Larger text
Smaller text
Print
E-mail
'Poseidon' sinks under weight of effects
Rated PG-13 for intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril;
The irony is that "Poseidon" was directed by Wolfgang Petersen, whose German gem "Das Boot" was a carefully crafted war drama about a German U-2 crew in peril.
Before the special effects take over, and they are for awhile the one reason to step aboard, "Poseidon" makes sure we'll be traveling light.
Few folks, including Capt. Bradford (Andre Braugher), are even sideswiped in terms of screen time. And those we do meet are virtually interchangeable.
All we know about Robert (Kurt Russell) is that he neglected spoiled daughter Jennifer (Emmy Rossum of "Phantom of the Opera") while he was mayor of New York City -- a subject that is dismissed in a single line.
The few others even identified include Jennifer's beau Christian (Mike Vogel), single mom Maggie (Jacinda Barrett), Maggie's unobtrusive son Conor (Jimmy Bennett), stowaway Elena (Mia Maestro) and gambler Dylan (Josh Lucas).
There are no older folks tagging along, unless you count melancholic gay architect Richard (Richard Dreyfuss).
Also jettisoned this trip are the clergyman in a crisis of faith -- God forbid! -- the champion swimmer-grandma and the raft of character players who made the original "Poseidon Adventure" such an involving trip.
It's no longer even in the nature of the beast -- the group jeopardy genre or the disaster flick -- to define a dozen or more characters and to cast them with seasoned, identifiable personalities who could supply what the screenwriter couldn't or didn't.
Once the big wave arrives in "Poseidon," the ship capsizes and the first few effects envelop us, the picture starts sinking.
An unusually large percentage of the running time is given over to scenes in which our undefined focus group is confined in tight quarters trying to make their way to the next tight quarters.
If only we knew who they were.
Other movies about passenger/luxury ships sinking:
First cousins, set mainly on life rafts, include "Lifeboat" (1944), "Abandon Ship" (1957) and "Sea Wife" (1957).
Scores of war films involving military ships sinking or in peril include "Gray Lady Down" (1978) and "Das Boot" (1981).
The many network TV or cable movies on the subject include a 2005 remake of "The Poseidon Adventure."
