Is It Worth the Watch?

Talk about a disaster. The 1980 direct-hit-to-the-iceberg Raise the Titanic lost so much money on its original release, producer Lou Grade famously said, “It would’ve been cheaper to lower the Atlantic.“ 

I can understand why. The ridiculously improbable plot has something to do with the U.S. government figuring out that the famous doomed ocean liner was secretly carrying crates of some rare mineral in the cargo hold, and said mineral can be used in a space-age weapons system, so they bring the Titanic to the surface and … 

Oh, God. Spare me! 

Contradictory jumps in logic, major characters disappearing halfway through, and obvious, nearly unspeakable dialogue are the high points. The special effects and models would be insufficient for an early Godzilla movie, and the musical score, while sumptuous, is annoyingly repetitive.

The shockingly flat, uninteresting acting is surprising considering the cast includes usually excellent veteran actors like Jason Robardsand Sir Alec Guinness.

Is It Worth The Watch? Even Obi-Wan Kenobi can’t save this sinker.

1980

114 minutes

Starring – Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer, M. Emmet Walsh, Sir Alec Guinness

Director – Jerry Jameson

Screenplay – Adam Kennedy

Adaptation – Eric Hughe