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Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired, Spanish
Widescreen: 2.35:1
16:9-Enhanced: Yes
Macrovision: Yes
Disc Format: DVD 9
Price: $26.98
Extras: "The Quest for the Titan" Featurette, Director's Commentary,
Deleted Scenes, Lit Music Video "Over My Head," Theatrical Trailers
Director:
Don Bluth
Cast:
Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore
Writers:
Hans Bauer, Randall McCormick (Story); Ben Edlund, John
August, Joss Whedon (Screenplay)
You know, I actually liked Titan A.E. Not a perfect movie by any
means, but when I talk to my friends about it, I shrug and say "it's
alright." But I sure as heck wouldn't even go that far on the DVD
itself. Uh uh. Honestly, the Titan A.E. DVD seems to me a study
on exactly how not to do a Special Edition!
The movie itself is about the destruction of the planet Earth, and how
mankind - one in particular, named Cale - fares afterward. Normally,
that'd be a major spoiler, but in this animated adventure, the Earth
bites the dust in the first five minutes. A bold move in the writers'
part, because most Science Fiction movies deal with saving the
poor planet!
The rest of the film, while entertaining, ain't rocket science. One
problem is that the bold beginning worked against the writers by
obviating the ending. We also have (spoiler warning!) the rather cliche
scenario where the Captain betrays Cale, but has second thoughts at the
last second, and even helps save the day. Imagine that (unfortunately,
the writers couldn't imagine something other than that).
I definitely enjoyed the animation, a very obvious mix between hand drawn
2-D characters, and computer generated 3-D backgrounds. While I
personally feel that this technique won't always mesh well, becoming so
blatant that it would become distracting, the genre and setting here worked
to the animators' advantage. Computers and science fiction do mix.
Where the movie really goes south is in the soundtrack. I like Grunge
music, really I do, but I have my limits, and throwing a bunch of it into
a half-way decent movie crosses the line. I'm sure the producers thought
hiring a bunch of Grunge bands to write songs specifically for Titan
A.E. would pull in teenagers by the droves. Big mistake. Music sets
a mood, a tone. But all I ended up feeling was annoyed. Hopefully Fox
learned a lesson here: Hard Rock may be hip and cool, but it just doesn't
mesh with a movie soundtrack.
Honestly, every time I consider dropping Titan A.E. back into my
DVD player, I remember this awful soundtrack and just skip right over it.
What a tragedy, since it's otherwise an entertaining movie.
Really, this is the only bad thing I'd say about the sound. Since
Fox included a DTS track on the disc, everything else came through very
sharp, clean and clear. I loved the detail. And while they went with a
more subtle surround track than I'd prefer, it still felt right.
The image quality fared equally well. I'm not sure what it is about
animation on DVD, (I think it's the punchy colors, and high-contrast
darks and lights) but I've been impressed with almost every animated
disc I've seen. Titan A.E. is no exception! (I've heard rumors
that Titan A.E. received a digital-to-digtal transfer, going
straight from computer to DVD with no film involved, and while
I haven't verified this, I do believe it - it looks that good!)
Now when it comes to features, let me say that if the Grunge soundtrack
didn't give you a Titan-sized headache, these extras will. It's like
everything Fox added for this DVD pushed the envelope of human tolerance
for abuse. Take, for example, the Fox Kids Special "The Quest for the
Titan." I might have tolerated its MTV-style snap cuts, that choppy,
strobe-effect during the interviews, and the grunge mood
music - if it gave one shred of real information. Note
to Fox: abuse minus redeeming value equals angry consumer!
I'm not sure how I actually survived long enough to check out the
commentary, but I certainly didn't make it far after that. Obviously the
DVD producers thought that, surely, anyone who enjoys being bombarded by
a bad Featurette will just love to hear every single thing that went
wrong with Titan A.E. because that's exactly what Director Don
Bluth gives us on the commentary. I gotta wonder if they got anything
right. Of course, this is the only informative feature on the
disc, but having the director constantly point out the problems sort of
taints the whole experience.
Oh yes, and to round out this torture chamber of extras, we get a music
video by Lit. Yet another reminder that this garbage (yes that really
is a synonym for "Grunge") pretty-much made the movie unwatchable.
Maybe one explanation for these crummy features had to do with bitterness
on the part of the producers - Fox disbanded their animation department
after making Titan A.E. Revenge of the disgruntled Fox
employees? Hmm.
Be that as it may, it probably didn't help anyone that the movie only
pulled $35 Million in box office receipts. I honestly don't think Fox
was too smart with this piece of property. They could've turned a
heftier profit, if they only tried. On my own, I came up with ten
possibilities.
The Top 10 Ways to Make More Money Off Titan A.E.
10. Attract the kiddies: after the Earth is destroyed, have Matt Damon
and Bill Pullman break into a Grunge version of Hakuna Matata.
9. At the end of the Fox Kid's Network special, segue into a snuff movie
involving all the people involved with making the special. (Optional:
Throw in Oliver Stone as "added value material" to boot.)
8. Disband your animation department and give all the high-speed
supercomputers to management so they can cut corners twice as quickly.
7. Volunteer millions of children for a study exploring
Television-induced brain damage. Name the study "Fox Kid's Network."
6. Make a DVD that includes a watchable and truly informative
documentary.
5. Charge twice as much for a version that removes the Grunge
soundtrack.
4. Invest in aspirin company, watch sales skyrocket after Titan
A.E. DVD release.
3. Before hiring Grunge bands to do your music, remember: A lot of
things rhyme with Lit, but only one of them matters.
2. Make the movie better by using a director who actually cares about
the project.
1. Instead of a wimpy cockroach that sounds like Joe Pesci, send the
real Joe Pesci after the Drej with a baseball bat and let him save
the human race.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.