Movie Review: Poseidon

REVIEW IN 5 WORDS OR LESS Don’t bother holding your breath. SOOTODAY SUN MOVIE RATINGS PLOT- Poseidon is a re-make of the 1972 The Poseidon Adventure where a rogue tidal wave flips a luxury ocean liner on New Year’s Eve.

REVIEW IN 5 WORDS OR LESS
Don’t bother holding your breath.
SOOTODAY SUN MOVIE RATINGS
PLOT- Poseidon is a re-make of the 1972 The Poseidon Adventure where a rogue tidal wave flips a luxury ocean liner on New Year’s Eve. Luckily some of the more let’s say, attractive passengers, decide to go against the captains order to sit tight and make their way up to the bottom of the boat. The beautiful people include a former firefighter/ex-mayor of New York (Kurt Russell), a professional gambler who spent ‘a little’ time in the Navy (Josh Lucas), and a gay/suicidal architect nursing a broken heart (Richard Dreyfuss) to name a few.

The fresh-faced strangers not only battle the odds of making their way to the bottom of the boat, but they also find time to clear up a few personal problems along the way. Without this we wouldn’t be rooting for them to escape but it gets pretty unbelievable at times.

CAST- You’ve got your cool, suave guy with Josh Lucas. Your uptight father unwilling to let his daughter be alone with her boyfriend in Kurt Russell. Kevin Dillon offers some comic relief as Lucky Larry, a misogynist who continues take gulps out of his flask during the escape and of course there is Fergie, the hump-shaking singer from the Black Eyed Peas. And yes, her acting abilities are as limited as her facial movements.

FEAR FACTOR- - Claustrophobic? Aquaphobic? Both? If so you’re in for a treat.

A rogue wave isn’t the only villain in this movie. Falling to your death or being crushed by random foreign objects seem to be number one cause of death on the Poseidon. And don’t forget flash fires.

While watching the characters swim their way to freedom at times you’ll probably catch yourself holding your breath. David Blaine couldn’t pull it off, but Kurt Russell sure has a set of lungs on him. Considering the movie is PG there are many violent, over-the-top deaths through-out the film. Not to mention watching the entire kitchen staff burn alive.

TEAR FACTOR- During the course of their daring escape we do get to learn a lot about the escapees. It’s hard not to feel something for them. It’s the whole family thing. The mother fighting to save her child or the fiancé risking his life for his soon-to-be wife. It might be hard for some to squeeze out a tear considering how absurd the situation the people are in. However, if you’re the type of person that cries at the drop of a hat, especially if the hat is filled with kittens, you might as well bring some Kleenex.

ACTION PACK-ED-NESS FACTOR: Huge explosions, total chaos and lots of water. You won’t be on the edge of your seat the whole film, but at least half. Wolfgang Peterson does a terrific job, considering he only had $140 million to work with. As for being action packed, Poseidon is no M:i:III. Though at times you’ll find yourself gripping the arms of your seat and maybe have to stop yourself from yelling, “Go the other way!”

OVERALL MOVIE GOODNESS:Re-makes rarely make good. In this case Poseidon is a pointless remake. If you feel like turning off your brain and watching ordinary people do the impossible then hit Poseidon up. It’s a fun movie to watch. Sometimes it’s intense. Others it’s touching. But most of the time it’s a predictable big budget wannabe blockbuster. In the end, money talks and Poseidon made $20.3 million in its first weekend.