Film Review
Poseidon
Dir. Wolfgang PetersenScr. Mark Protosevich (screenplay); Paul Gallico (novel)
Josh Lucas
Kurt Russell
Emmy Rossum
Jacinda Barrett
Mike Vogel
Official Site - poseidonmovie.warnerbros.com
In ancient Greek mythology, Poseidon was the god of the sea to whom sailors and fisherman would pray for safe travels. It looks like, once again, someone forgot to pray for this fictional cruise liner?s safe voyage.
I remember watching the original The Poseidon Adventure during a rainy day on cable a few years ago. This remake ups the ante on several fronts while, at the same time, shortening the film by 20 minutes. The trailer tells you all you need to know about the plot. Big fancy boat + huge Tsunami style wave = disaster filled with heroic potential.
This time around the cast is light on established actors. While the original had several Oscar winners, the remake is full of a virtually unknown cast. This makes it a bit harder to connect with the characters emotionally since the terror begins before any real character development can unfold. It was less than ten minutes into the film when all hell breaks loose. Kurt Russell and Richard Dryfuss are the most familiar faces with the brief comic relief of Kevin Dillon. I wish he had stuck around longer since the intensity of the action could have used a bit of humor to offer some breathing room for the audience.
The producers must have used all the money they saved on casting for special effects. Some of the visuals were breathtaking. When the wave hits the boat you are treated to a full 10 minutes straight of explosions, people screaming, people dying, metal twisting and general misc chaos. The camera angles were really interesting and the editing kept you in constant suspense.
Josh Lucas played the mysterious hero role. I kept feeling that I was watching TV when I was watching him. I am not sure why since he has played small roles in quite a few films including Stealth, The Hulk, and A Beautiful Mind. He just didn't seem to pull off the leading man role. To be fair he didn't have much to work with in the script department. Most of his screen time is spent screaming franticly, swimming frantically, or staring off with crazy intense eyes.
I have never quite understood the appeal of disaster genre films but this is a solidly crafted film that could have used the extra 20 minutes to deepen its connection with the audience. There are a few product placements (PsP2 and the Black Eyes Peas) but one product this movie certainly won't sell is tickets on cruise ships.
I remember watching the original The Poseidon Adventure during a rainy day on cable a few years ago. This remake ups the ante on several fronts while, at the same time, shortening the film by 20 minutes. The trailer tells you all you need to know about the plot. Big fancy boat + huge Tsunami style wave = disaster filled with heroic potential.
This time around the cast is light on established actors. While the original had several Oscar winners, the remake is full of a virtually unknown cast. This makes it a bit harder to connect with the characters emotionally since the terror begins before any real character development can unfold. It was less than ten minutes into the film when all hell breaks loose. Kurt Russell and Richard Dryfuss are the most familiar faces with the brief comic relief of Kevin Dillon. I wish he had stuck around longer since the intensity of the action could have used a bit of humor to offer some breathing room for the audience.
The producers must have used all the money they saved on casting for special effects. Some of the visuals were breathtaking. When the wave hits the boat you are treated to a full 10 minutes straight of explosions, people screaming, people dying, metal twisting and general misc chaos. The camera angles were really interesting and the editing kept you in constant suspense.
Josh Lucas played the mysterious hero role. I kept feeling that I was watching TV when I was watching him. I am not sure why since he has played small roles in quite a few films including Stealth, The Hulk, and A Beautiful Mind. He just didn't seem to pull off the leading man role. To be fair he didn't have much to work with in the script department. Most of his screen time is spent screaming franticly, swimming frantically, or staring off with crazy intense eyes.
I have never quite understood the appeal of disaster genre films but this is a solidly crafted film that could have used the extra 20 minutes to deepen its connection with the audience. There are a few product placements (PsP2 and the Black Eyes Peas) but one product this movie certainly won't sell is tickets on cruise ships.