Rating: 
Summary: You Go Girl!!
Review: Who can top some of the classic moments of this film. No, I'm not referring to the tidal wave or the ship capsizing. I'm talking about Shelley Winters' derriere, Pamela Sue Martin's hot pants, Carol Lynley's singing of "the Morning After" to a beagle posing as her brother, Stella Stevens' "just panties...what else do I need" comeback. Classic kitsch doesn't get any better than this. A cult grew up around "The Poseidon Adventure" shortly after its release, partly because everything about this movie, from the storyline and special effects to the performances and set design, is completely outrageous. Sure, its reputation for preposterously silly dialogue is well deserved, but the actors suffuse their sketchily written roles with energy and definition. The capsizing of the ship is masterfully done and, because this was before computer animation, it looks like you're watching something that could actually happen. Interestingly, although the Titanic did sink, the movie of the same name often resembles a cartoon, and the special effects have none of the mysterious majesty of "Poseidon". Sure, some of the acting is poor, but Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons and especially Stella Stevens really hook you with their energized performances. Stevens, an often underrated actress, was perfectly cast here. She brings just the right combination of toughness and vulnerability to her role, and she delivers some of the films funniest lines with the verve of a real trouper. She always had a knack for such hard to define material. You find yourself responding as much to her appeal as to the character's. No, this isn't Shakespeare (it's more fun). And those 70s outfits are funny in the extreme. But this is a hoot of a movie, and if you give it a chance, you'll enjoy it for the goofy, funny, exciting and unique antiquity it is.
Rating: 
Summary: Striking a Nerve with a 90-Ft. Tidal Wave
Review: "In an upside-down world, a rebellious religious leader leads a small band of believers up while everyone else is going down...."I was 9 on New Year's Eve in 1972 when I saw this movie: my first "grown-up" movie. Back when there was one gigantic screen in a theatre. I'll always remember the fear and dread of seeing the wave through Leslie Nielsen's binoculars, the anxiety of seeing water swelling up behind the survivors as they make their way through the ship, the dim realization that only the upside-down hull was waiting at the end. Over the years, I've seen the religious symbolism (a deliberate choice of the filmmakers since the novel takes a very-different, depressing route) and appreciate the performances of truly great actors. It's been called "shlocky" and such, but I admit I'm very moved by Ernest Borgnine's tears of faithlessness as the rescuers cut through the hull and he turns to look back at the flames behind him. A sentimental favorite and I watch it every New Year's the way some folks watch IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE for Christmas. There was an artist in Phoenix who hosted "Poseidon Parties" on New Year's Eve who would invite guests to knock over tables of food and drink during the tidal wave scene (I don't know if he still has them). I was in Hollywood a few years back and checked on getting the one-sheet in a memorabilia shop: while most others were $18 or $25, a POSEIDON one-sheet was now $150. The clerk told me, "I don't know why, but the interest in this movie's really shot up recently." I hope there's a new DVD someday that includes actor's commentaries and the AMC "Backstory" show on POSEIDON at the very least.
Rating: 
Summary: ...would never be shot today (....but never say never)
Review: There are two reasons to watch a film like "The Poseidon Adventure". The first is to notice what great actors can do with abominable material. The second reason is to explore and understand the 1970s disaster film genre in detail. Stirling Silliphant's impossibly unbelievable screenplay is only eclipsed by 1978's "The Swarm" - a film that seemed like high art to me in 1978, and seems like a multimillion dollar practical joke 24 years later. "The Poseidon Adventure" was a difficult, incredibly expensive shoot (cuts were cornered in writing and continutity, however). Many of the crew and performers must have stories about the shoot - can't we hear those in a commentary track?
Rating:
Summary: Titanic - Love sory = Poseidon Adventure
Review: I think I like this a lot BETTER than that "other boat movie", which is strange, because you'd think it would get COOLER in 20+ years. The reason is simply this: Poseidon Adv. doesn't piddle around with trying to make a romance out of a disaster. I think that in REAL life once Titanic hit, J. Dawson would be like "Nice dance, nice screw, ship wrecked, screw you." Of course, that's just me, and anyone else who's being honest. A lot of people 21 and under probably saw Titanic, not this. I suggest they give it a look.
Rating:
Summary: THE ULTIMATE SEA DISASTER AND ESCAPE FILM
Review: While "Airport" began the disaster movie genre of the 1970's, "Poseidon" was the genre's apex. The exposition is a bit corny, with dialogue sounding like an old "Charlie's Angel's" episode, but once the wave hits and the ship flips over, all is right with the movie. "Titanic" has the advantage with computer special effects, but "Poseidon" has the cast and stunt work to boot. Shelley Winters is always a delight. Also, explore the theological ideas spread throughout the film. Great in widescreen! Viva the 70's!
Rating:
Summary: May Day, May Day, This is the S.S. Poseidon calling!
Review: It is New Years Eve. You are in the dining room of a huge luxury liner. The captain leaves to the bridge on a emergency call. Then the liner capsizes. You would never guess that a minister would lead you to safety.
This is the best movie ever! It is action packed with classic actors and actress. This is a movie you can never get tired of. It passed Titanic by far. It is a classic quality movie that will hopefully for centuries be viewed by viewers of all ages and interests.
Rating:
Summary: Great chatacters underwater!
Review: This film comes in for a lot of unfair criticism as being corny, derivative, and melodramatic. Perhaps the drama is a little too high, but this is only apparent when coming into the movie halfway through. One of its best aspects is the way the drama is built up, from spoiled people enjoying their dinner dance in the opulence of a luxury liner, giving us an insight into each of their characters. The film would not convince without good special effects, and here they are superb. Not only the model work, but the skills of the set and effects designers are tested to their limit building an upside down model of a ship's engine room, with some working parts, and others spurting steam and water. Given that a credible backdrop has been built, the characters that populate the stage are no less skilfully constructed. The actors and writers have an equal hand in this. There's some young women whose main qualification is to look good in wet clothes, and the usual annoying kids, but on the whole the ensemble cast is on the whole well chosen for the characters they play. Ernest Borgnine's appearance often condemns him to play villainous roles, but here his character undergoes a change from a crass oaf into someone for whom we all feel sympathy, perhaps more so than for any of the other characters, and Borgnine convinces in his performance.
Rating:
Summary: It's an acting lesson
Review: A who's who list of great actors demonstrates how to make the best of a really bad screenplay, which is a necessary skill for aspiring actors. Much has been written elsewhere about Gene Hackman's transparent imitation of Jimmy Stewart. I'm convinced Ernest Borgnine was also deliberately imitating Wallace Beery's bass-baritone drawl. Watch this movie as part of a double feature with DINNER AT EIGHT and listen to Borgnine and Beery saying "Awwwwwwww" to their respective wives.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars? Give me a break...
Review: Why is it that everybody keeps saying how this movie is so cheesy, the acting isn't so great and the screenplay is laughable, yet they give it five stars? That's just ridiculous. This is a fun, mindless disaster flick, nothing more, nothing less.
State of the art, circa a long time ago.
THREE, not five stars (sad, but true: this is getting the same rating as the Godfather Trilogy on Amazon! That is pathetic!) IMHO: Watch this on TNT, no need to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Titanic!...
Review: This is a movie about a cruise ship that's hit with a giant wave and capsizes during a New Years Eve party. Gene Hackman plays a preacher who takes it upon himself to save the survivors, even though they sometimes doubt he'll be able to do it. This movie is much better than the highly overrated Titanic, and I would recommend it if you're a fan of adventure and suspense.
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