Poseidon

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Ships)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

I don’t think Mother’s Day is the best day to watch a boatload of people die. That thought kept running through my mind as I sat through Poseidon. There I was, watching a film where literally hundreds of people are dying in disaster (and I’m sure most of them had mothers), and I’m there on the day we’re supposed to celebrate the gift of our mothers. There was just something incongruous about the whole situation. I thought it was even weirder that apparently a lot of people thought this would be a good gift for their mom. My theater was filled with people who thought taking mom to the movies would be a good idea, though why they choose this film I don’t understand. But such is the draw of the summer event film; you don’t need to understand it to enjoy it.

Poseidon is basically Titanic without the exposition, character, drama, or romance. The film skips the ususal time setting things up and basically gets right to it. Once the wave hits and the ship flips over, which is a pretty impressive sequence effects-wise, the film is very efficient in going through all the steps and scenes necessary for a disaster film. You don’t really get much more cliched or paint-by-numbers than this. However, I was left with the distinct impression that perhaps this movie was a little too efficient in getting its job done; in so far as it really kind of felt that all it was doing was getting the job done. Wolfgang Petersen can make this kind of film with his eyes closed, and it feels like he put in just about that much effort with Poseidon. I don’t know if perhaps he had some bills to pay or what, but it just feels like he was cashing a check with this film. Now that isn’t to say the movie is bad, Poseidon is enjoyable as a summer popcorn flick, but just don’t expect much more than the standard vapid summer adventure film.

Perhaps I would have found this movie more engaging if it would have elaborated more on a theme that Kurt Russell’s character mentions when he says there’s nothing fair about who lives and dies. That could have been a very profound, very moving statement if we cared about any of the characters in the first place. However, since we barely have a passing acquaintance with most of them, and since the film doesn’t really give us any time to get to the know them (I can’t even remember their names, or if they had names beyond "leader guy" and "heroic father figure guy"). We don’t really care so much about who survives so much as how they survive. I felt almost clinical as I pondered how the group of survivors would get past the various obstacles in their path without having much concern about who would or wouldn’t make it. Still, it’s a sentiment we’ve all felt at some time, especially in times of crisis. We sometimes truly believe that life and death aren’t fair; that heaven and hell aren’t fair. Well, the simple fact is that although it isn’t always fair who lives and dies, it’s very often left up to us to choose one or the other. Just as the few who survived their adventure on the Poseidon were the few who choose to look for a way to survive, so it is with us. Those few who will actually enjoy eternity are those who chose life. Let’s be very clear, God does not send anyone hell. People choose to go to hell when they reject God. Just as all the people who thought they would be safe by not doing anything after the ship capsized eventually perished, the people who decide to do nothing with Jesus Christ will eventually perish in a life that has capsized without Him. These are, admittedly, fairly profound things to ponder after seeing a film like Poseidon, especially considering the fact that the characters certainly never stop to ponder such things and the fact that after seeing this movie you’ll probably won’t be pondering much of anything except whether or not that was really worth you seven bucks.

Audiences today have learned not to expect too much from the summer films, after all, they are supposed to be fun escapes from reality. Films like Poseidon deliver exactly what audiences expect. Theirs is nothing that really stands out about this film. The performances are functional. The direction competent, if without heart. And although there are a couple of noteworthy scenes that are fairly intense, there isn’t much emotional investment required for viewing this film. In fact, this movie really felt more like a rental. Sometimes a summer film can be shallow but worth seeing on the big screen because of the money shots and the special effects. Poseidon does have some great effects, but nothing that really would make it necessary to see on the big screen. In the end, the question really comes down to whether or not one wants to waste Mother’s Day, or any other day for that matter, watching something they probably won’t waste the time trying to remember later.

— Overview