Poseidon (DVD)

...yet!

'The Poseidon Adventure' may have possibly been my favourite movie when I was younger. From when I was about 7 I would sit in front of the TV with my mum and sister and sing along to 'There's Got to be a Morning After' and think thank goodness for the air pockets! I'd be amazed the at the Christmas Tree scene and feel as claustrophobic as they did when they got trapped in various situations.

Well, imagine my delight ...
...masterpieces.

Poseidon is directed by Wolfgang Peterson who also directed 'Das Boot', 'Troy' and 'The Perfect Storm', the latter two, to me, were dire. They are films I'd watch once and promptly forget or in the case of 'Troy' watch half then walk out of the cinema. I just hoped Poseidon would live up to its counterpart.

______ What's it about? ______

'What would you do if your world was turned upside-down?'
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This is only a film review as the DVD is not available yet!

'The Poseidon Adventure' may have possibly been my favourite movie when I was younger. From when I was about 7 I would sit in front of the TV with my mum and sister and sing along to 'There's Got to be a Morning After' and think thank goodness for the air pockets! I'd be amazed the at the Christmas Tree scene and feel as claustrophobic as they did when they got trapped in various situations.

Well, imagine my delight when I realised that there was a remake! A remake! With all the special effects and brilliant directors there are out there now it would be fantastic. So off I trot to the cinema and, wielding my popcorn and mineral water (see, healthy me!) I relive the adventure, CGI style. The film has received mixed reviews, some claim the movie is just another Titanic but without the full-frontal nudity, others think the film and storyline are stunning masterpieces.

Poseidon is directed by Wolfgang Peterson who also directed 'Das Boot', 'Troy' and 'The Perfect Storm', the latter two, to me, were dire. They are films I'd watch once and promptly forget or in the case of 'Troy' watch half then walk out of the cinema. I just hoped Poseidon would live up to its counterpart.

____ What's it about? ____

'What would you do if your world was turned upside-down?'

The Poseidon is a cruise liner. Being 20 storeys tall and with over 800 rooms for guests and visitors it is a giant among ships. The liner is full to the brim on a cruise to New York during New Year and no expenses were spared with the festivities. Hundreds upon hundreds of guest flock to the lavish Main Ballroom in order to celebrate the coming year…

…During the singing and merriment above and below decks the Chief Officer sees something in the distance: a huge wall of water advancing toward them at a phenomenal rate. Sounding the alarm he steers the boat away as best he can but it's to no avail. The ship capsizes and is forced upside down by the colossal strength of the wave…

…in the ballroom it's chaos. The alarm sounds but is barely audible above peoples screams. For some it's too late. People are thrown from the floor to the ceiling as the wave hits. Some are crushed, others electrocuted, while others are sucked out of the ship into their watery grave. Then, silence. Only a handful of people survive the carnage, of whom there are:

Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas) the leader of the group. It's his idea to climb up the ship to the hull and escape. He is a professional gambler and makes his fortune taking other peoples money.

Conor (Jimmy Bennett) and Maggie (Jacinda Barrett). Mother and son. Connor begs Dylan to take them along in his escape.

Robert Ramsey (Kurt Russell) and ex-fireman and ex-New York mayor. He has a strained relationship with his daughter who is also on board with her boyfriend.

Jennifer (Emily Rossum) and Christian (Mike Vogel). Ramsey's daughter. At the start of the film they are discussing whether or not to tell her father they plan to get married. Will they get time?

Elena Gonzalez (Mía Maestro), a stowaway and a stewards 'entertainment' that joins the group. She is desperate to get to New York to see her little brother.

Richard Nelson (Richard Dreyfuss), a homosexual man going through a rough time. He ventures outside at midnight to commit suicide and runs inside when he sees the wave.

…as the others escape through fire and water, through gas leaks and explosions the windows in the ballroom begin to crack. For them, it's too late.

And so begins a struggle to survive. People's instincts and characters are brought to the fore. Heroes are revealed and inner strength is exposed. Love and friendship will prevail… but for how long? Can the fight their way to the 'top' of the ship while still staying ahead of the water that is fast approaching? Will they all reach their destination? And if they get there, will they ever be saved?

____ What I Think ____

The movie still follows the same template that was set out over 30 years ago: the small boy stuck on a table on the 'ceiling', the one member of the group that knows the ship, the adventure through the ship's inner organs and tunnels… this to me shows a little lack of imagination. Well, a remake doesn't need to follow every single aspect of the original, does it? I think the only think that is different is the characters. 'The Poseidon Adventure' featured Gene Hackman as the rebellious priest leading the team through the bowels of the ship which drew good parallels between faith and survival. On more than one occasion his faith was tested, which raised important questions: Can one man sacrifice his life in behalf of another? Can faith alone be enough to drive people to stay alive, endure and fight? This wasn't really highlighted at all in the remake. In fact I didn't relate to the characters at all. They lacked depth and feeling. I feel it was a little too rushed, like Peterson just wanted to get cracking with the action and death scenes and forget about the people themselves.

Some of the scenes, I found, were very harsh and brutal and are very graphic when it comes to the death of some of the passengers, one of which was in the elevator shaft. It was very unsettling and troubling and I found it affected me a few hours after the film finished. Its very well that the director felt confident to display the film in its trueness, I'm sure if I was in the situation those people were in the reality would be much, much worse. However it seemed to me that these were only used for cheap thrills and shocks.

The film features heavily on trust and teamwork. In order for them to survive they must trust each other. This proves hard for some in the small group at first and the viewer is left frustrated at some of the situations and the way they are handled. I mean, would you really, truly and honestly jump across a perilous drop knowing that when you get over to the other side there was going to be gas leaks, noxious fumes, falling debris? I wouldn't! I would have taken the stairs like Shelly Winters and the others in the original! It just all seemed a little too convenient and easy.

The graphics are fantastic and the visualisations of the ship at the beginning and the glistening of the wave in the moonlight are so realistic. This is something the original didn't have. It felt very real and had a big impact on the audience. However, the ending (where the ship eventually sinks to the watery depths) is very reminiscent of the Titanic and I couldn't help notice this when I was watching the film. I could just picture Jack and Rose sitting abreast the ship looking confused and bewildered as to why they were on a ship called 'Poseidon'!

Lighting is eloquently and capably used throughout the film to make the viewer feel as trapped and as hopeless as the survivors. The strobe lighting may prove to be a problem for viewers with epilepsy and it did hurt my eyes I have to admit! Light and dark is a key factor in this film, whether it be light from the fires ravaging the ship or from the dwindling emergency lights, symbolising peoples determination and also diminishing hope to the pitch black depths of panic, terror and despair.

Also the 'chase' characteristic of films of this genre is well highlighted in the remake, as was in the original. The team must overcome all the obstacles faced round every corner while still managing to keep afloat in front of the ever increasing, ever flowing water around them… it's a sure-fire way to keep the audience gripped and on the edge of their seats! When anyone is being chased by anything (think of Creep and the like) the audience is immediately drawn into the situation and I began to think 'what would I really be like if that were happening to me?'.

All in all, the film was very good. Not as good as I was expecting, but then again, remakes never are, are they? Just think of Charlie and the Chocolate factory! In my honest opinion, it's worth renting it out when it's available but I wish I hadn't paid the £6.75 to see it.

As mentioned earlier, this is just a review of the film itself, more details will be added later. 

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