikaly at aseikaly@media.ucla.edu with your thoughts. “Reel News” runs every Monday.