Haggisboy
14-05-2006, 09:13 AM
In Poseidon, Director Wolfgang Peterson returns to the ocean-going environment that produced his 1981 breakthrough hit Das Boot (http://www.dasboot.com/). Somewhere along the way, however, Peterson decided that character development, a component which made Das Boot such compelling cinema, was dispensable if you fill the screen with enough pyrotechnics to fight a small war.
Based on Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel and subsequent 1972 Hollywood blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure, about a luxury ocean liner that capsizes when hit by a rogue wave on New Year’s Eve, Peterson’s revisioning produces a mixed bag of results. The special effects are superior to the 1972 version, but that’s hardly a surprise given the technological advancements that have taken place since, and the acting is uniformly solid throughout. Plus, viewers of this version will be spared the experience of psychological torture that the original inflicted in the form of Shelley Winters whining, whimpering, and generally acting like a beached whale throughout.
That’s not to say Poseidon isn’t without its own set of flaws. Peterson’s cast of characters are drawn so thin, their script bios might as well have been written on rice paper. We’re given only cursory details about each – ex-fireman & former NYC Mayor (Kurt Russell), professional card shark (Josh Lucas), single mom with kid in tow looking for love (Jacinda Barrett), wealthy gay man jilted by his lover (Richard Dreyfuss) and assorted others round out the small group fighting to stay alive. While fleshing out these characters to make the audience care more about them arguably might have made for a better movie, Peterson does a capable job of filling this shortcoming with moments of excruciatingly high tension, as the group of survivors face a multitude of complex obstacles on their quest to escape the ship through the propeller tubes.
Unlike Das Boot, which was a near perfect blend of artistic film-making and tight story telling and suspense, Peterson’s Poseidon aims no higher than to be a summer popcorn muncher. Given his cinematic pedigree, while it would have been nice to hope for more, at the very least he delivers on what he set out to accomplish – entertain the viewer.
Poseidon - Official Site (http://www2.warnerbros.com/poseidon/)
Based on Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel and subsequent 1972 Hollywood blockbuster The Poseidon Adventure, about a luxury ocean liner that capsizes when hit by a rogue wave on New Year’s Eve, Peterson’s revisioning produces a mixed bag of results. The special effects are superior to the 1972 version, but that’s hardly a surprise given the technological advancements that have taken place since, and the acting is uniformly solid throughout. Plus, viewers of this version will be spared the experience of psychological torture that the original inflicted in the form of Shelley Winters whining, whimpering, and generally acting like a beached whale throughout.
That’s not to say Poseidon isn’t without its own set of flaws. Peterson’s cast of characters are drawn so thin, their script bios might as well have been written on rice paper. We’re given only cursory details about each – ex-fireman & former NYC Mayor (Kurt Russell), professional card shark (Josh Lucas), single mom with kid in tow looking for love (Jacinda Barrett), wealthy gay man jilted by his lover (Richard Dreyfuss) and assorted others round out the small group fighting to stay alive. While fleshing out these characters to make the audience care more about them arguably might have made for a better movie, Peterson does a capable job of filling this shortcoming with moments of excruciatingly high tension, as the group of survivors face a multitude of complex obstacles on their quest to escape the ship through the propeller tubes.
Unlike Das Boot, which was a near perfect blend of artistic film-making and tight story telling and suspense, Peterson’s Poseidon aims no higher than to be a summer popcorn muncher. Given his cinematic pedigree, while it would have been nice to hope for more, at the very least he delivers on what he set out to accomplish – entertain the viewer.
Poseidon - Official Site (http://www2.warnerbros.com/poseidon/)