John Chard

Jan 12, 2020

6.0

I wouldn't put a lot of faith on what the captain says. I'm an architect, and these boats weren't designed to float upside down. After playing water games with "The Perfect Storm" six years previously, director Wolfgang Petersen returns to the water to reimage 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure" (novel by Paul Gallico). Story essentially finds a cruise liner capsized by chaotic weather and survivors try to make their way out of an upside world before the boat either sinks or the inrushing water drowns them. The original is one of the highlights of the disaster genre that burst forth in the 1970s, so it really didn't need remaking, but Hollywood insists on remaking old films for cash cow purpose. As it is, this is hardly a terrible movie, it lacks character development, the plot is stripped bare without any additional depth, and ultimately it's the CGI effects (that do work handsomely enough and were Oscar Nominated) that carries the picture to just above average status. Hardly a must see disaster film but enough excitement and suspense to make it a dent time waster for fans of the genre. 6/10

JPV852

Aug 17, 2025

6.0

Decided to give this one another shot, last time was probably when it came out on DVD. Didn't think much of it then and while it's nothing great and the CGI was spotty at times, I still thought it was fairly entertaining if not just another throwaway movie with not much of a lasting effect. On the one hand I can appreciate they didn't bother much with character development and giving us backstories that nobody gives two shits about, but on the other when a few eventually get killed, you really don't care either. Even so, albeit a pointless adaptation (why not just watch the 1972 classic?), it's still fine. **3.0/5**