Poseidon DVD: Review By Dodd

Unfortunately, the summer has come to an end. After a full summer of people pouring millions of dollars on special effects, sexy actors, and high concept ideas, the firework show is over. However, before preparing for the Holiday season of year-end Oscar contenders, there is still the opportunity to revisit the sunny days. Since the advent of DVD's, the gap between theatrical release and home video release has narrowed dramatically. Believe it or not, but at the end of the summer season, films from the beginning of the summer are already available. One of the first major summer releases that is now available on DVD: Poseidon.

It is no surprise that of every film released this summer, that the biggest dud of the season is the first to hit the home video market with hopes of quickly capturing the audience that missed it. The odds that this multi-million dollar project of explosions and waterworks will take in what it needs on DVD is slim. However, there exists the possibility that Poseidon will reach more viewers than it did in the theater. After failing under the shadow of Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III in its theatrical run, this clich&#233d disaster movie is clearly looking for a second chance. So is this flick worth a go on home video? Despite its shortcomings of unoriginal proportions, it turns out that this badly abused ocean drama is really not so bad.

Poseidon is based on the Paul Gallico novel, The Poseidon Adventure. However, most movie fans are probably more familiar with its film adaptation, The Poseidon Adventure, from the 1970's. Wolfgang Petersen's remake, Poseidon, tackles the same general premise: a giant ship is turned upside by a rogue wave in the middle of the ocean.

While the same idea exists in the remake, there are also many changes. Poseidon introduces a whole new cast of characters. This includes an arrogant gambler (Josh Lucas, who else?), the former mayor of New York City (Kurt Russell), his lovestruck daughter (Emmy Rossum), a single mother (Jacinda Barrett), and a gay, suicidal architect (Richard Dreyfus). All of these characters, among others, are gathered on the Poseidon cruise ship for a lavish New Year's Eve bash. Unfortunately their fun is literally overthrown when a wave capsizes the ship. The previously mentioned characters realize the imminent threat of water leakage, and journey upward where oxygen still exists. The clock ticks as the survivors overcome extreme obstacles and fight for their lives to make it to the top (or should I say bottom) of the ship.

Frankly, disaster flicks used to irk me in more ways than one. Since the conception of Twister, the bandwagon of trite disaster films made me legally brain damaged for two years (I refer to this era as Junior High). Poseidon is indeed a hackneyed premise that gives characters little to do. In fact, that is the film's most obvious flaw. For a large cast of talented performers, the script rarely gives them the chance to show off their true acting potential. There are many characters left without thorough introductions. Therefore, when some of these said characters kick the bucket, it is hard to miss them. It is like reading a random obituary in the paper before proceeding to laugh at The Family Circus.

Poseidon does not give its characters much room to move. However, these flaws aside, it is surprisingly suspenseful. While snickering at the occasional death scene that is not intended to be funny, I found myself in a state of tension once the film passed its midpoint. As the main characters make their way through the ship, they find survival to be more and more difficult. Elements of claustrophobia and drowning are gradually introduced into the plot, and are actually effective. While it is sad to watch Richard Dreyfus getting soaked in gallons of water while other countries suffer from drought, I must give kudos to the visual effects team and Wolfgang Petersen for doing action the proper way.

Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage

On the first disc containing the film is this 20-minute featurette that is a general making-of showcase. For such a short runtime, this doc*mentary does an effective job of covering many points. This includes a neat sequence in which Josh Lucas is inserted onto the outer deck of the Poseidon using green screen technology. One negative point about this is a segment in which the actors brag about doing their own stunts. Well guess what John Lucas! I popped a wheelie on my bike the other day while crossing on a "Don't Walk" sign. You want a cookie?

Poseidon: Upside Down

Since shooting on a real ship in the ocean would be a difficult task, the filmmakers created a replica of the capsized ship on a soundstage. This featurette chronicles the difficult task of building a massive upside down ship indoors. The meticulous stages leading up to the construction of this replica are astounding. It is clear that much money was spent, and many tears were shed by Warner Brothers following opening weekend. I highly recommend this piece.

A Shipmate's Diary

A young production assistant and recent film school graduate compiled this video diary while working on the set of the film. Unlike many lengthy video diary pieces that lack narration, this is tactfully edited and highly entertaining. This is a very nice and realistic look on the studio back lot.

Rogue Waves

The makers of the DVD really think outside the box on this one. Breaking away from the set of the movie, this doc*mentary was taken from the History Channel that solely focuses on the rogue wave phenomenon. Coming in at almost an hour, this very scientific featurette proves that the rogue wave incident in the film is not as unrealistic as it seems. This provocative show is the best extra on this DVD and is a must-watch.

Widescreen. The transfer onto DVD looks virtually spotless. The look of the film itself is not bad either. Wolfgang Petersen is a master at creating underwater disasters (Das Boot, The Perfect Storm). Since it was mostly filmed inside of a soundstage, there is not very much reliance on synthetic settings, with the exception of the opening credit sequence that showcased the exterior of the ship.

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Poseidon is a thrill ride, and with it comes a turbo-charged sound experience. Kick on the Dolby Surround system and you will hear every element of falling chandeliers and gushing waters.

Standard DVD keep case. The plastic case comes packaged in a vertical slip sleeve, which has an animated front cover. When tilting the case, the animation shows the rogue wave capsizing the Poseidon.

During its theatrical run, I pretty much stayed away from Poseidon thanks to its unamusing promotions and negative reviews. Apparently, everyone else in America had the same idea. However, this film truly did not deserve so much harsh treatment. I have seen many summer films that are far worse than Poseidon that have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. The character development is stale, but the action sequences are undeniably well maneuvered. With a nice selection of special features that are not too excessive, this DVD actually attains a level of recommendation. If it is available at your local video store, I recommend giving this two-disc special edition a rental.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com