DVD Review: POSEIDON (Widescreen) Author: Bill Ramey Saturday, August 19, 2005, 12:00 PM TEXAS TIME DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006 Distributor: Warner Home Video Director: Wolfgang Petersen Writing Credits: Mark Protosovich Cast: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, et al. Genre: Adventure/Distater MPAA Rating: PG-13 OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.poseidonmovie.com TRAILERS: www.apple.com/trailers Here’s the strange thing about watching the DVD of this past summer’s POSEIDON. Story-wise, it’s better suited for television via DVD. However, the special effects -- which are fantastic at times -- are best viewed on the big screen. There’s a strange dynamic going on here which I’ll discuss in more detail later. I’m pretty sure that you all know the basic story of this film. Big Ship meets Big Wave, and the latter wins by a landslide. There are a few survivors who are attempting to work their way top to bottom -- literally -- to safety. That in a nutshell is POSEIDON. This is not a film that gets better upon each viewing, like 2005’s BATMAN BEGINS for example. It’s actually a flick that’s best watched once and once only. The characters are wooden and way under developed, which prevents one from working up the slightest bit of care for any of them. It doesn’t help matters that the acting, except for Kurt Russell, is average at best. I watched the DVD with my two oldest kids and they loved it -- of course they are 11 and 9 which probably speaks volumes. My reaction was that it’s a cheesy, shallow film and the F/X (which was the best aspect of the film at the theater) are not nearly as good when viewed on TV. So here’s that weird dynamic I was talking about earlier and I hope you get what I’m saying here. If you’ve already seen POSEIDON at the theater, I recommend that you stay away from the DVD. On the other hand, if you haven’t seen it yet (which is probably the case because it bombed big time), it’s certainly worth a rental. As far as “Special Features,” there’s a short documentary on the making of the film in which the biggest revelation is that director Wolfgang Petersen shot the film in continuity. Wow. The Film: C- The Special Features: F JETT’S RECOMMENDATION : A rental at best. Bill Ramey, aka "Jett," is the founder and editor-in-chief of BATMAN ON FILM and ON-FILM.NET.