Poseidon
Screenplay written by: Mark Protosevich based on the novel by
Paul Gallico
Actors: Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Jacinda Barrett, Richard
Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum
Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson
Rated: PG-13 (intense long sequences of disaster and peril)
Poseidon
Screenplay written by: Mark Protosevich based on the novel by Paul Gallico
Actors: Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Jacinda Barrett, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum
Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson
Rated: PG-13 (intense long sequences of disaster and peril)
As a huge rogue tidal wave looms over the gracious ocean liner, Poseidon, filled with New Year’s Eve party-goers, the captain’s terror is worsened by the instant devastation of his ship and the horrifying deaths of the unsuspecting passengers and crew as the ship rolls over in the torrent. A small band of passengers escapes the fate of those who followed orders by traversing the inner structure of the ship to try to find a way to survive the sinking ship. Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas) and Robert Ramsey (Kurt Russell) are daringly heroic in their frantic pursuit to save Ramsey’s daughter (Emmy Rossum), the obnoxious Lucky Larry (Kevin Dillon), a suicidal Richard Nelson (Richard Dreyfuss), a mother (Jacinda Barrett) and her son Connor (Jimmy Bennett) as well as a young stowaway (Mia Maestro).
He Said:
If you are a thriller junky, what’s not to like? Edge-of–your seat moments when the heroes’ correct decisions will set them free and the wrong decisions will mean a certain and terrible death. Desperately frightened people precariously balancing over cavernous areas at dizzying heights on a regular basis, huge CGI explosions that reverberate in the cavity of your chest, and oceanic dread around every corner. If there was a weakness, it was that the delivered by a cast of capable actors was shallow on characterization. Therefore, it was hard to care very much what happened to them collectively or individually. In balance, I liked Poseidon, but I didn’t love it. My memory of the original film with Shelly Winters is still so much richer a memory from years ago than last night’s memory.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
6 for script: A lot of diverse characters shallowly portrayed.
7 for direction: Great CGI and cinematography.
7 for acting: Generally good.
6 for plot: Updated disaster with heroism: its been done and done…
7 for entertainment value: Still, you’ll be entertained.
6.6 overall
She Said:
Anguished nail-biting moments abounded as we experienced the terror of being drowned alive and the dreaded the perils that these rebel passengers had to go through to escape this terrible fate. As a thriller-drama, Poseidon had all the right stuff, but it could have been so much better if the characters had been more fully developed so that we were not just terrified for their perilous circumstances, but had greater empathy for them individually to cause us to care more about their fate. The special effects and suspense were particularly noteworthy, however, I kept thinking back to Kurt Russell with his flashlight in the dark in “Backdraft”. That signaled to me that something was lacking, no matter how scared I was for our fated passengers aboard the Poseidon.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
5 for script: Our ill-fated group’s plight overshadowed by special effects.
7 for direction: Riveting special effects scenes.
6 for acting: Russell and others above par.
6 for plot: Edge-of-your-seat moments abounded.
7 for entertainment value
6.2 overall
