Poseidon review

          

             Poseidon is an unnecessary remake of the popular disaster film, The Poseidon Adventure, and it is mostly just another excuse to show how special effects have improved. This is displayed quite clearly in the high definition presentation provided on the Blu-ray release of the 2006 film. Director Wolfgang Peterson is no stranger to nautical suspense, but the film lacks any depth beneath the surface spectacle of the film. The high point of the film is displayed clearly in this particular package, though it doesn’t come without the low point, which is the script.

            Part of the problem with the film’s pace is that it isn’t keeping the film interesting as much as rushing past the need to explain things or develop characters. Many of them will die before long, and there is no need to find out much about the characters in a 90 minute action film. Though the cast offers the possibility of an ensemble, even the leads have little character development. Many actors are there simply as glorified extras.

            There are a few characters that take a dominant presence in the film, the so-called leaders of the group. When a rogue wave capsizes the cruise ship Poseidon, the trapped guests in the ballroom must decide what to do. Many decide to stay in the ballroom below water, hoping the structure remains safe until help comes. A small group led by New York City’s former mayor (Kurt Russell), decide to climb their way to safety through the bottom of the boat. He is determined to save his daughter (Emmy Rossum), and learns to trust a gambler (Josh Lucas), who become an unselfish person when he meets attractive single mother (Jacinda Barrett). Richard Dreyfuss also co-stars as a gay passenger about to commit suicide over heartbreak when the disaster gives him a new sense of purpose.