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Hands down, this is the best movie (and was one of the first) to come out of the seemingly endless cycle of disaster movies that dominated box offices during the 1970s. It could even be argued that Titanic owes some of its success to the precedent set by this 1972 blockbuster starring Gene Hackman as a priest who leads a small group of survivors to safety from the bowels of a capsized luxury liner. From its stellar cast to its cheesy, Oscar-winning theme song, The Morning After, the movie has all the ingredients of a popular classic, beginning with a New Year's Eve celebration aboard the ill-fated Poseidon and ending as a pop allegory when the Hackman character becomes a Christ-like martyr. Filmed on spectacular sets where everything down is up and the ship's thick hull points in the direction of salvation, this is "a waterlogged Grand Hotel" (in the words of New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael) that is as entertaining as it is unabashedly brainless. The Poseidon Adventure is filled with performances that rise above the limits of the screenplay. It's also the only movie--unless you count her underwater corpse in Night of the Hunter--that lets Shelley Winters strut her stuff as an aquatic heroine. Who could ask for anything more? --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Byron Kolln
Format:DVD
Irwin Allen's THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is regarded as being the forerunner of the myriad of disaster movies that reigned supreme at the box-office through the 70's and into the 80's.
In this enjoyable and quite campy film, we see the "stock characters" that would become a fixture in the disaster movie genre; the Jewish couple (Jack Albertson and Shelley Winters), the swashbuckling ah...priest? (Gene Hackman), the rowdy policeman and his ex-hooker wife (Ernest Borgnine and Stella Stevens), the nervous little singer (Carol Lynley), the bachelor (Red Buttons), the leggy teen (Pamela Sue Martin) and the know-it-all little brat (Eric Shea).
Mind you, the ship was bound to sink with Leslie Nielsen (AKA Frank Drebin) at the helm...
When the SS Poseidon capsizes in a tidal wave on New Year's Eve, this motley bunch of survivors try to climb to the thinnest part of the hull to escape. Climbing up a huge Christmas tree to begin the adventure, the Priest first makes some convienient "alterations" to the women's outfits. First he orders Stella Stevens to take off her evening gown and put on a short pink shirt; then he orders Pamela Sue Martin to take off her red mini-skirt, which she does, only to reveal a matching pair of red hotpants beneath!!
Then sit back and watch as our vaccuous and totally unbelievable band of dim-wits try to thwart the crumbling wreckage that is continually exploding around them. I mean really, what is Stella Stevens thinking that she can climb through vents and up ladders in silver stilettos?!!
Featuring the theme song "The Morning After" (mimed convincingly by Carol Lynley) and some marvellous miniature effects techniques.
By Calinira
Format:DVD
I have written a review of The Poseidon Adventure before but that was before I got the DVD and in that review I basically was reviewing the movie so I thought I would write a new review. I received the DVD for Christmas and just watched it a little while ago and though I do think that they should release a new special Edition DVD with anamorphic widescreen and more extra features I'm pleased with this letterbox widescreen for now but will definitely think of getting a special Edition DVD if one is ever released. I enjoyed watching this movie and I think this is the best disaster movie I have ever seen and the whole cast is great. Gene Hackman (The French Connection), Ernest Borgnine (The Dirty Dozen), Shelley Winters (Night of the Hunter), Stella Stevens (Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows), Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), Pamela Sue Martin (Dynasty), etc. If you are looking for great extra features on this DVD you will find that this is a bare bones DVD and the features are rather sparse and are only the trailer and a couple of short biographies and filmographies of only a couple of the actors from the cast and I hope that if a new DVD is released that it will have more special features that will include a biography and filmography of the whole cast and also cast interviews, deleted scenes and all of the usual extras. Well anyway until a better DVD comes along I'm actually content with this one.
By The JuRK
Format:DVD
Come on, everybody, just keep chanting it 'til we get it:
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
SPECIAL EDITION!
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4.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
ALL STAR DISASTER CLASSIC!
As far as disaster flicks go, it's hard to find one as effective and engrossing as THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Read more
Published on Jun 19 2004 by Michael Butts
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Party's Over...
I remember watching this in the theatre. It was the first in a long line of disaster movies (I know "Airport" came out earlier, but it's not much of a disaster film). Read more
Published on April 9 2004 by Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein
5.0 out of 5 stars
UNBELIEVABLE UNDERWATER DISASTER EPIC!!!!
SPECTACULAR SPECIAL EFFECTS HIGHLIGHTS THIS DYMAMIC DRAMA OF A MASSIVE TIDAL WAVE-TURNED OVER LUXURY OCEAN LINER WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF WILLING SURVIVORS TO MAKE A DANGERIOUS TREK... Read more
Published on Mar 8 2004 by MUSICPOET
5.0 out of 5 stars
Negligence, Mother Nature and 1000+ people in one movie
Honestly, this movie is the best thing amongst other disasters of the '70s, like the Hindenburg and the Airport series. Read more
Published on Feb 29 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great film, but disappointing DVD
My fave film of all time and a shockingly disappointing DVD. Sure the picture quality is great and the "Menu" hints at a sense of humor from the folks behind the... Read more
Published on Jan 3 2004 by Nelson Aspen
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of My All Time Fav's
Hackman, Borgnine, McDowall, Winters, Buttons, need I say more? Quite a few of the worlds great actors are in this movie and it shows. Read more
Published on Dec 28 2003 by Mrs. Fitz
5.0 out of 5 stars
What, no Special Edition!?!
To this day The Poseidon Adventure remains the undisputed high water mark (no pun intended) for the Disaster Movie craze. Read more
Published on Nov 11 2003 by Chadwick H. Saxelid
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Hope They Remaster and Improve The Widescreen DVD!
As a child in the 70's I saw several disaster movies and though this is not one of the movies I saw back than, I actually watched it for the first time on TCM this is definitely my... Read more
Published on Oct 24 2003 by Calinira
5.0 out of 5 stars
A VERY MUCH GOOD HUMAN ADVENTURE !!!!!
YES !!! THIS WAS, at this time INCREDIBLE with the more ancients averages to make a such good MOVIE but with GENE HACKMAN and also LESLIE NIELSEN as CAPTAIN of brink of the SHIP... Read more
Published on Oct 7 2003 by B. ALAIN
3.0 out of 5 stars
All in all, a fun movie
A fun movie to watch, though I'd put others ahead of this one. I thought the special effects were terrific - even 30 years later, they still look very convincing. Read more
Published on Sep 28 2003 by "dfchen"
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