On New Year's Eve, the luxury ocean liner Poseidon capsizes after being swamped by a rogue wave. The survivors are left to fight for their lives as they attempt to escape the sinking ship.On New Year's Eve, the luxury ocean liner Poseidon capsizes after being swamped by a rogue wave. The survivors are left to fight for their lives as they attempt to escape the sinking ship.On New Year's Eve, the luxury ocean liner Poseidon capsizes after being swamped by a rogue wave. The survivors are left to fight for their lives as they attempt to escape the sinking ship.
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'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.
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.
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
This high budget remake mingles action, intrigue, disaster spectacle , suspense and quite entertaining though plenty of clichés. Our heroes get stuck in the ship before it sinks and suffering risks, dangers and death. The protagonists spend most of their time devising grisly ways for avoid to die like in the original picture based on a novel by Paul Gallico.The movie isn't bad but the events were also spectacularly filmed in classic version, previously winner several Oscar Academy Award.Introductory sequences are a little boring but one soon gets caught in the tale when the vessel is capsized by tidal wave.The explosions, pyrotechnics and floods are sensational but the movie is just another habitual blockbuster product and resulted to be a box office flop, in spite of a million dollars production. Furthermore, displays a sensational soundtrack by Klaus Badelt and enjoyable cinematography by John Seale.The picture is professionally directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It's a rehash of the previous disaster movies and fairly watchable story.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaMany members of the cast and crew came down with minor infections due to being in dirty water for so many hours a day.
- GoofsScrew type propellers designed to work in water, are very poor at moving air, as they are not aerofoil type propellers like the ones used on airplanes. Therefore they would not be able to cause a huge pressure difference in a bow thruster pipe.
- Quotes
Dylan Johns: Does your husband...
Maggie James: oh, does that work much?
Dylan Johns: What?
Maggie James: The tentative mention of a husband I'm supposed to correct, even though you clocked my wedding finger twice already.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Rogue Waves: The Sinking of Poseidon (2006)
- SoundtracksWon't Let You Fall
Written by Fergie (as Stacy Ferguson), Will.i.am (as Will Adams), Keith Harris (as Keith Harris), Byron McWilliams and Ron Fair
Produced by Will.i.am
Arranged, Conducted by and Vocals Produced by Ron Fair
Co-Produced by Ron Fair
Performed by Fergie
Fergie appears courtesy of A&M Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Details
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- Also known as
- Poseidon
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Box office
- Budget
- $160,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $60,674,817
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $22,155,410
- May 14, 2006
- Gross worldwide
- $181,674,817
- Runtime
- 1h 38m(98 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1