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From Amazon.co.uk
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
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I totally agree that this is one of the best (and was one of the first) of the cycle of disaster movies. The setting is very original: an interior of a ship turned upside down! The cast is great (see other comments). I don't agree at all that it is "unabashedly brainless". The psychology of the movie's characters is superb; other disaster movies just don't stand the comparison. It is truly a thriller, one of those movies you get involved in, like in a game. I saw it years ago on the big screen and have been bought the DVD now because I want this movie to be part of my private collection (which is small). A final suggestion to all Amazon reviewers: please don't tell so much about the story, otherwise it isn't fun seeing the movie.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The original The Poseidon Adventure isn't exactly a film so good that it couldn't stand remaking. The first half hour before the wave hits is like a very badly written episode of The Love Boat, with painfully on the nose dialog ("What kind of priest are you?" "I'm a renegade! The very best kind!") and hideously stereotyped characters. In fact, truth to tell, it's a pretty pedestrian affair even after the ship goes bottom up: strip away its high concept and all you're really left with is a long, slow wade to the grave for some of the characters en route to the cheapest closing sequence ever fobbed off on an audience in a major studio picture. Aside from the odd bit of dialog about the importance of life in the face of death or Gene Hackman's occasional tirades about or against God that hint at someone striving for a big theme, there's not that much of Paul Gallico's original religious allegory left either (if memory serves, in the novel the Reverend Scott had 12 passengers following him on his path to martyrdom). Worse, some of the performances are just excruciating to watch (particularly Red Buttons) while Roddy McDowall's attempt at a Scottish accent is particularly painful. It has its moments, but far fewer than you'd think.
No complaints about Fox's special edition (be careful to order the right one, as Amazon has put these reviews under the 2-disc and single-disc editions) - a surprising commentary from Ronald Neame (who has never made any secret of his dislike for the film in the past), several featurettes, trailers and stills gallery - although it is irritating that Fox have inexplicably cropped the original 1972 making of featurette to 1.85:1 when it was originally fullframe.
No complaints about Fox's special edition (be careful to order the right one, as Amazon has put these reviews under the 2-disc and single-disc editions) - a surprising commentary from Ronald Neame (who has never made any secret of his dislike for the film in the past), several featurettes, trailers and stills gallery - although it is irritating that Fox have inexplicably cropped the original 1972 making of featurette to 1.85:1 when it was originally fullframe.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I will resist the urge to compare this 1972 classic disaster movie to James Cameron's Titanic because The Poseidon Adventure tells a very different kind of story. The first thing you notice about this film is its truly remarkable cast; there are no less than 15 Academy Award winners showcased in this epic film. While the special effects are very good for the most part, this film deals much more with the personal stories of the would-be survivors than it does the actual disaster. The Poseidon is carrying hundreds of passengers to Greece on its final voyage; the representative of the owner orders the captain to proceed at full speed, despite the captain's (Leslie Nielsen) concern about insufficient ballast after weathering a fierce storm at sea. As the passengers celebrate the New Year at midnight, the ship is hit with a 90-foot tidal wave caused by an underwater earthquake and turns completely over in the water.
Gene Hackman plays a maverick preacher named Scott who leads a group of survivors in a bid to save themselves, but only a select number of people follow him because the ship's purser insists everyone should stay where they are. Reverend Scott's followers include a man and wife (Jack Albertson and Shelley Winters) who were on their way to see their grandson for the first time, a young lady (the exceedingly cute, pre-Dynasty Pamela Sue Martin) and her annoying but generally helpful little brother (Eric Shea), an incredibly loud and obnoxious former cop (Ernest Borgnine) and his equally annoying former prostitute wife (Stella Stevens), a hardworking and all-around nice fellow (Red Buttons), a singer (Carol Lynley), and a shipmate (Roddy McDowell). Their journey "up" through the bowels of the ship in search of salvation is an arduous one that some individuals will not live to complete. The journey will be one of self-discovery and emotional trauma for all involved, though. Shelley Winters is absolutely wonderful in her role, although I myself found some of the comments by her and others about her weight being a burden to the group quite troubling. Red Buttons is also terrific, outshining all others in his humanity. Naturally, though, Reverend Scott is the most fascinating character of them all, and Hackman gives one of his finest performances ever in this role. His unorthodox religious views and behavior are brought into sharp focus at the end, as his character comes to take on a strange martyrdom both similar and wholly dissimilar to that of Christ himself.
The Poseidon Adventure clearly ranks among the best disaster films ever made. This is a very human drama, with some characters sacrificing their very lives for others, others complaining and rebelling at every turn, and the most vulnerable souls clinging to the hope of survival and placing all of their faith in a man who promises them safety and salvation. Allegorical questions such as why God allows the kind of human disaster that takes place on the Poseidon are fairly obvious, making this a motion picture that will stay with you long after the story is concluded.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
dvd
recieved this as a gift for my son,who has now seen it and added it to his collection thank you
Published 1 month ago by vw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic disaster movie
This is the 2 disc limited edition I am reviewing which has an amazing lot of extras including some really good audio commentaries by Pamela sue Martin, Carol Lynley and Stella... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Agnetha
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic film
A great film, the original still holds up today as the set hasn't dated badly at all (though some of the language and clothes are showing a little age). Read more
Published 20 months ago by Paul
3.0 out of 5 stars
Question please...
Please could someone answer a query for me? I would like to know if this 2 disc special edition (as pictured) has the booklet inside. Thanks.
Published on 28 Feb 2011 by P. Mayes
5.0 out of 5 stars
What an Adventure!
A wonderful movie that will live until the Human race die out. It's hard to believe this beautiful work of art was created in 1972. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2010 by Rowan Charlton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic period-piece disaster movie
Classic early 70s disaster movie which cased a trend culminating in The Towering Inferno. A luxury cruise-liner turns over after a freak wave with the survivors having to get to... Read more
Published on 29 Sep 2006 by Greg Farefield-Rose
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad
I was bored with the beginning of the movie, but it got slightly better as it went on. The special effects were not the best but still good. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2006 by Mr. M
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic!
The original. It shows that it was made in the 70s, but it is still a damn fine disaster movie.
I have to admit, I kinda like disaster movies. Read more
I have to admit, I kinda like disaster movies. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2006 by Sasha
4.0 out of 5 stars
A blast from the 1970s
Watching this film again really does bring back the memories of seeing it for the first time in the cinema as a kid. Read more
Published on 25 May 2006 by D. I. Shipley
4.0 out of 5 stars
I was entertained
I'll be honest with you: i'm scared of deep water. Not the kind of deep water you find in a swimming facility but the kind of deep water you'll find on the sea. Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2005 by "lofster"
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