Movie Review: POSEIDON Author: Bill Ramey Friday, May 12, 2005 U.S. Release Date: May 12, 2006 Distributor: Warner Bros. Director: Wolfgang Peterson Cast: Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Jacinda Barrett, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Freddy Rodriguez MPAA Rating: PG-13 OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.poseidonmovie.com Growing up back in the 70s, I can remember the "disaster movie" craze of that era. Let’s see, you had THE TOWERING INFERNO, EARTHQUAKE, and of course, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. TPA I never saw in the theater, but remember watching it on TV several times in the 70s and on into the 80s. But it has been years -- perhaps over 20 -- since I last saw the original version that starred Gene Hackman, Shelly Winters, Ernest Borgnine, and company. This is most likely a good thing, because it allowed me to go into POSEIDON as if it wasn’t a remake. You probably know the premise of this film: Big Ship making a New Year’s Eve cruise. Big Wave hits the Big Ship turning it upside down. Lots of death and destruction and in the aftermath, a small group of passengers trying to make their way to the top (well, the bottom actually) of the ship to survive. While the premise is the same as the original 1972 film, the characters are different -- at least in name only. While the names are not the same, the characters still serve the same purpose. Josh Lucas plays gambler Dylan Johns. Kurt Russell is Robert Ramsey, who we find out later was once a fireman and the mayor of New York. The very good-looking Emmy Rossum is his daughter who has accompanied her dad on the voyage (along with her boyfriend, but that’s a another whole subplot). Like the original, there’s a young boy in the group (Jimmy Bennett) who asks Lucas’ character to take him and his mom (Jacinda “The Real World” Barrett) with him. Richard Dreyfus portrays a gay architect (who is planning on committing suicide as the film begins). Freddy Rodriguez is one of the ship’s waiters. In a nutshell, POSEIDON is not bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s good either. It *ahem* floats in a gray area somewhere in between. Director Wolfgang Petersen (TROY) and screenwriter Mark Protosovich have crafted a vastly clichéd and predictable film. For example, you know that Lucas’ and Barrett’s characters are eventually going to “hook up,” so to speak (How two people can find themselves attracted to each other under these circumstances is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?). Also, unless a character is significantly useful or related to (like Rossum’s character) or in love with someone who is, they probably ain’t surviving. And if you are a contemptible character, you’re probably done as well. Another somewhat predicable aspect of the film is that each of these people just so happen to have some particular skill that will aid in their survival. Lucas’ character is ex-Navy. Russell is an ex-mayor of NYC, so he becomes “the leader” (Lucas’ and Russell’s characters are basically the Gene Hackman character split in two). Rodriguez’s character knows all about the ship. Dreyfus’ architect is an expert on structural engineering. See what I’m saying here? In addition, everything we find out about these characters -- who and what they are -- has to do with the plot. Besides that, there is nothing known about any of these people that make us care about them one way or the other. It makes me wonder if they all died at the end, would anyone even say “Well, that sucks.” On a more positive note, the F/X and sets are quite good. The part of the movie when the ship is hit by the wave and the ensuing destruction, death, and terror that unfolds are first-rate. The best part of the film in my opinion. The acting isn't poor -- it's pretty good actually -- although Russell, Lucas company don't have a lot to work with. Look, you are probably thinking, “Man he’s hammering the film.” Perhaps a little, but not totally. I actually sort of liked POSEIDON. It is not a total, um, "disaster", nor is it a piece of crap. It’s what I would call “mindless entertainment;” sort of a popcorn-ized TITANTIC if you will. If you go in expecting just that, you’ll most likely be entertained for an hour and a half (yes, it has a short runtime). However, if you see it expecting it to revolutionize the disaster movie genre, you’ll certainly be disappointed. JETT’S GRADE: C+ "Jett" is the founder and editor-in-chief of ON-FILM.NET and BATMAN-ON-FILM.COM.