The big budget remake Poseidon has everything needed to be a great film – a director who knows how to handle this kind of movie, top Hollywood stars, and killer special effects. However, the film sinks more than swims thanks to a lack of character development and a plot that has the actors going from one death defying stunt to another with no real direction for the audience to follow.
Poseidon is director Wolfgang Peterson’s remake of the classic 1972 disaster flick The Poseidon Adventure – which some critics site as being the film that helped launch the whole disaster genre in movies. The original film (which also features a cast of top Hollywood talent) was made for about $5 million, and took in about $93 million at the U.S. box office. Peterson’s update was made for about $160 million and only managed to take in about $61 million at the U.S. box office – not a good sign that we will be seeing the Towering Inferno remade next.
The updated screenplay was written by Mark Protosevich and was once again loosely based on the novel by Paul Gallico. The film stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Jacinda Barrett, Emmy Rossum, Mike Vogel, Kevin Dillon, and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas.
Although some aspects of the plot have been changed, the basic elements are still there. A big rogue wave hits the cruise ship Poseidon flipping it upside down, and a group of survivors must travel through the ship to hopefully find a way to escape. Naturally, as they make their way through the wreckage they are faced with all kinds of life and death situations which send more than a few to a watery grave (at least there aren’t any snakes on the boat).
The small group of determined survivors is led by Dylan Johns (Lucas) – a gambler who quickly decides that he knows better than the captain – and Robert Ramsey (Russell) - a former firefighter and past former New York City mayor who has been through some kind of disaster before. Ramsey joins up with Johns because he wants to find his daughter Jennifer (Emmy Rossum) and then wants to get her to safety. The rest of the survivors seeking a way out include Maggie James (Barrett) and her son Conor (Jimmy Bennett); Jennifer’s boyfriend Christian (Vogel); Elena Gonzalez (Mía Maestro); Richard Nelson (Dreyfuss); and Lucky Larry (Dillon) – who turns out not to be so lucky.
The survivors face danger at every turn
Although they really have no idea of where they are going, the group quickly decides the best way to escape the sinking ship is by climbing to the hull and exiting out the propeller shaft. This leads them on a dangerous journey full of blazing fires, flooding water, and thrilling climbing sequences where one wrong step could spell doom. The problem with Poseidon is that these stunts are all the film really has to offer.
All of the characters have some kind of story for being on the ship, and some even have some pretty interesting backgrounds. However, the film’s pace never gives any of the characters a chance to develop or for the audience to really understand who they are. It is clear that Russell’s biggest concern is saving his daughter, but if you blink you might miss the whole “former New York City Mayor” aspect of the character or why he is so uptight about his daughter’s appearance and behavior. You have to assume that Lucas is some kind of gambler because some of his lines are about how he takes money from rich drunks, but again if you blink you will miss it.
The same can be said for why Barrett is on the boat with her son, but no husband. Dreyfuss mentions having a boyfriend that broke up with him right before the cruise, but other than a quick phone call and a comment to some friend that story is abandoned.
The film has great actors in it, but with the lack of real characters for them to develop it is money wasted because anyone could have filled the roles. None of the actors are bad in the film, but it is clear they are not the “star” of the movie.
Just like the characters are never developed, the boat itself becomes just one big stunt after another as our group jumps down a makeshift rope, climbs over wreckage, and crawls through rapidly flooding air vents. Since the filmmakers take very little time really showing the boat before it capsizes, you never get a sense of where the group is in relation with where they are going. This kind of takes some of the excitement out of the film since you are literally waiting for the next big stunt.
Lucas and Russell take charge
With all that said, Poseidon does pack some big stunts that help it achieve a “popcorn” rollercoaster ride feeling. Peterson keeps the film’s pace rushing as fast as the water that is filling the ship. Just like the survivors, the audience doesn’t have a chance to catch a breath before being rushed into the next big action sequence. The special effects are great, and the film is worth watching for the sheer “turn your brain off and enjoy” plot.
The DVD is being released in two different versions – a single disc and a two-disc special edition. The single disc edition of the DVD contains the same special features that are located on the first disc of the two-disc special edition.
Disc One special features include “Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage: The Complexities of Making a Modern Adventure Movie” – which is 22 minute standard “making of” featurette that takes you through the various aspects of bringing the movie to the screen, and includes interviews with the cast (many of which signed on to the project because of the director). The disc also includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
Disc Two special features include two more looks at the making of the film and a documentary from The History Channel. “Poseidon: Upside Down: A Unique Set Design Chronicle” is about 10 minutes long and takes a look at the amount of production art that went into designing the ship’s look. “A Shipmate’s Diary: A Film School Intern’s Experiences on the Set” is a fun “inside” look at the making of the film using film footage that was shot by Peterson’s PA on the film Malona Voigt. “The History Channel Documentary Rogue Waves” is about 28 minutes long and takes a very detailed look at the “killer wave.”
While Poseidon packs big budget special effects, top Hollywood stars, and a great director, the film was a bit of a disappointment to me. I have never been a great fan of the original film so some of the changes to the story really didn’t bother me. However, I quickly lost interest in the film due to its lack of any real characters or reason for me to care about what these people were going through. The film does have some great stunts, killer effects, and manages to be entertaining.
The film is filled with one big stunt after another
At the same time, it doesn’t deliver on the grand scale that you would really expect from the cast and a film with such a huge budget. I would recommend the film to anyone wanting some “popcorn” fun that they can watch without having to devote much thought.
Poseidon – Two-Disc Special Edition is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an October 2nd release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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