Poseidon (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
The waters rise in 'Poseidon', an action-adventure remake of the 1972 hit, The Poseidon Adventure. This version is directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Troy, A Perfect Storm). This film is decent. Had there been no The Poseidon Adventure, I would say that this was a truly unique story. But since there is such pressure to live up to the former, it could never be quite as good. This film focuses on the special effects, mass destruction, & the 'tense' factor. All of which is A+. The film suffers when the actual script/dialogue comes into play. We barely meet the main characters & a get a grip as to who they are, when suddenly the rogue wave is barreling down onto the ship. I squirmed in my seat, bit my nails, grimaced at floating bodies, & had some fun. But, overall, it doesn't match the complexity of the characters, the impressive roster of Hollywood actors, nor the epic-ness of the 1972 version.
Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas), a professional gambler, finds interest in Maggie (Jacinda Barrett). She has a son aboard named Connor (Jimmy Bennett). Richard (Richard Dreyfuss) is a homosexual architect who has recently split with his mate. He's rather depressed & contemplates his life aboard this massive vessel. Kurt Russell plays former Mayor of NYC, Robert Ramsey. He's a very protective father & barely gives his daughter, Jennifer (Emmy Rossum), and her soon-to-be-fiancee, Christian (Mike Vogel), enough room to breathe. They need the whole ship to hide from her father, to even get the chance to snatch some kisses in private. Elena Gonzalez (Mia Maestro, of 'Alias') is a stowaway who is befriended by kitchen-hand, Marco (Freddy Rodriguez). Lucky Larry (Kevin Dillon) is a lounge lizard. Andre Braugher (of 'Hustle') plays Captain Michael Bradford. And Gloria (Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas) plays the female entertainer on board.
We barely get a grasp of who these people are when the tidal wave pummels the ship. The New Year's Eve celebration comes to a halt as the ship begins capsizing. Before long, the ship is completely upside down. Bloody bodies, debris, & underwater explosions create haunting & terrifying visions on the screen. The filming/computer imaging of the ship's demise & what happened within those minutes are done spectacularly! It is as if you were right there in the main dining room when everything was coming down around them. While the Captain tries to calm the remaining survivors down, & ensure them that staying 'put' will keep them alive, it is Dylan who senses that the only opportunity for survival is to travel up (to the bottom of the ship) & escape. Dylan and the aforementioned characters dismiss the Captain's reservations, and begin their long, tedious climb to potential safety ... or death.
Most of these people live, some die. That is what happens in disaster films. I braced myself for the eventual deaths. I was pleased when certain characters lived. And the film delivered (as far as creating an eye-opening/eye-squinting splendor of destruction). Petersen also did well as far as making us, the audience, hold our breath along with the characters as they fear drowning, gasp for air in claustrophobic situations, & cling by their fingernails to prevent falling down elevator shafts. Electrocutions, trapped spaces, explosions, fires, jostling of the floor beneath them, etc. ... this host of terrible things occur and we feel the terror of each one.
This is a fine film, but it's not as grand as the 1972 version. Remember Gene Hackman & his struggle with faith? Remember Ernest Borgnine's stubbornness? But also remember how much he was in love with his Linda. Remember Manny & the devastation in losing his wife (Shelley Winters) as she saves the entire entourage? The first film gives us 45 minutes of character exposition before the actual wave arrives. In this film, it was here's-the-characters-and-here's-the-wave ... boom. We do not feel nearly as strong a tie to the characters in this 2006 version. And while the effects are thrilling, they aren't much better or worse than, say, 1997's Titanic. That being said, my eyes never left the screen, my popcorn quickly disappeared, & I felt like I had been through the ringer. Decent film. Adequate acting (for what the script called for). Subpar plotline. Great effects. End of story. Nice try, Wolfgang. But my loyalties lie with The Poseidon Adventure.
Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas), a professional gambler, finds interest in Maggie (Jacinda Barrett). She has a son aboard named Connor (Jimmy Bennett). Richard (Richard Dreyfuss) is a homosexual architect who has recently split with his mate. He's rather depressed & contemplates his life aboard this massive vessel. Kurt Russell plays former Mayor of NYC, Robert Ramsey. He's a very protective father & barely gives his daughter, Jennifer (Emmy Rossum), and her soon-to-be-fiancee, Christian (Mike Vogel), enough room to breathe. They need the whole ship to hide from her father, to even get the chance to snatch some kisses in private. Elena Gonzalez (Mia Maestro, of 'Alias') is a stowaway who is befriended by kitchen-hand, Marco (Freddy Rodriguez). Lucky Larry (Kevin Dillon) is a lounge lizard. Andre Braugher (of 'Hustle') plays Captain Michael Bradford. And Gloria (Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas) plays the female entertainer on board.
We barely get a grasp of who these people are when the tidal wave pummels the ship. The New Year's Eve celebration comes to a halt as the ship begins capsizing. Before long, the ship is completely upside down. Bloody bodies, debris, & underwater explosions create haunting & terrifying visions on the screen. The filming/computer imaging of the ship's demise & what happened within those minutes are done spectacularly! It is as if you were right there in the main dining room when everything was coming down around them. While the Captain tries to calm the remaining survivors down, & ensure them that staying 'put' will keep them alive, it is Dylan who senses that the only opportunity for survival is to travel up (to the bottom of the ship) & escape. Dylan and the aforementioned characters dismiss the Captain's reservations, and begin their long, tedious climb to potential safety ... or death.
Most of these people live, some die. That is what happens in disaster films. I braced myself for the eventual deaths. I was pleased when certain characters lived. And the film delivered (as far as creating an eye-opening/eye-squinting splendor of destruction). Petersen also did well as far as making us, the audience, hold our breath along with the characters as they fear drowning, gasp for air in claustrophobic situations, & cling by their fingernails to prevent falling down elevator shafts. Electrocutions, trapped spaces, explosions, fires, jostling of the floor beneath them, etc. ... this host of terrible things occur and we feel the terror of each one.
This is a fine film, but it's not as grand as the 1972 version. Remember Gene Hackman & his struggle with faith? Remember Ernest Borgnine's stubbornness? But also remember how much he was in love with his Linda. Remember Manny & the devastation in losing his wife (Shelley Winters) as she saves the entire entourage? The first film gives us 45 minutes of character exposition before the actual wave arrives. In this film, it was here's-the-characters-and-here's-the-wave ... boom. We do not feel nearly as strong a tie to the characters in this 2006 version. And while the effects are thrilling, they aren't much better or worse than, say, 1997's Titanic. That being said, my eyes never left the screen, my popcorn quickly disappeared, & I felt like I had been through the ringer. Decent film. Adequate acting (for what the script called for). Subpar plotline. Great effects. End of story. Nice try, Wolfgang. But my loyalties lie with The Poseidon Adventure.