When a rogue wave capsizes a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, a small group of survivors find themselves unlikely allies in a battle for their lives. As the unstable vessel rapidly floods with water, they face unimaginable odds and life-altering decisions in their desperate fight to the surface.
The 1972 disaster hit The Poseidon Adventure was ripe for a big-budget CGI remake, and who better to helm it than thriller expert Wolfgang Petersen, director of Das Boot and The Perfect Storm? It hardly matters that a TV movie remake (also based on Paul Gallico's original 1969 source novel) was made less than a year before, because Petersen's version is far more spectacular, with shocking digital effects, massive sets, amazing stunt-work and enough fire and water to fill five movies with challenging worst-case scenarios. Once again, the plot concerns the capsizing (by a massive "rogue wave") of a state-of-the-art luxury liner, and the struggle of a small group of survivors (including Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, and Richard Dreyfuss) to climb upwards, to the ship's hull, in their treacherous quest for a safe exit. Unfortunately, most of these characters are two-dimensional and under-developed (especially when compared to the 1972 film's all-star cast), and the unimaginative screenplay by Mark Protosevich (reportedly worked on by several uncredited writers) subjects them to a rote series of obstacles that grow increasingly routine and repetitious, not to mention contrived and illogical. Again, it hardly matters, because Petersen's handling of non-stop action is so slick and professional that Poseidon gets by on sheer adrenaline. The capsizing scenes are nothing less than awesome, with some effects so real (and so horrifying) that younger and more sensitive viewers may need to look away. And while it lacks the engaging humanity of the 1972 version, Poseidon is certainly never boring. Faint praise, perhaps, but you'll get your popcorn's worth of mindless entertainment. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
Fantastic!:
Okay, I've heard and read all the reviews about how cheesy this movie is. But it's not supposed to be rocket science. It's not even supposed to be real. However, I honestly have no plans to take a cruise anytime soon. Josh Lucas was wonderful as the reluctant hero. He did not want to be responsible for these people; but as they slowly ascended the ship - and tragedy after tragedy began to strike - you saw his pain in his inability to stop things from happening. Mia Maestro was fantastic as the... more info
Great Buy:
I received the item in a timely manner, and in the condition indicated. Recommended to buy from this seller.
DISAPPOINTMENT... 7 OUT OF 10:
Oh Kurt Russel, what happened to you? Your roles in movies like The Thing and 3000 Miles to Graceland were great, and now you're like a cheap prostitute for a movie role. You just had to pick a worthless role of a father of a teenage daughter with all the stupid drama thrown in... a disaster movie. Great....
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Think of this movie as a combination of Titanic and The Perfect Storm. Then, remove the great characters and replace them with characters so worthless you care less about them... more info
Nice Effects and great movie!:
I just got done watching this movie a couple nights ago. It was a great movie! The visual effects were outstanding and the plot and characters were awesome! It was really fun watching this movie and I highly recommend it!!!
