Poseidon (Widescreen Edition)
by Wolfgang Peterson
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DVD details
Actor: Andre Braugher, Emmy Rossum, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Lucas, Kurt RusselDirector: Wolfgang Peterson
Brand: RUSSELL,KURT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Widescreen, 2.40:1
Running Time: 98 minutes
Published: 2006-08-01
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-22
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Poseidon (Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: Visually superb movie, but with a missed opportunity
Summary: 4 Stars
When I first heard back in early 2004 that Wolfgang Petersen was planning a remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" I was stoked. The 1972 film holds a special place on my personal favorites list because it was the very first film my parents took me to see (at the local drive-in, no less).
The Irwin Allen classic has become a guilty pleasure for loyal fans. Over the last several years many of those fans (myself included) have thought that, in the right hands, "The Poseidon Adventure" would benefit from a remake.
And in Mr. Petersen the producers found the perfect filmmaker. How could the brilliant, visionary director of the claustrophobic classic "Das Boot" and the brilliant "The Perfect Storm" go wrong? Combine the best elements of those two films with the classic tour-de-force survival story originally told by Paul Gallico in his 1969 novel and a new movie could become a critical and box office success.
So with much anticipation I went to see "Poseidon." The long awaited remake is a tremendous spectacle that will keep you on the edge of your seat for almost the entire length of the movie.
Petersen begins the film with one of the most stunning opening shots in recent film history: A 3-minute wrap-around of the grand luxury liner as she sails the Atlantic. What makes this scene so amazing is the fact that the ship doesn't really exist. The Poseidon is completely computer generated, yet when you see her up on that screen (accompanied by Klaus Badelt's excellent score) you can only be in awe. She is majestic and stately and puts a certain James Cameron boat to shame.
We are then introduced to the main characters at a quick clip. Mark Protosevich's screenplay doesn't draw them very well, but I'll speak to that in a moment. Because just as I was starting to let the lack of characterization bother me, the mighty Greek God of the Sea lashes out at our New Years revelers and spins their world upside down in a heart-pounding capsize sequence that bests the original's by a mile.
From there it's non-stop, edge-of-your-seat, hair-raising action as our rag tag group of survivors fight their way up the dying ship to find an escape, battling water and obstacles and more water along the way. Petersen's brilliant direction on the escape sequences will have you climbing the walls.
As with most well done disaster movies it's the action sequences and special effects that save "Poseidon." I recommend the movie highly and think that on my list of "popcorn flicks" this will join the original near the top. That is thanks in large part to Petersen, his computer and design crews, and a cast that did the best they could with the script they got.
And it is that script where I find my sole disappointment. Why Warner Bros moved ahead with such a lackluster screenplay puzzles me. This had the chance to be a classic sea tale. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting "Moby Dick," but Paul Gallico's "The Poseidon Adventure" is a superb story of survival at sea. It is deep in character study; dark and psychological and leaves the reader breathless.
Unfortunately none of that transferred over in the 1972 film. When I read that Wolfgang Petersen would be at the helm of this new version I had high hopes that the dramatic human stories told in the Gallico novel would finally be told on the big screen. But it doesn't happen.
In his review of this film Roger Ebert opined that he felt Petersen's heart wasn't in it. I don't think that was it. To me it almost seems like Warner Bros wanted "Poseidon" in the can sooner rather than later and were willing to sacrifice a strong story in order to get the film on screens by May 12, 2006. As a result the film is awkwardly edited at times - as if there had been a script there, but that it was jettisoned and then a hasty editing job done to plug the holes. It makes me wonder whether they purposefully threw away a potentially triumphant story for yet another piece of popcorn fluff.
At this point it doesn't really matter, because the film is popcorn fluff. Mind you, it is well done, exciting, and thrilling popcorn fluff and I highly suggest you head give it a look. But, I just can't help but wonder "what if?" I'm afraid we'll never know, because it is highly doubtful that this story will be told again.
Description of Poseidon (Widescreen Edition)
Ten survivors struggle to reach safety after an ocean liner capsizes in mid sea.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 4-SEP-2007
Media Type: DVD
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