Poseidon (Widescreen Edition)

I thought this was a very decent remake of the classic 1972 original. It has a lot of action and is very suspenseful. On New Year's Eve, a luxury cruise ship named after the Greek sea-god, Poseidon collides into a 150-foot tall rogue wave. After the ship is turned upside down, a small group of people try to make it to the surface alive. I highly recommend POSEIDON!!!

Survivors of a capsized cruise ship try to make their way out from the hull to the surface. This is a fun, adventure movie that keeps you pretty much on the edge of your seat. Worth seeing, great visual affects, fast paced, action/adventure.

For those of you who haven't seen the original Poseidon movie was Shelley Winters this remake matches or exceeds the original.

Unsinkable boat sinks. There are those that are willing to go down with it knows that her paralyzed by the experience and then there are those who are adventurous survivors. Which are you? We have hours of great entertainment watching those who would survive to see if they do survive and those that don't how they don't. There is some emotion some romance some fear of heights so forth but the real movie is will they get out.

All the actors are quite well known and well seasoned the few that are new hold up just as well. The dateline is the present date so there are no problems with Period Pieces or having to match period Costumes. There are lots of fire lots of water and an upside down perspectives on boating.

There's no redeeming social value to this film but it will have fun kibitzing with telling them aloud don't go there! Don't open that door! Here comes the water!

The original, with its enaging human emotions and riveting action, was a huge success, is now a classic and is considered one of, if not the best, of the disaster genre. Knowing the only reason Warner Bros. would even bother remaking it, this was a sinker (no pun intended). I didn't care who died and who lived. In fact I wanted everyone to die, there being no human connection for me to even see them survive. When they cut back to Fergie and the captain right before the ball room floods, I hadn't seen them (though minor players anyway) in so long, I thought they were dead already. All the characters are brushed over and after fifteen minutes, the wave hits the ship. While Elena (or however you spell her name) does have good motivation to survive, that motivation is revealed to late into the movie so I'm not that phased when she dies. I have a sinking feeling that, while good actors in other films, Kurt Russell (his sacrifice didn't move me at all compared to Gene Hackman's) and Richard Dryefuss only did this one for the paycheck. The one character that wished would die throughout the whole picture was the little boy. He annoyed the crap out of me to the point where ever time he talked, I said "Shut up kid!" I know in the original there was a kid, but he was actually useful and was the one who suggested the go to the engine room. The music is dull and listless and we are pained to endure not one, but TWO songs by Fergie. All in all, a very disappointing film which makes the sequel to the original feel like Gone with the Wind. Here's hoping they don't intend to remake The Towering Inferno.

I love this new version, unlike the other new version, this one sticks to the original script, not a terrorist plot. Great movie.

The Bottom Line:

Poseidon is by no means a great movie (though neither was the original, if it comes to that) but it's fun and quick-moving and showcases some nifty special effects.

Okay, I've heard and read all the reviews about how cheesy this movie is. But it's not supposed to be rocket science. It's not even supposed to be real. However, I honestly have no plans to take a cruise anytime soon.

Josh Lucas was wonderful as the reluctant hero. He did not want to be responsible for these people; but as they slowly ascended the ship - and tragedy after tragedy began to strike - you saw his pain in his inability to stop things from happening.

Mia Maestro was fantastic as the stowaway. Going up the vent with the water slowly rising - I was with her every step of the way.
And even Josh Lucas right behind me, either yelling at me or encouraging me, would not have made the going any easier.

Kurt Russell... Can I just say I love Kurt Russell? Always have. He was superb as the overbearing dad - former fireman - ex-mayor. His concern for his daughter was soooo real. And his ultimate sacrifice... well, I'm not gonna ruin this for anyone who's not seen it yet.

Kevin Dillon was great as the drunk loudmouth; Emmy Rossum and Mike Vogel very believable young lovers; Jacinda Barrett and Jimmy Bennett as mother/son; and Richard Dreyfuss... well, I'm not gonna tell you everything.

Probably the most impressive actor in this movie was that WAVE. As Dreyfuss stands on the deck, you see a look of utter horror and panic on his face as the wave begins to blot out the moon... Fantastic! The beginning of the end.

Like I said, it's not rocket science, but it's a fun adventure movie, if you're into that kind of thing. Definitely a "must see" movie if you're a fan of any of these actors.

I received the item in a timely manner, and in the condition indicated. Recommended to buy from this seller.

Oh Kurt Russel, what happened to you? Your roles in movies like The Thing and 3000 Miles to Graceland were great, and now you're like a cheap prostitute for a movie role. You just had to pick a worthless role of a father of a teenage daughter with all the stupid drama thrown in... a disaster movie. Great....
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Think of this movie as a combination of Titanic and The Perfect Storm. Then, remove the great characters and replace them with characters so worthless you care less about them being killed than stupid teenagers who get killed in horror movies, and then add liberal politics into the mix. During a cruise on the Poseidon, a gigantic freak wave causes the ship to capsize (flip upside down), trapping several people on board with a limited air bubble while they wait for help to come. But, a group of people decide not to wait and try to escape; a gambler, the gambler's smuggled girlfriend, a homosexual old man (Uuuugggghhhh....), an annoying kid (Why couldn't you drown in the movie?) and his mom, the mayor of New York (Kurt Russel), his daughter, and her boyfriend.
MUSIC: The music is bland and rarely sets the mood. It can at key moments, but fails to the rest of the time.
ACTION: The best parts of the film are scenes with the ship being flipped over, people drowning, things being turned over and destroyed, explosions, and some extra action. The action is the best part, too bad the whole film couldn't be filled with a lot more of those moments.
ACTING: The script is full of predictable dialogue, and the actors don't do a very good job bringing the already sub-par script to life. Their acting capabilities are laughable at best.
ENTERTAINMENT: You will only want to watch this movie for the action scenes, not really anything else. If you wish to see all of it, I hope you have humor, because you will only get pissed off if you don't. Take advantage of the flaws and laugh at them, because they are laughable (Yay! We've escaped! Oh look, there just so happens to be a raft over there).
OVERALL: I would only recommend this as a rental for now, not a buy. I managed to take advantage of the flaws and laugh at them for how bad they were, but this film was overall very disappointing and had so much more potential. Plus, adding politics into the mix, kinda ruins the experience. Decent overall, but disappointing.
THE GOOD: The action moments.
THE BAD: The acting, the politics, predictable dialogue and events, unintentionally funny.

The original Poseidon Adventure was Irwin Allen in his disaster film best...ensemble acting with a tragedy to work through. He worked that formula like no-one else...so when Wolfgang Petersen went to remake it, he did what he should have. He scrapped what Allen was magic at and inserted his own strength in their place. Which meant characters that might not be the most interesting, but working as a team to overcome the odds (think Das Boot).

To that end, his "Poseidon" is a faster paced, tighter and shorter movie than Allen's and moves at such a tear that it's hard to notice when it falters. The cast is helmed by Kurt Russell (playing troubled macho as only he can), Josh Lucas (loner gambler subbing for Gene Hackman's loner priest) and Richard Dreyfuss (gay man just jilted by his ex for a younger man). Along with seven other survivors, this group must battle fire, water and the clock to climb up the ship to safety.

Minus the 3-dimensional characters, Petersen gives us a 3-dimensional ship. The effects are a marvel (the bonus disc shows you just how few CGI effects were used) and the opening wave scene is visceral in its blunt force. The capsizing boat, with the ensuing death and the mayhem, will scare the saltwater out of you. Maybe even more so than some horror movies. Little time is wasted between survival episodes, although the nod to Shelly Winters' swim team dialog from the original is a nice touch. The survivors overcome obstacle after peril and each more tense than the last.

There is, naturally, a happy ending. Just who makes it out and how is the fun of "Poseidon." Once it's over, make sure to watch the DVD extras, with the Crew Diary being interesting and the Special Effects feature fascinating.

I just got done watching this movie a couple nights ago. It was a great movie! The visual effects were outstanding and the plot and characters were awesome! It was really fun watching this movie and I highly recommend it!!!

Can't top the original, they try to improve but loss some of the best original scenes...like Shelley Winters great part almost at the end of the movie.

I assume some people might find this film interesting simply because the special effects are considerably better than "The Poseidon Adventure." However, that being said, the film becomes boring quickly. I found the acting poor and the scripting even worse.

In "The Poseidon Adventure" a few talented actors and actresses carry the production. (I especially enjoyed Gene Hackman's role as the pastor). John William's fine scores, and the Academy Award winning "The Morning After" are also enjoyable.

These above items save "The Poseidon Adventure" from being a bore. Because the acting in "Poseidon" is poor, and the scripting and music are even poorer, there is nothing to save this film, which is probably why there are so many used copies available for 75 cents or fewer. (Note that currently the lowest used copy of "The Poseidon Adventure" is about 7 dollars).

Simply put, if you own "The Poseidon Adventure", enjoy it. If you don't own any Poseidon film, purchase (or rent) "The Poseidon Adventure" starring Gene Hackman.

Poseidon is a very good remake of the early 70s Poseidon Adventure. When I viewed the film, it helped to have recently seen a program on the History Channel about rogue waves. The acting, action, and special effects are all superlative.

My favorite line from the movie: "everyone stay calm." Yeah, right. The movie is shorter than the original. There are 10 minutes of overkill ending credits making the actual film about 90 minutes. It is a bit more frantic than the original. Some of the computer animation (especially the opening ship scene) still does not look as good as good old fashioned models. But, overall, I enjoyed the film.

Richard Dreyfuss again gives us another reason to stay off the water, even when he finally got a bigger boat.

I SAW THIS MOVIE AND IT WAS BORED. I THOUGHT IT WAS MAGNIFICENT BUT IT'S NOT. NO COMMENT.

Poseidon is a great ship, a massive cruise liner with all the amenities, a disco, a lounge singer, a giant ballroom, and all sorts of top of the line bells, whistles, and ritz. It doesn't matter how much you spit shine the Titanic, however, it's still going down. Naturally, a tragedy is about to strike the ship.

Evidently there are things called "rogue" waves, gigantic walls of water that come from nowhere and are impossible to predict. This "rogue" wave blasts the ship, flipping it on its side, and nearly capsizing the Poseidon. The buildup and explanation of what's happening is non-existent during this portion of the movie.

Eventually, the ship turns upside-down, like a cup in the sink. What follows is a race to climb up through the bottom of the boat, an escape from the probability of a watery grave.

The acting is neither the saving grace nor the downfall of the movie; it's simply adequate. There was fairly little character development, letting the viewer establish the character traits from the action on screen.

Kurt Russell plays the tough guy, concerned father, expedition leader fairly well. He exudes strength and confidence while displaying highly uncommon heroism and sacrifice. He provides at least two genuine goose-bump scenes.

Josh Lucas is the confident loner - who plays poker professionally - he's the brash risk taker desperate to exit, willing to risk it all.

The rest of the escape crew fills in the cracks admirably, providing tension, excitement, and a helping hand in the escape.

The added bonuses to this movie, of course, are that Leonardo DiCaprio is not a star, and an old lady doesn't mindlessly chuck a priceless diamond into the ocean at the end of the movie.

Overall, the movie is slightly anticlimactic, and somewhat unreal (who knew there was so much material on board of a ship that was incendiary), but it's a very good thrill ride nonetheless. The ending is what the viewer wants, and it's a worthwhile movie that had several exciting scenes, some stunning CGI, and enough action to enthrall.

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NO, it's NOT, THANK G O D !

Yes, for what it was Titanic is a classic and then some. Great movie, we saw it 100+ times and we DON'T wanna go back! Wanna know why? Cause besides the fact that there were far more deaths on Titanic (more tragic), Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't in this and that there is one maybe two main characters you'll actually recognize in this one (I recognized Kurt Russell only), this movie was FAR BETTER in EVERY OTHER WAY.

Who cares that Titanic had a better orchestra, we're here to see the action: People dying, surviving and overcoming tragic occurrences and once the boat starts to capsize, sink and fill with deathly water, the action truly never stops. If anything, it slows down, but NEVER stops, TRUST IN ME.

The characters were pretty good. I won't say who died but I will say that I won't be surprised if someone who's watching with you (if you're not a movie loner) sheds a tear or starts to seriously ball before the very end.

The people involved in this tiny tragedy were pretty expressive, especially the females. When Kurt Russell went back to stop the propeller fans that stood in the way of true freedom instead of his daughter's husband/boyfriend/fiancee, his daughter began to sulk. And when it took a while for him to come back (does he come back? Find out!) she broke down and I did too. I shed a small tear out my right eye as I felt half as bad as she did at the time. Very decent acting. Even the kid was just beneath brilliance!

The ending was very sad but not without light. The actors and actresses put on a damn good show and the special effects were decent and aplenty.

--Not Titanic 2.0 (Thank goodness)
--Good acting
--Music is kept in the background once the ship capsizes
--Action aplenty
--Special effects here and there and here again
--Characters meet their fears eye to eye and face them
--So worth your time
--Don't listen to the naysayers

Cover Art: A- (Frightening but puts the movie into perspective, summing it up without really watching it first)
Inside Art: N/A
Characters: A
Dialogue: B-
Story: C+
Comedy Relief: D+
Music Score: D- (I hardly remember anything besides the lame music that played when everyone was fine and laughing...)
Length: A

4.45 stars.

Overall: A-

This remake from 2006 stars Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss. You've got an elegant cruise liner, a diverse cast of characters, and suddenly a rogue wave tips the whole thing over. Most of the survivors huddle in the main dining room - but a small group of passengers decide to make it out on their own.

It's hard to judge this film just as a "stand alone disaster flick" since the 1972 version was so spectacular. It's sort of like if you really loved the Titanic with Leonardo - and then watched an action-adventure movie made now, that was half as long and truncated the characters. It would be really hard not to compare the two. So there are probably two types of watchers for this movie. One will be the people who saw the 1972 version and who are probably disappointed with this one as a result. On the other hand, people who watch this movie without any expectations, and just want a "wild ride for 1 1/2 hours" will find the special effects quite thrilling.

Part of what this story is about is how a wide variety of characters - young boy, just-engaged couple, stowaway, older homosexual, etc. - manage to get over their issues and bond and get through troubles. Again if you're just looking for a "wild ride" won't care that these people are very stereotypical and cardboard cutout types. If you're actually a fan of drama movies where the characters grow and learn and reach into their inner strengths, you'll find this a poor version of that earlier film.

On the other hand, part of any disaster movie is the excitement and reality of the disaster. A lava disaster movie seems hokey when they are running from "red water". When the lava is roiling, the heat waves are filling the screen and the smoke is thick, suddenly you can feel the panic and the danger. That is why we watch disaster movies - to watch people face dangers, and their fears, and hopefully rise above them. It gives us hope and encouragement that we might do the same.

So while the 1972 version of Poseidon had some rather silly scenes of water and flood, this 2006 version does a GREAT job with many of the scenes. The way the water bursts through the windows, the way the ship is affected as it tilts upside down, it all feels very real. After the footage and experience of the Tsunami, it definitely feels real and scary to have a gigantic wave of water coming at you with nowhere to run to. You can also understand the panic of being in a submerged vessel that is sinking.

There are numerous plot holes and factual errors, that if you're even half paying attention, make you lose your suspension of disbelief. I suppose it's that way with many disaster films - you have to just accept that they did things A and B even though doing C makes MUCH more sense to any sane person. Also, you would have thought that people working on a high budget film involving a ship would have made sure that all their basic research about how a ship works, how the ballast works, how the propeller works, etc. was correct.

Still, in the end, you probably watch this film because it's a fun way to pass an hour and a half with your popcorn and soda. So in that sense, the movie suits that purpose, and is well worth a watch.

after hearing that it did not gross as expected in the US and overseas, i felt it was very unfair for warner bros and the people involved. the movie is a great masterpiece by petersen. in order to truly appreciate this gem, please do not put into your mind that an earlier version existed, 1972's poseidon adventure.

poseidon does not waste any second to show the tragey that befell the luxury ship. more graphic, more violent and more realistic, the movie presented real life situations that one must encounter in the face of the capsizing (and eventual sinking) of the ship.

the actors are all well known in their respctive genres: freddy rodriguez (six feet under) emma rossum (the day after tomorrow/phantom of the opera), richard dreyfus (jaws/close encounters), josh lucas (deep end/sweet home alabama), kurt russel (soldier/backdraft/unlawful entry, and so many others!), and mike vogel (texas chainsaw massacre/supercross). it even starred black eyed peas' stacy ferguson (fergie - my humps, shut up, clumsy, glamorous, big girls dont cry) in a special (and tragic) role.

the story was based on a novel by gallico about rogue waves. petersen gave the book and original movie a fresh take and makes it his own.

the second disc featured behind the scenes look of the movie. after watching this, the more that you will appreciate the movie for all the efforts (and flawless effects) thrown in the movie. it did offer something new not in the original movie - the luxury ship sank!

i guess all the negative reviews before are so unfair. the movie is great and i have my own dvd to prove it!

buy it: if you are more into an action-packed remake than the original 1972 drama version of the movie.

avoid it: if you liked the original version better.

im looking forward to petersen's next movie. i also liked his "perfect storm" by the way.

Some movie critics didn't seem to appreciate this film as much as I did. I thought this was one of the best disaster films I had ever seen. I was gripping the edge of my seat almost every ten minutes because I knew someone in this movie was going to experience sudden death at any moment. I was not prepared for any of the chaos I saw on the screen before I sat down in the movie theater. The enormous cruise ship in this film capsized after it was struck by a giant tidal wave. The entire ship was water-proof. Water could not enter after the doors were closed and sealed shut. The people on board were trapped in a giant, floating coffin. They were trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface. It was impossible for them to swim to the surface even if they had managed to open one of the doors that were held shut by the extreme pressure. The entire ship began to implode as it sank lower and lower toward's the ocean's bottom. There was a mad rush for the people in the ship to climb higher and higher towards the ocean's surface before the ship was completely submerged. The acting is top-notch, and the special effects are good too. I'm not sure why liberal movie critics complained about Kurt Russell and the special effects used in this movie. They certainly didn't have a problem with Leonardo DiCaprio or the special effects used in "Titanic". This is not a low-budget movie. This film costed $160 million to produce. Precious time wasn't wasted on character development in this film. The action gets started quickly. Everyone on board was dressed nicely and enjoying the party until disaster struck. This movie is definitely a wild ride!

The original "Poseidon Adventure" was loaded with action, soap opera, and totally unbelievable events. I'm still amused that middle-aged Shelley Winters had her high school breath-holding medal around her neck at a crucial moment. The new film is probably better, though it lacks serious character development. At the time of such a crisis, I doubt everyone will stop and talk about their lives, so it makes sense. CGI effects were Oscar nominated and Josh Lucas and Kurt Russell were fine, as well as Emmy Rossum. Jacinda Barrett overacted horribly, but the kid who played her son was excellent. I still don't know why the old super-epics need to be re-made, but in the hands of Wolfgang Peterson, this was better drama. Irwin Allen's original was more fun, if only for the schlock, and it's "original" idea from Paul Gallico, who also wrote "The Three Lives of Thomasina"..in the 30's. Re-imagining ideas will always be exciting to the Hollywood honchos. Do they realize that some original material might appeal to the public?

i really liked this movie, it was pretty good. the whole ship going upside down, having to find a way out before the ship sinks, and only a handful survive. i enjoyed it from beginning to end. the jumping, the climbing, and the swimming they did throughout the whole ship to get to their destination was nicely done. i do recommend because it has that good combination of action and suspense to draw you in. josh lucas was is a very good actor and here he just proved it again. something charming about this guy, and they way he just falls into the leadership role, and becomes the hero. kurt russell, the doting father, has to get through it with his daughter. he hasn't lost his touch. the small appearance of fergie was widely viewed as well. it wasn't another big ship sinks movie, but a story of survival, in one of the worst case scenarios. i do recommend.

Indeed, who better to helm a mega budget, CGI heavy remake of the Poseidon Adventure than Wolfgang Petersen? The director of Troy, Das Boot, and The Perfect Storm re-works the 70's classic with some incredible tools at his disposal, as well as a potential-laced cast (Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfus, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barret, Andre Braugher, Freddy Rodriguez, and Kevin Dillon), but alas, Poseidon ends up being the mega budget, mainstream, brainless, disaster flick that you probably think it is. The script does absolutely nothing to make the viewer feel any kind of sympathy or attachment to the characters, let alone care what happens to any of them as they all fight to survive when the state of the art, luxury ship capsizes after being hit by a massive wave. Despite the incredible looking CGI effects and some great, old fashioned stunt work, Poseidon ultimately falls flat in the department that could have made it something truly special: character development. It's not incredibly bad by any means, and definitely worth seeing for rainy day or brainless entertainment, but in any other case besides, you won't miss anything if you never see Poseidon.

This could have been a great movie. Even though it had impressive special effects, it just didn't have the cast. The movie was too short. It should have spent more time building on the characters. Like I said, it could have been a really great movie.

The reason to buy? I never catch all the nuances of a story or the actors the first time around. And buy only if you think you will like it!

I have always like the Poseidon story - I thoroughly enjoyed the different take of this movie and the characters. Although I understood it better after going into the Special Features.

Josh Lucas was a great addition and of course I was interested because of Kurt Russell [who I loved in SOLDIER] not much dialogue there.
Richard Dreyfuss, I was curious to see how he has progressed from JAWS to ALWAYS to now.
And I am always fascinated on how they make a movie. Wow! I have a great admiration for the actors and actress's who do a lot of their own stunts.
What they must go through to provide us with entertainment. Especially the stunt men and women. Seventy five shirts for Josh?

I like this description of the ship - "13-deck, 20 stories tall Poseidon as it shifts, lurches and implodes" - Yup! I was waiting for the darn thing to explode.

I had just got through watching "Mega Disasters" on History of these giant waves that can happen in the Atlantic and turn our coast lines into major disasters. New York like another Venice.
I think a 150 foot "rogue" in the Atlantic with at least one ship a year being lost to one of these waves is hard to imagine - but a given fact.

Believe me you will enjoy this version of Poseidon without too much trouble - the characters are recognizable - the shots are great - the coloring definitely excellent - I missed the music for the action.

DEFINITELY RECOMMEND - for good clean action.

The plot was good and the acting was also. Like other HD-DVD movies the picture was great. Well worth the price to have at home.

and keeps you watching! There really isn't enough of the story line in the mix though. It could only be better if there had been. Rogue wave meets ocean liner and it doesn't turn out very well for most of the passengers!

My teenage daughter and I are both fans of the original, so we approached this one with some trepidation...remakes usually fall short, and disaster flicks are MEANT to be cheesy, so how good could this be?

Well, we were pleasantly surprised! There wasn't a lot of character development, and I had trouble for a while distinguishing one female character from another, but it was a good, fun, adventurous thrill ride, a great Sunday afternoon popcorn movie.

We give it our own two thumbs up.

Your DVD was great and in great condition. I will bye more soon. Thank you

Everyone knows the story of the POSEIDON. This is only the third movie to bear the name and be based (loosely) on Paul Gallico's novel, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. There was also a sequel to the original diaster film made by Irwin Allen that starred Ernest Borgnine and Shelly Winters and a ton of others that went on to be major stars.

This version offers Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Mike Vogel, Mia Maestro, Jimmy Bennett, and Andre Braugher. Unfortunately, it only features the actors and actresses in roles that you can understand at a glance. There are no real characters here, no sense of history.

What you do get is a knuckle-buster of an adrenaline-soaked movie. After POSEIDON was overturned by the rogue wave about eighteen minutes into the film, I didn't draw a breath till the final frames rolled through. Was the plot predictable? Sure. Could I figure out who was going to live and who was going to die? I was right more times than I was wrong.

POSEIDON was shot on 53 sound stages, some of them several stories tall. The special effects were amazing and the digital work is unsurpassed. The ship felt real even though it wasn't.

In this HD-DVD version, the video portions are beautiful and really show off the cinematography and sets. But the audio is where POSEIDON soars. Captured in Dolby TrueHD, one of the best lossless codec on the market today. A surround sound system totally enhances the viewing experience, and this is one of the movies you can show off your system on.

The viewing can be gut-wrenching and the intensity is definitely pumped up, so young viewers probably aren't a good idea. But for someone who's looking for a high-end action movie that doesn't slow down during a 90-minute presentation, POSEIDON is great entertainment.

Ok I know I only gave it 3 stars but that is mostly because lets face it, this is a remake and you dont need a lot of brains to make a half decent film out of it. still its better than the usual Japanese remake (lets hope after Dark Water (awful in Japanese what made them think it would be any better in English!)

Same story line, better special effects (obviously!) Yeh the characters are nothing special but this film does have enough to keep your attention, the real negative is because the characters are nothing special you realy dont care who lives or dies. Take one character in the film (bit of a spoiler for you) He makes a few nasty comments to Kurt Russell then dies horribly. Now apart from the shock of how he dies you watch the film and frankly couldnt care less.

Still, it has a little drama, the film is on just long enough to keep you entertained but not too long so your bored.

Good for an evening in (when there is nothing on TV) You may want to rent this one, dont know about buying it (unless amazon is selling it cheap)

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. It's shorter than Das Boot, but to me doesn't meet up to Red October. Left me blah.

Remaking movies is a big thing in Hollywood right now, it seems like every time I turn around there's another classic movie or TV show that is being remade. Sometimes these remakes prove to be inferior to their source material ("Psycho" and "The Omen" to name a couple), but in some instances they become equals to the originals, or even better than the original. A very recent addition to the ever-increasing list of remakes would be director Wolfgang Peterson's ("Air Force One" and "Troy") attempt at remaking the classic disaster-type film "Poseidon Adventure" with "Poseidon" starring Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, and Richard Dreyfuss.

"Poseidon" takes place during New Year's Eve on the cruise ship Poseidon (hmm, I wonder where they got the title of the movie from). While the many passengers on the ship are partying the night away to welcome in the New Year, disaster is quickly approaching. A giant wave, apparently called a rogue wave, strikes the ship, causing it to flip over and many passengers to die in the disastrous process. With time running out, and the ship slowly becoming a watery grave for all aboard, a small group of passengers struggle to make their way to the bottom of the ship (which is now the top for those not paying attention), and hope to survive.

Remaking a movie would seem to be somewhat difficult to me, because you have to try to present a story that has already been done before in a similar manner, while giving the audience something new and engaging to witness. Some directors have been less original with their remakes, opting to merely copy the source movie scene for scene and word for word, merely updating the surroundings a little bit, of course I don't feel these movies do as well, but that's just me. Now, I never saw the original "Poseidon Adventure", so I can't say how much of a copy this version is, but even if this remake is merely a scene for scene recreation of the original, I believe it is one of the rare successes that had been achieved this way.

The success of "Poseidon" is achieved in part because of the terrific special and practical effects that were employed to make the scenes of the ship being struck by the wave into reality, and for all the disastrous side effects that followed throughout the flipped over ship. The other part of this movie's success is due to the excellent group of actors that were assembled to fight to survive the sinking cruise ship. All of the actors did an excellent job with fleshing out these characters over the course of the movie, because there wasn't much time given in the beginning for exposition or development. I personally felt that the lack of character development prior to the wave striking (which occurs approximately 25 minutes into the movie, providing enough time to basically introduce the characters) was somewhat strange, because you didn't know who to root for, other than by going off whether or not you knew the actor from previous movies and if you liked them or not. However, once the struggle for survival arc of the movie kicked in, the actors were given more to work with and developed their characters through their interaction with each other allowing them to become more accessible to the audience.

The decision to focus the movie on the disaster side of the story early on was an odd choice, but one that worked to the film's advantage, by allowing things to get moving quickly and not allow for a lull in the momentum. Featuring a rather short running time for a disaster movie, at just 98 minutes, a fact that may seem odd for a Wolfgang Peterson film (his movies generally last 2 hours or more), in this instance the shorter running time made for a much tighter feeling movie which served the story well. "Poseidon" is a definite must-see among disaster films and one that will keep you on the edge of your seats until the final credits roll.

"Poseidon" is rated PG-13 for brief language and peril.

The most predictable of last year's box-office bombs, Poseidon was always on a hiding to nothing: a remake of the much-loved but frankly not that good blockbuster that kickstarted the 70s disaster movie trend, arriving a year after a reviled TV miniseries version, showing all the signs of burning cash as it was rushed through production to meet a summer release date (it looks like it cost $80m but cost nearer twice as much despite the less than stellar cast) and coming in at a very slim 98-minutes (twelve of them credits) was always going to be facing too many negative waves. Perhaps someone at Warners should have remembered what happened the last time they boarded the Poseidon with Irwin Allen's disastrous sequel to the original, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, which sank with all hands. Naturally, this isn't anywhere near as bad.

Always having been disappointed with the 1972 version, I must admit I didn't find this nearly as bad as others did and probably enjoyed it more despite its many obvious failings. To be fair the much-criticized lack of characterization isn't a major issue here since the wave hits at roughly the same point in the running time as the original, which relied on the audience identifying with recognisable stars in clichéd roles rather than quality writing, although it's a film that's in too much of a hurry to work as well as it could. The pacing definitely is a problem, with some scenes not allowed long enough to establish any real tension before amping up: it's definitely a film in a hurry, whether due to re-editing (not particularly readily apparent, to be fair) or a desire to give the film a sense of urgency. It's not one of Petersen's better jobs of direction - better than The Perfect Storm or Air Force One, not as good as Troy or Das Boot - and the CGI is variable - many of the most criticized shots are pretty decent, while it's often the explosions that convince the least - but it throws in a couple of surprises (including one surprisingly brutal moment in an elevator shaft), has a much better than expected supporting turn from Richard Dreyfuss who steals what few acting honors are going and is much more enjoyable than I was expecting.

For a two-disc set, the extras are pretty light - aside from the 22-minute featurette and trailer on disc one, the extras on the second disc barely clock over an hour, with the half-hour documentary on Rogue Waves the clear winner.

The expectations for this film were high- a good cast and a promise of a remake of an old movie using today's technology.

Alas- the movie was disappointing. The characters were not developed and the were quite flat. The action starts very soon in the movie (the wave striking the ship) and thus there was no opportunity for them to develop. The course of the movie did not allow for any significant development.
Moreover, the special affects and all the action are not very well tied together or simply not believable. For example all the surviving passangers, including a young kid prove to be record swimmers that can hold their breath for a long period.

It is a pity as if the script was a bit better and more developed the film could have been enjoyable.

This film suffers in comparison to others, namely the "original", and Titanic. One wonders at the wisdom of greenlighting this project and approving a budget of $160 million. That question becomes more relevant during the opening credits. Not to disrespect either actor, but Kurt Russell and Richard Dreyfuss are past their A-list days.

Not only does POSEIDON suffer in comparison to other films, it suffers from filmmakers more concerned with a visual product than any other components. For main characters, we're given a group that you could pluck down in just about any thriller and watch them run with little or no guidance: in other words, they're stock characters. We've seen them hundreds of times: the former fire-fighter turned Mayor turned wealthy gambler, the former navy guy who can navigate his way through a ship that's turned upside down with remarkable pinpoint accuracy, the gay man with a can't-miss-it-sized earring in his right ear who's there just to be gay, a single mother with a young cute son who makes endearing comments and looks just so, the mayor's daughter who is nervous around him for no apparent reason, and the guy who wants the mayor's daughter to marry him who calls him sir. Nothing new here.

What was surprising, however, was that the filmmakers approached POSEIDON with a take-no-prisoners attitude. Everyone's life was up for grabs, and I mean everyone's. They killed off one of their initial main characters almost immediately, and that set up the possibility of real tension. Without having done that, this film would have been a waste.

But a film can't build a reputation by having great special effects and killing people indiscriminately. It needs a story, a plot, people that we care about so that when they die we care...and this just didn't have it.

2½ stars.

Disaster flicks were in their heyday during the 1970s. Before the days of computerized visual effects, the big disaster films at times dazzled with what seemed to be impossible visuals and generated guffaws with some very cheesy effects. Their fans loved all of it because they never took themselves seriously and it was more like a ride at an amusement park than anything like real life. Even being scared was about having fun.

This remake of the original "Poseidon Adventure" is much more serious in its intent. Of course, the computer graphics make the images seem incredibly real and that does draw us in. We think we feel the heat from the fires, the chill of the water, the panic of being trapped in the vents, our lungs burn for air as we swim underwater with the characters in the movie.

We don't get the same characters that were in the first movie. I won't discuss how the roles map or don't map onto each other, but I will say that in making all this more real, the director and writers made the people less distinguishable from each other. Sometimes it is hard to tell who it is that is crying or screaming or whatever.

Kurt Russell is terrific as Robert Ramsey, former fireman, former mayor of New York. I think he is a widower, because he has no wife, but I don't remember that being explained amid all the noise. He is on a cruise with his daughter, Jennifer (Emmy Rossum), and her boyfriend / fiancée, Christian (Mike Vogel). As always, there is tension between the father and daughter and the potential son-in-law (at the beginning of the film, the dad doesn't know how far along their intentions to get married are).

Josh Lucas plays the mysterious Dylan Johns. Since learning about this guys is a very interesting part of the movie, I don't want to discuss the character or what he does. However, I do want to say that I loved seeing Andre Braugher on screen as Captain Bradford. He plays the role with just the right amount of authority that an officer needs to lead people, especially in an incredible disaster. Braugher also plays Bradford with enough humanity to endear him to us.

The rest of the cast I will leave you to discover. While they aren't as vividly drawn as they are in the first film, they are more compatible with the apparent desire to make such an impossible system seem more "real".

While the comments I heard when the movie came out indicated to me that the film wasn't worth seeing, I think it more worthwhile than I had thought. However, you have to take it for what it is. It isn't "serious" (and who needs that all the time), and it isn't "real", but it is a good couple of hours of adventure.

I thought I wasn't going to like it, because my daughter went to go see it, and she said it was corny, NOT! I saw it and I absolutely loved it, although it didn't have Ernest, Shelly and the other cast from the first one, but it was definitely a winner.. Hats off to the remake

O.k. first thing first, the 1972 "Poseidon Adventure" is still one of my favorite movies and one of the better disaster movies of the 70's. A rethinking(that's all i can call it because it is so different) in this day and age isn't that bad an idea. This one is better than most of the retreads we have had of late (Planet Of The Apes, Gone In 60 Seconds, and the endless T.V. show remakes come to mind), and that makes this one worth the price. The c.g.i. fx's are great and the action is first rate. Sure the story has holes(so did the 1972 version) and the people are cardboard cut outs( though well played by Kurt Russell, Josh Lucus, Richard Dreyfuss, and Kevin Dillon as the jerk that you can't wait for him to die) , but it all works under Wolfgang Petersen's direction. The warning about the level of violence is well worth stateing again, people die very "mean" deaths and in full view of the camera, so if you are disturbed by this beware!!! Other wise, relax, sit back and watch an adventure unfold "in an upside down hell under the sea"

With less plot than a video game, and not much acting to be had, this movie's only saving grace are the special effects, but even those wouldn't warrant a second viewing. Yawn!

Wow! I can not believe anyone could have anything good to say about this lame movie!? I must say that being a pre-teen when the original film was released, I saw this film many times at the theater. Who could resist this adventure? The young boy is one of the heroes and we get to ooggle Pamela Sue Martin in hot pants! In the original film when Roddy McDowell ("Ackers") and Shelly Winters ("Bel") die we feel genuinely sad. When Jack Albertson ("Manny") discovers his wife of 50 years has suffered a heart attack after saving the preacher from a horrible under water death, we feel empathy for him (Albertson). I am a big fan of the original, though I must admit it has lost some steam as I've grown older. First I want to point out I have a very nice home theater with a 10 foot screen. I watched a HD version of the new film, so it had everything going for it. The remake doesn't take any time to develop the characters, so nobody cares that their lives are in danger or if they die! There is no build up to the giant wave, so there is no tension when it capsizes the ship! I also thought the special effects were NOT all that big an upgrade, if at all! This is one of the worst remakes I have ever seen! All the acters including the stars phoned in the performances and the action sequences did not equal the sweat inducing "swim along the rope under water" sequence of the original. A complete waste of time and money! If you are going to try to remake a movie,this is the way NOT TO DO IT!

I know I'm in in the minority of people who like this movie and it actually isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. Sure, the acting could've been better and the intro of the movie could've been longer but the amazing special effects and the fast paced action totally makes up for somewhat lackluster character display. My favourite scene is the capsizing and I'm impressed with how realistic the wave looks. Seeing that CGI-water is very hard to make, the special effects people did a fantastic job in that department! I've seen the original 1972 version too and while that had better characters, this one picks the longest straw when it comes to special effects. The underwater explosions inside the boat are breathtaking and the final groan we hear from the ship as it sinks at the end makes us realize Poseidon's days has been counted. All throughout the movie it feels like we're on the ship being part of the surviving group struggling to make it out of the boat and there really isn't a dull moment in this film. The extra DVD with the bonus materials is pretty interesting too, you learn about the rouge wave phenomenon and they interview sailors who experienced being capsized by rouge waves. There's even a part about a norwegian oil platform that got capsized by a rouge wave in the North Sea and I found that particularly interesting seeing that I'm from Norway myself. I had never heard about that before and had no idea that rouge waves could be found in our very own North Sea. The Behind The Scenes is also fun to watch and the sets they made are nothing short of impressive. I also liked how they used an actual nightclub in Los Angeles for the nightclub scene, they made an exact upside down copy of it and trashed it lol. I always buy DVD's with lots of bonus material on them, most of them are very fun and interesting for a little insight into the making of a movie and this one is no exception.

Recommended if you want nonstop action and not a soppy love romance story. As the TV ad for this film said "It's Titanic - but without the boring romantic scenes!"

You may want to skip this version. Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Roddy MacDowell, the recently departed Red Buttons and the incredible Gene Hackman made the original disaster film memorable, fun and exciting. Special effects have come a long way since then but I was very disappointed with the new film. I adore Richard Dreyfuss but I thought his skills were wasted in this film. The originial story line was much more exciting and I remember being on the edge of my seat watching it in the theater.

I wasn't able to see the latest in a theater and I'll admit that may have jaded my opinion some. It's definitely the kind of movie best viewed on the big screen. Whether you enjoyed this film or not, I'd still suggest that you rent the original. It's a classic in the disaster genre of that time.

As I watched the opening of this remake, with the beautiful scenery and fantastic special effects, I thought this might work. 30 minutes later, as I winced at the horrible lines and unnatural screenplay, I remembered that big budget effects does not always equal good movie. The film starts out fine, as men and women aboard a cruise ship prepare to toast the new year. Then, a huge rogue wave appears on the horizon and flips the ship. A band of people led by Robert Ramsey (Kurt Russel) and Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas) sets out to escape. Now this film would be just as enjoyable on mute as it is with the sound on. The spectacular lighting and special effects are interesting, but in the end, the script and plot just don't make the cut. I mean, a rogue wave that huge just doesn't randomly appear without detection. The characters are boring, with all the stereotypes being filled, but nothing being learned about those characters. An example of how bad the script is: "You just don't get the nickname Lucky Larry. You gotta be lucky".

This movie blew me away , I saw it at the theatre when it first came out and it just blew me away , I had to see it again and immediatly bought the soundtrack and couldnt wait for the DVD that I saw it for the 3rd and last time , Im sorry but this " Posiden " may be the same name , but this in no way is a RE-make , the only thing familar is the idea of a giant rogue wave hitting the ship and turning it over , the special effects on this is mind blowing and horrific !

There is no stopping to take a breath , this is a heart pounding movie , and very upsetting to see what the survivors have to go through and of course some dont make it , the way they were killed is very upsetting and heart wrenching .

I urge you to rent this , hell buy it and watch it over and over again and watch how they made it and you will be more surprised to learn that the things you see infront of you are not exactly what you thought ! lol

Have fun , make lots of popcorn and go to the bathroom before you view this , you dont want to miss anything ! lol

And remember this is not RE-MAKE !

Ok, it is not as good as the original, but if you want to have 2 hours of disaster fun, this is a nice movie. Just turn you're brain off and enjoy. It really isn't as bad as some say..

And what a nice medium Hd dvd is, the picture is stunning with good constast, color and sharpness. Sound is also very nice.

The extra's on the hd are ok, allthough not that many.

Honestly the movie was ok but to see it on HD is amazing, the picture is so detailed and clear especially when josh lucas is walking down the steps of the ballroom, and when the water pushes the ship over. It really is amazing and honestly its so clear i would purchase this movie to be a demo piece to show off you HD DVD set up.

I must say, I have a fascination with anything water based in movies. Titanic, Hard Rain, and now Poseidon. I'm actually shocking myself to say that Poseidon is rivalling Titanic in my eyes. But Titanic is my main love.

I'd already seen The Poseidon Adventure, and Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, before I got to see this on HD, so I knew what to expect. I thought I'd feel some loyalty towards the original, but I was blown away by this, and to watch it on a massive screen AND in HD as well, words cannot describe the experience. The sound is absolutely amazing, we had to keep turning the sound down, in order not to frighten the neighbours, and the picture is beyond perfect. Honestly I can't rave about HD much more. I actually went out the next afternoon to buy the regular DVD to compare, but I just had to do the review first. I loved the movie that much that I would have bought it anyway.

I agree with some other reviewers that yes, the character development is not great, but I hope someday there will be a director's cut, as many of Fergie's scenes got cut. Fergie (or Stacy Ferguson if you prefer) was my one highlight of seeing this film - at the time I didn't realise Kurt Russell or Mia Maestro was in it - but I was disappointed to see she didn't have very much screen times. She's gorgeous, and has a gorgeous voice to match, but we didn't get to hear much of the latter either. I wish she could have shown off her acting skills by being one of the survivors. If only for a little while. My other very small problems with the movie were the loss of the Christmas tree, which played a pivotal role in the original. That should have stayed. The fact that not many of the passengers in the ballroom get a choice whether to go or not with the ragtag bunch of determined-to-escape passengers (Fergie, lift your feet and go!) I felt was also wrong. As they could have tried to escape. But then it did make for a spectacular scene, particularly when Fergie's character went over to the captain (I think?) and gave him a hug. That's when you know they know they have nothing left, but to surrender to whatever is about to happen.

Also, some reviewers have complained about the fact that the scene with spotting the rogue wave on radar was cut. Why complain?! The director had to cut something to cut it down, it was probably unnecessary anyway, so it has to go. You have to be brutal. But this starts the sentimentality of the film - Richard Dreyfuss's character, alone at New Year, since his partner deserted him, is the first to spot the rogue wave, interrupting his impromptu suicide attempt. Believe me, if you're going to start crying at a film that was the point I nearly did! What a wuss.

The rest of the cast were excellent though, my favourite was Mia Maestro, who I already knew from starring in Alias. She was the only person who stopped to help Jennifer (Emmy Rossum) & Chris (Mike Vogel), and her fear when they were trapped in that very small, and partly caved in air vent made me genuinely terrified myself. And let's face it, her cross necklace saved the day in the end!

Most of the characters you will begin to warm to just when the ship capsizes in a few shocking minutes, when I swore I would never set foot on a ship again! There are the few stereotypical characters, mainly the Kurt Russell character, doing the overbearing and overprotective father routine on his daughter who's secretly engaged. The single mother & her son weren't given THAT much screen time - a lot of the others did get more - but the scene were she's on one side of a wall, and he's on the other, and it's slowly filling with water, will bring out the maternal side to anyone.

Of course, with these films it's always a race against time, which is probably why I enjoy them so much. What's so original about this & funnily enough, the original is that the ship is capsized. Therefore, a million times the obstacles, and a REAL race against time, and the rising water. (Plus I can't swim that well, so it makes it even more shocking.) Yes, some of the characters do die along the way (and there's a similar death to Shelley Winter's death from the original), and I did shed a little tear, at one particular character death. I had to hide my face behind the cushion I just happened to be clutching throughout most of the film. Some of the death scenes, albeit not gory, were very realistic, and the expressions on the characters as they died have left an impression on me. Elevators come crashing down (look out if you happen to be UNDERNEATH it at the time), people fall great heights, and bodies get burnt to a crisp. Nice images huh?

I absolutely adore this movie, and eagerly await a possible director's cut, or a better special edition, with deleted scenes. There appear to be no deleted scenes featured on the HD, although it's not much of a loss, when you see what is on it. You're quite spoilt. Complete with an in movie experience, which I'm not sure about, as I think, as I do with commentaries, it could be quite irritating.

This movie is now a major high up feature on my favourites list, and I'm so happy to actually own it myself. Even if it's not on HD. But I'll make do. I'll try and sneak the HD into the DVD player again soon.

To be honest this film was better than i expected, i had never seen the original and assumed by the trailers of this film that it was going to be just like titanic!!! By the reading of these reviews it seemed like i was the only one who thought that, so i thought id check this film out on dvd with my bf, even though it did have scenes i found that were extremely similar to titanic: the scene where the boy and mother were on either side of the cage under the water reminded me of when in the titanic the men were on one side of the cage under water when the mother and kids could get on the life boat, its so similar!

Also when the lifeboat at the end comes its like the end of titanic, so similar but different storyline, so its set on a ship, ship gets drowned by a huge wave everyone dies apart from a group who manage to find their way out just in time before it sinks, characters are good to watch, acting is good, fantastic special effects, so great if your studying film studies or something similar, but if your not a fan of water ie have a phobia like me of large spaces of water then you may have some moments where you cant bare to look as it feels so claustrophobic as you could imagine being in their position.

Overall a good film worth a watch not brilliant, not a great story, but a good film to see if your bored.

Loud, explosive and amazingly violent! What a thrill ride. This is what a disaster movie should be.

I wasn't sure about this movie due to all of the negative reviews. Now having seen it, my wife and I had a blast watching this film.

Sure, the characters are given next to nothing when it comes to development, but honestly, we couldn't care less. It is all about the action baby! Hardly a moment goes by where you can relax enough to take a breath.

Technically, this is an awesome presentation. The video is perfect, with fabulous color and detail regardless of scene (bright, dark, dry or wet). And the sound! WOW. The Dolby TrueHD track had the house just-a-rockin'. The LFE channel was amazing and the surrounds got a workout. This is a good movie to show off your electronics and let you know all of that hard earned cash sunk into receivers and speakers was not wasted.

Is it an Oscar hopeful for Best Picture. Nope. It is a hell of a lot of fun and a great way to make it through a bag or two of extra buttery microwave popcorn. To be sure.

We are fans of the original Poseidon, and while that was a traditionally better film, I would have to say the new version is more entertaining in its own way. I wouldn't even venture comparing the two in any depth (ha! no pun intended). It is like reading a book and then seeing the movie. Both can be extremely entertaining, but they will be different.

Buy it, you will like it, if you like non-stop action and excellent special effects.