Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidon - 2006

(aka 'The Poseidon Adventure - 2006')

Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
USA 2006

The mere existence of Wolfgang Petersen's 2006 Poseidon gives bona-fide proof that there are few, if any, new ideas in the major Hollywood motion picture industry. Innovation is hiding itself behind a rock. Probably a greater truism - the powers that be are more afraid than ever to takes chances on unproven cinema. With at least two previous incarnations of this fictional story, most have heard the plot by now - while ringing in the new year aboard a cruise ship, a giant wave crashes into the ship flipping it 180 degrees. A ragtag group of survivors realize their only chance is to make their way to the deepest bowels of the ship, now at the top, if they are going to have any chance of getting out.

Petersen gives a slightly different take from the original 72' release (entitled 'The Poseidon Adventure') but essentially the emotional manipulations are the same - different (I might add - lesser) performances, better special effects but unrewarding subplots. It is mindless, heart pounding entertainment, but as far as that goes - Petersen has done an adept job sealing his moniker as the 'water' director (Das Boot, The Perfect Storm are two other films Petersen has helmed). I only had one niggling issue that I noted that seemed unusual - the seemingly shoulder-shrugging disregard for an early male member's death (of the small breakaway group), but tearful devastation for a female with a similar fate later long the escape route. It seemed a shade incongruous. Otherwise, I don't think anyone ready to watch this film is expecting anymore, or less, than what they will exactly get. It is kind of short at less than 90 minutes (if you subtract the 10 minutes of final credits!), but the compactness is actually gratefully accepted by this reviewer. The real star of this experience are the grandiose special effects and CGI - most other character performances are flat and one dimensional. As I had low expectations, I wasn't disappointed with my viewing, but it was as hollow and forgettable as you might anticipate. out of

Gary W. Tooze

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 10th, 2006

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DVD Review: Warner Home Video (2-disc Special Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Warner Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:38:03
Video	2.35:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.29 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 5.1), DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles	English, French, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage: the complexities of making a modern adventure movie • A Shipmate's Diary: A film-school intern's experiences on the set • Poseidon: Upside Down: a unique set-design chronicle • The History Channel documentary: Rogue Waves (28:08) • Theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: August 22nd, 2006 Double standard Keep Case Chapters: 22

Comments:

Solid DVD transfer from Warner. The image is very dark with no visible manipulations. Sharpness is present, but strangely enough I think the 72' edition on DVD early this year looks superior in terms of color and detail. Not to say there is anything wrong with this transfer - I'll assume it looks, pretty much, exactly as the film did theatrically. The 5.1 track sounded explosive and quite chilling on my system - a film like this really benefits from the dynamic audio.

No commentary but extras include 4 featurettes (1 on the main 3 on the 2nd disc) of which the History Channel (TV episode) on 'Rogue Waves' held the most interest for me.