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Poseidon [Special Edition]

Actor(s): Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Jacinda Barrett, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum
Director(s): Wolfgang Petersen
126

Movie Details

MPAA Rating: PG-13
Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Language, Children in Peril
Movie Release: 2006
DVD Release: 08/22/2006
Format: DVD - Color,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned
Edition: Dual Layered
Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 2
Number of Discs: 2
Run Time: 1 hrs 38 mins
Studio: Warner Home Video
Total Copies: 6
Genres: Action, Disaster Film, Sea Adventure
See Also: Poseidon [Widescreen], Poseidon [Fullscreen], Poseidon [HD DVD]

DVD Synopsis

Set adrift in the vast waters of the North Atlantic for a luxury New Year's Eve party staged in the ship's magnificent ballroom, the massive ocean-liner Poseidon receives an unexpected jolt when a rogue, 100-foot wave rolls it completely upside down, forcing the surviving passengers to fight their way to safety in Das Boot director Wolfgang Petersen's waterlogged blockbuster. Trapped beneath the waterline and implored by the captain to remain in place until a rescue team arrives, the panicked survivors struggle to keep their cool as the water begins to rush in, infernos blaze all around, and a loss of electricity plunges the doomed vessel into total darkness. Seasoned gambler Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas) isn't willing to wage his life on the prompt arrival of help, though, and as he attempts to navigate the treacherous, inverted maze of death, he is flanked by desperate band of like-minded seafarers including eight-year-old Conor (Jimmy Bennett) and his mother, Maggie (Jacinda Barrett), reticent stowaway Elena (M�a Maestro), suicidal Richard (Richard Dreyfus), and concerned father Robert (Kurt Russell), whose missing daughter may still be somewhere onboard along with her frightened fianc�. With a little luck and a little help from onboard waiter Marco (Freddy Rodriguez), the desperate team may just live to see the morning after. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Actors

Josh Lucas - Dylan Johns
Kurt Russell - Robert Ramsey
Jacinda Barrett - Maggie James
Richard Dreyfuss - Richard Nelson
Emmy Rossum - Jennifer Ramsey

Member Movie Reviews

Jason C. (JJC) from NEWARK, NJ wrote on 12/14/2007...

Remakes, yet again.

Out of nowhere, Warner Brothers decided to tackle the early seventies disaster genre. With "The Towering Inferno," "Earthquake" and like four "Airport" flicks to choose from, the WB decided to grab a good director (Wolfgang Petersen) and an ensemble of character actors and dish out an updated version of "The Poseidon Adventure," now shortend to simply "Poseidon."

This time round, Gene Hackman's character of the original is split into two characters, neither of which is a faith-questioned priest. Here we have the always awesome Kurt Russell tackling the role of Robert Ramsey, an aging ex-firemen who was also the ex-mayor of New York City, and Josh Lucas playing Dylan Johns, a suave card-shark, who makes a living hustling. So, the basic plot is simple: a gigantic tidal wave hits an oceanliner, which overturns. Thousands of deaths and only a handful survive...and it is their story we witness, trying to escape with their lives before the boat eventually sinks.

Now let me tell you why, this remake works.

In due respect to the original, which is a classic, it is dated and a tad bit hokey (however Hackman's performance still stands out in that film, and is not matched here). Written by Mark Protosevich, who hasn't had a script produced since his first entry "The Cell," does a very good job telling this story in what is practically real time. The performances are handled well, especially from the two leads (Russell and Lucas), however there is some cheese dialogue that bleeds through, I mean after all, it is a Hollywood popcorn flick. In addition to Russell and Lucas, the survival hungry team consists of: a single mother (Jacinda Barrett) and her young son (Jimmy Bennett), Ramsey's daughter (Emmy Rossum) and her disapproved of boyfriend (Mike Vogel), a suicidal gay man (Richard Dreyfuss), and a beautiful stowaway (Mía Maestro). The sets are great, and the film is tight. The claustrophobic feel and surprisingly shocking death scenes add to cool factor of the film.

I can't say if this is better than its predecessor or not (they are equal in my opinion), but it's an easy and tight 98 minutes, and escapist entertainment that works.