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Whilst not holding a candle to the far superior original in terms of script, plot and acting, this remake of the classic 1972 'The Poseidon Adventure' is at least watchable which is more than can be said for a lot of the seemingly endless tide of remakes hitting cinemas these days.

The characters (for want of a better word) are a bit thin and cardboard and the plot really is just a long string of reasonably predictable set pieces but at least it entertains. The best bit is the special effects which are absolutely top drawer. For some reason Hollywood can do some really good FX and CGI when it comes to boats and the CGI rendition of the Poseidon itself in the opening scene is incredibly well done.

Top marks also to the Producers for making sure the Poseidon is a proper British flagged Southampton registered ship and not some Americanised tub.

Much like its predecessor though I fully expect this version to become stable Bank Holiday afternoon television filler material for the next twenty years. Just a pity a remake of 'Beyond the Poseidon Adventure' can't be done from this.

Especially one that sinks Titanic in special effects...

This is a remake of The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Before you jump on the bandwagon and start bashing it on this basis alone, keep it mind that the original film was not exactly a masterpiece. It was a film that sacrificed scientific reality to propel an inane plot, filled with one-dimensional characters and compensated for it with action-overload. Poseidon is exactly the same -- ridiculous plot, intrepid characters and big slice of adventure. What is different in this version is the masterful CGI. This is a perfect time to remake a film like this (much better than in 1972) -- just go overboard with special effects and no one will notice the flawed writing (which is basically a sketchbook mess).

This is the reason Poseidon does not fail in entertaining the audience. I'll admit that I was skeptical when Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas appeared in all her plastic surgery glory and Josh Lucas spouted out some cheeseball line ("Where is the disco?" "Why, you feel like dancing now?"), but I set its cringeworthy dialogue aside early on and focused my energy on not wanting to kill Fergie. The giant tidal wave capsizing the luxury liner Poseidon would take care of that, leaving only a small group of people fighting to reach the top and get out.

Another thing, besides special effects, that is by far better in this version is that the characters are actually interested in surviving and do not stop every few minutes for a petty argument as in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Make no mistake however, these characters are still dumb to the core, getting by on lucky circumstances, occasional heroic feats and conveniently appearing objects and hatches – you've seen it all before, but damn, this is sensationally quality action.

Overall, Poseidon is bathed in a militantly hectic mood and is as fast-paced as any action film you'll see. It features mind-numbing special effects, overdoses of excitement and just typical Wolfgang Peterson overkill. It definitely won't disappoint you if you're looking for cheap but solid adrenaline kicks. I'd even happily sit through this experience again.

6.5/10

Although 'Poseidon' was not all that well received, I actually enjoyed it more than the original, highly acclaimed 'The Poseidon Adventure' (of which 'Poseidon' is a remake), which I found too comical and unbelievable despite its good cast.

'Poseidon' is an action adventure survival thriller, with the focus on the survival element. It doesn't spend much time on character introductions and jumps right into the chaos, so we get to know the characters once their quest for survival begins. Excellent visual effects and a fantastic production design help bring this film to life, making it realistic and conceivable. The capsize scene, especially, was incredibly well done.

The film does follow the same pattern as most disaster films of this genre, with stereotypical characters, and it's always easy to spot the dispensable ones. Essentially, this is a slasher movie - just a different kind of slasher. Due to the film's short running time (94 minutes), it is fast-paced and entertaining throughout and doesn't waste a minute of screen time.

The film features a stellar cast, but I don't think I would have cared who the actors were, as the story was interesting enough and well executed. It is a nail-biter with one primary focus: survival. In my humble opinion, the film succeeded in that aspect. I've watched the movie a few times and enjoy it every time. 'Poseidon' is a disaster movie that delivers.

It all starts off so well too. The opening shot of Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidon is beautiful. A single take that begins beneath the surface of the ocean that swings up and out of it as the underside of the ship slices through the waves, before pivoting round the colossal cruise liner and zeroing in on Josh Lucas running on the deck. With the sun setting in the distance and the immense size of the vessel itself contrasted with the deep blue of the water, this is a visually astounding entrance to a movie that is unfortunately very shallow indeed.

A remake of the classic disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure, this tells much the same story with a small group of passengers trying to escape a doomed ocean liner after it capsizes due to a freak wave. Given the beloved status of the original, besting it was going to be tricky from the start so how to do it? Bestow the characters with as much depth and humanity as possible, arrange it so that you don't want any of them to die just as the original film did? No. That isn't the 21st Century Studio Approach to blockbusters at all, the trick is explosions! Lots of explosions! And dangerous stunts that happen in very quick succession with no set up whatsoever.

As a result, things happen very quickly. We've hardly got to know anyone on the ship before the wave strikes and sends their world tumbling upside down in a hail of glass and debris. Trapped beneath the waves, there is no debate on the best means of survival but instead a bull headed rush to escape as soon as possible and before you know it, barely any time has elapsed before we have our luckless nobodies dangling from lift shafts, diving through burning oil slicks or scrambling up air vents rapidly filling with water. This could all be very entertaining if it wasn't so empty and if only they'd eased back on the throttle a little bit, we could have had a much more successful film.

Kurt Russell for instance is wasted. As an ex firefighter and former Mayor of New York with a failed marriage behind him, they could have crafted the image of a troubled man going through a midlife crisis who finds himself tested beyond his limits. Instead, the only hints at any characterisation are him protesting his daughter's cleavage bearing dress to leave no doubt that theirs is a strained relationship. Then there is Richard Dreyfuss (who has finally found a bigger boat), whose character might as well be listed in the credits as "depressed, elderly gay man." Everyone else is just as vacuous and while Josh Lucas is certainly a charismatic focal point, it cannot make up for the two dimensional stereotypes of Kevin Dillon's gambler Lucky Larry or Mike Vogel's performance as Christian, the fiancée of Russell's daughter who manages to put in perhaps the worst attempt at acting you will see in a blockbuster this year.

It does have a few commendable points though. One death scene involving a lift shaft, jagged metal spikes and an explosion is an adrenaline pumping crowd pleaser and the aforementioned scramble through the flooding ventilation shaft is really quite tense, the ensemble cast squeezed together in a claustrophobic nightmare as the water bubbles up around them. Ultimately though, it is not enough to save it. Poseidon may make for a diverting hour and a half but Hollywood needs to learn a valuable lesson about plotting: bigger explosions and insane stunts are nowhere near as impressive if we don't care about the people involved. The original version made an entire generation terrified of getting on a boat with Ernest Borgnine, this is just laughable.

I went in expecting the least, but was pleasantly surprised by a handful of qualities the movie had to offer. Once you get past your formulaic introduction of characters, which honestly felt gratituous by the movie's end, the high-end production played its cards right, showing off some solid CGI in bursts, and relying more on the people to carry the tension. Not to mention Josh Lucas as the lead, laudably so, with Kurt Russell co-piloting the adventure, engaging as usual. Most of the drama was pretty meh to me and my biggest gripe revolves around a certain plot point that chewed up an unnecessary 15min, meanwhile we never get an explanation for why so many explosions occur on the ship throughout the entire movie. Past those, Dreyfuss and Emmy Rossum carry their own, even Freddy Rodriguez and Mike Vogel were good. There's some cheese, some eyerolling, and maybe even some unintentional humor, but if this type of flick is up your alley to begin with, you're bound to enjoy it. I just wish the ending had offered a glimpse of the survivors back home, how their lives turned out. A high 6 from me.

The production value is tremendous. The cast and acting is great. Intense and overwhelming.

Hollywood you better get your act together. Thanks you for spitting out another INSTANTLY forgettable "Blockbuster" Thank God I only paid $4 dollars to see this. Not only can't the Studios come up with original material. The material they remake is worse than the original. If this crap keeps up you will have even less of an audience. A good cast given nothing to chew on and a Director who has made great films and this is what we get? 150 million and the Ballroom set in the original was more impressive?

Video games are so prevalent in society that I fear their mind numbing influence is starting to permeate even NON video game derived movies. The original movie was a good solid, involving movie. This remake takes every element of the original and removes what made it involving. I mean EVERY element. There are people out there making these decisions!! And they are paid huge sums to make these decisions! With the talent in front of and behind the camera this is truly frightening as this seems to be the norm at the present.

Right from the start there is almost NO set up. We don't know where the ship is, where it is sailing, even what ocean it's on! Things that actually would create some atmosphere like the originals speech by the Captain explaining the origin of Poseidon. Greek God of the Sea. They are sailing on the Mediterranean, to Greece? Get it? Cheesy but involving. You know it gives the proceedings some gravatis, some mystery. In the remake we get nothing, we are are in Video game land, we don't have time for such things.

Even the cause for the disaster has absolutely no set up. Happy new year, bang, the tidal wave hits. Unlike the originals slow build up, as it explained WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND WHY! Even the effects in the original worked better. They were simpler but executed as a whole created more of an impact because of the tension that was built up. Again a sense of gravity, HUMAN INVOLVEMENT and Atmosphere! Even in the original, Leslie Nielsen's corny grimace as the wave engulfs the ship. It's goofy but you REMEMBER IT. You know a character we identify with reacting to the impending disaster. It's a very basic cinematic technique. But I guess todays more "sophisticated" audience don't need this kind of thing anymore.

There is no human involvement in the wave hitting in this remake. The Captain isn't called to the bridge, no build up, just some crew members we've had no contact with running around. Absolutely unmemorable. The effects are impressive but who cares, I'm not given anything to latch on to.

Straight across the board EVERY situation is diminished from the original. The scene chewing conflict between Gene Hackaman and Ernest Borgnine is totally lost in the remake. There is NO conflict with the characters. NONE! It's just one disaster to overcome to the next. You know , like a VIDEO GAME.

Even the self sacrificing Shelly Winters death swim has almost no emotional impact because the character doesn't return and die in front of everybody. Like DUH! Hey screen writers perhaps you should learn of something called ELEMENTS OF DRAMA!! Even if you have no talent you could at least COPY the original, not make it worse! Absolutely mind boggling!! If you WANTED to sabotage the original you couldn't have done a better job. UNREAL! All you film lovers just keep repeating "Things will get better" Repeat it like a prayer.

This version isn't that bad but it's nothing if you compare it to The Poseidon Adventure (1972) - which is a far superior film. But this 2006 is still worth a watch if you want a pretty decent remake.

The stars Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher, and Kevin Dillon are in this - and as always they shine on screen. The rest of the actors aren't bad either.

Lots of visual eye-candy, good cinematography, good acting helps this mediocre script.

If you want a super good version of the book then watch the 1972 film, but you won't go to wrong watching this 2006 remake - just don't expect it to be great.

6/10.

Let's get the fact that the story is entirely unbelievable out of the way first. A cruise ship being knocked over and floating upside down in the ocean... I don't think so. But, once you're past that, it's quite entertaining as far as survival action movies go. The journey through the ship is a nail bitter and first rate crazy. The characters are well developed and bring you into the storyline. Well done.

On New Year's Eve, the luxury cruise ship Poseidon is hit by an enormous wave that flips it upside-down stranding thousands of passengers underwater. A group of passengers join together to try to escape the ship.

The original Poseidon was decent disaster film. It had engaging characters, decent special effects and a cheesy storyline. The remake is more or less the same minus the interesting characters, charm and suspense. Okay, the remake did have a few suspenseful scenes though nothing very memorable or original. The reason why the film wasn't very suspenseful was because the characters were all one dimensional and dull. There was no character development at all so it was hard to care for these people. While watching the movie, it's just easier to refer to them as generic titles like "the old guy" or something. Actually, if you use this method then you can probably figure out who will die and in what order they will die.

The acting is very weak and unconvincing. Josh Lucas is an okay actor but he wasn't very good here. He just didn't make a good hero nor was his character very likable. Kurt Russell was okay, nothing special. Emmy Rossum was terrible as Jennifer. Her performance felt so forced and over the top. The way she expressed her emotions just looked so fake and unconvincing. Jimmy Bennett was just annoying as Conor. Richard Dreyfuss was very misused and his character seemed out of place. Jacinda Barrett gives a laughable performance, it was just very poor. I should warn you (or comfort you?) that Stacy Ferguson from the Black Eyed peas is only in the movie for about 10 minutes, maybe a little less.

When judged as a disaster film, Poseidon is actually pretty decent. The special effects were great though 160 million was obviously just a bit too much. Wolfgang Petersen is really good at making a film appear stylish including the ship which looked amazing. His storytelling skills aren't as good though. The combination of a weak script didn't help matters either. The movie was just too corny at times for my taste. For example, there was once scene where Josh Lucas was planning to escape the ballroom and one by one, the rest of the characters just come up and ask to come along. It was just a bit too obvious and they should have handled it differently. I also thought it was kind of dumb that all the characters were able to hold their breath underwater for large amounts of time. Despite these flaws, there were a few engaging scenes and some touching moments. Also, the movie is pretty short so it's not really too much of a pain to sit through. This helped the experience a little though I wouldn't have minded a longer movie. In the end, Poseidon may not be worth checking out in theaters but it should make for a decent rental. Rating 6/10

In 'Poseidon' Josh Lucas plays Dylan Johns, a professional gambler. When a freak 'rogue wave' incident causes the Poseidon cruise ship to capsize, Dylan has gamble for his life. Deciding not to listen to the captain (Andre Braugher), Dylan tries leads a group of passengers (Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, etc.) to safety.

This is a modern remake of the 1972 'The Poseidon Adventure'. I do not remember the original, but I think this one live up to its name. It is like 'Titanic' meets 'The Towering Inferno'. There is a lot of intense action that keeps one on the edge of their seat.

There is not much drama and I do not think it will add too much to the original story. I also noticed that the movie is just over an hour and a half, it is not very long. However, I think audiences will enjoy the intensity of this film.

I didn't know what to expect of Poseiden. It wasn't too bad of a movie. I expected, and got, some fine special effects that the original Poseiden Adventure lacked. Come to think of it that guy falling through the skylight in the original is still pretty doggone impressive even if it was the result of old technology. I liked Kurt Russell as the ex mayor.

In his finest performance since "What About Bob?" Richard Dreyfus is convincing as a suicidal guy who seems to prefer inside-the-ship drowning to the traditional jumping off the rail.

Its hard not to compare the old with the new version of this film.

If you are like me and have a short attention span you will appreciate the absence of lengthy, why are we here?, if a tree falls in the forest..what is the meaning of life?,reflective, dialogue that was so much a part of the Posieden Adventure.

This film ranks right up there with The Fugitive for non stop action. But having said that I missed the innocence and quaintness of the Poseiden Adventure. I missed the intensity of Gene Hackman passionately preaching that if they will only believe he will lead them to the sign that reads "Capsize Emergency Exit". I missed Shelly Winters heroic New York City swimming championship sequence. I missed ex cop Ernest Borgnine...and who can ever forget the presence of mind of Captain Leslie Neilson in wishing everyone on the bridge Happy New Year with the wave bearing down on them...also the climbing up the Christmas tree to get to the bottom of things. I even missed Red Buttons vitamin supplements.

All in all Poseiden was good entertainment and I was not disappointed with the movie.

This movie epitomizes what is wrong with Hollywood today. Because they lack imagination, the major film studios either copy an idea from a foreign film (Japanese, French, English, especially) or make a sequel or remake of an an existing moneymaker and milk it to death. Where are the original ideas? The Hollywood movie industry (and most of American TV for that matter) has become far too idealistic in my view. The characters are depicted as, not how people really are, but how we would like them to be, and the viewers often emulate what they see on screen as if life actually IS like that. Why should it be all about the 'bottom line'. Out of the top 10 top grossing movies each year, how many actually make a profit? It seems to be a matter of just churning out this sort of garbage and hoping for the best. Why don't the major studios spend the same amount of money making fewer but better films? One wonders sometimes how people are convinced into investing good money in making this rubbish. Poseidon? So far this 'blockbuster' has grossed $50 million – a long way from the $140 million it cost to make. Chances are it won't even break even. It becomes very obvious right from the start that it is formulaic and clichéd. For example, why anyone in their right mind would take a woman and her young son along with the exploring party is anyone's guess. Probably because they prove useful along the way. The Hispanic busboy (Valentine) who tags along was the obvious candidate to die being a nonentity, an unknown actor. It's all squarely aimed at the 'demographic' – the 13-30 group. That's why there is always a child involved in the story, why most of the characters are 30 years old – and good looking. That's why we have a politically correct cast with a black captain, Hispanic entertainers, etc. There is a always a love interest to attract the female segment of the audience and there is always a happy ending one way or another. We have the usual combination of 'B' list actors and those desperate for work, who go through the motions of what passes for acting these days. 'Stand on your mark and say your line when it's your turn'. Don't the directors realize that when people talk to one another, they often interrupt one another? Robert Altman knows this but few others. The special effects are good but with a few too many quick camera movements that are hard on the eye after a while. After only a few minutes I realized that I had seen this movie before in all its forms. Even though the backdrop changes, the character development is always the same. The guy who cares only for himself discovers that he has some redeeming features, The hero will do heroic things and maybe make the supreme sacrifice to save others. Father and son/daughter will reconcile their differences, the coward becomes brave, etc.etc. I've seen it all before.

I have seen this movie and, though Wolfgang Peterson is one of my favorite directors, he tells his story more in the visual than in character. In other words, he'd rather fill a movie with all sorts of dazzling special effects, play a lot with CG, fill huge tanks with water and life-size boats on "gimbles" than to tell a more "human" story. His main characters were the special effects rather that any humans acting in it. He assumes the audience simply isn't interested so much in what makes up the characters involved, just the need to play with them. In Poseidon, there is a massive amount of footage showing people falling to their deaths, victims of "flash fires", lots of cool underwater explosions and, his favorite, CG. Unfortunately, character development doesn't exist. In fact, the movie risks itself as being a modern "B" movie, with actors that don't deserve to play in such features. In short, Poseidon doesn't stand a chance to be a classic the original Poseidon Adventure was, and I don't think he intended it to be. Too bad.

Let me start off by saying I love Wolfgang Peterson as a director but I really think he needs to broaden his horizons. He is known for making intelligent action flicks. I love him for that but honestly the man is a visionary and should try something new for a change. Anyway, to the movie. Good not great. A lot more intelligent and well researched. It still has typical action flaws like how an earth can someone breath underwater for what feels like five minutes but thats an action flick and you appreciate that. Visual effects are amazing. I still think Troy is the movie that produces the best effects but this is a worthy competitor. You also have your typical human interest stories which are one of the only things that annoy me in this man's film because they always feel like he has just thrown them in there without much care. The other thing about his movies that annoys me is the fact that he doesn't work on his actors much. I liked Brad Pitt in Troy but a lot of people didn't. I did not however like Josh Lucas and Kurt Russel was alright but not extremely appealing. That said I thin the worst main actor for one of his movies goes to Dustin Hoffman in Outbreak. It is probably his best action movie but I laugh when I see Dustin Hoffman try and be serious in this movie and I also think the man needs to work on his dialogue. I no this sounds like a scathing review but I did enjoy it and it kept me interested throughout the whole movie which is the main point of a movie so yeah, I wouldn't hesitate to call this a decent movie, with errors though!

Starting with the good things, it is brilliant technically and visually. The cinematography is great, the editing is crisp, the special effects are superb and the set-pieces are somewhat exciting. Plus the music score is pretty good.

However, it is very much inferior to the wonderful 1972 film in terms of script, story and acting.

The script is clichéd and cheesy at times, the story is bloated as a result of cramming too many plots and situations in, the pacing is uneven being rushed one minute and draggy at other parts and the characters lack depth. Also the acting isn't great, Josh Lucas is a bland lead while Kurt Russell tries his best to elevate the adventure but the script sets him adrift. It is pretty much the same with Richard Dreyfuss and Emmy Rossum too. Overall, was great visually but it is bloated and forgettable. In some ways it is an example of a movie that is all style and little substance. 4/10 Bethany Cox