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The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
1/04, 7/08
7/08:
The Poseidon Adventure is the famous disaster film that garnered a bazillion of Oscar nominations, winning two.
What an all-star cast, I must say. It has Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall,
Jack Albertson, Arthur O'Connell, and Leslie Nielsen. In total, that's five Oscar winners among them.
The best part is the visual effects which won an Oscar for L.B. Abbott and A.D. Flowers. The Poseidon Adventure
was the Titanic of its day before Titanic
came out in 1997. At first, I thought it was among the greatest disaster films made. Now, it's a boring movie, forcing
me to endure the terrible characters with soap opera tendencies.
Shelley Winters is too melodramatic for my taste. When her character finally died, I was glee with joy. It's weird to see
the long moment of silence for her but only two seconds for Acres who helped lead everybody the way to the engine room.
As much as I like Ernest Borgnine, I've wished his character would just die already. He ruins the movie. The
moment that he blamed the preacher for his wife's death made me want to get on the ship and strangle him.
Oh gosh, how much I wanted Nonnie to die. She's so fucking annoying and catatonic. Nonnie, Nonnie, Nonnie...what
a damn retard. Turning in a hammy performance, Eric Shea makes Brandon deWilde look like Marlon Brando of child
actors. Red Buttons has a couple of classy moments, but has there been too much soap opera already?
To save me from this literal disaster of a film, Gene Hackman is the biggest difference maker; he's crucial at times
whether The Poseidon Adventure can hold itself together or fall apart at the seams. Leslie Nielson, who appears
briefly as the captain of the ship, has a memorable cameo.
There are three or four major parts in all, and each of them takes half an hour. The underwater scenes are wonderfully done.
I like the emphasis on the mentality to survive at all costs but not the abrupt ending. I was with the characters every step
of the way, so I felt entitled to a reward. Therefore, the conclusion should be a simple summary of what happened to them
afterwards.
I have a hard time believing the tables and chairs were bolted to the floor after the ship was flipped upside down.
Plus, the SS Poseidon stayed afloat for a long time, but how is that possible? Should it begin to sink once
the rescue guys torched a hole in the hull because of the air escape, thus reducing the ship's buoyancy?
Every time I'm taken away from inside the ship, I see explosions that are happening underwater. I wonder if it's
the same recycled scene. Interestingly, Hollywood says if a person has blue eyes, he has a very good
chance of surviving the disaster.
All in all, after enduring the worst set of characters ever, I should be counted among the survivors of
The Poseidon Adventure.