Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Jacinda Barrett

When a rogue wave capsizes a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, a small group of survivors find themselves unlikely allies in a battle for their lives. As the unstable vesse...( read more  read more... )l rapidly floods with water, they face unimaginable odds and life-altering decisions in their desperate fight to the surface.

Flixster Users

57% liked it

321,665 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

194 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen

Release Date: May 12, 2006

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006

Get It:

Stats: 17,562 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (17,562)


  • September 24, 2009
    Sea-sickening remake.
  • May 30, 2009
    "Oh my God... No!"

    Once again, I've got to remind you all of my dislike about remakes. 'Poseidon' is a remake of a film conveniently called 'Poseidon Adventure' from '72. The original may have had some "adventure" in it but this film made by Wolfgang Petersen, who's work can be ...( read more)very uneven, is nothing short of a disaster. But then again, the film does belong to the disaster genre.

    First of all, the original wasn't that spectacular so why do it all over? There's really nothing new that can be said or made about boats getting in to shitty situations. 'Titanic' did it all very well, not that I consider it to be a masterpiece, but 'Poseidon' is so full of clichés that I find nothing of interest in it. Even clichés can be made in an interesting way but the only REALLY interesting thing about this all is to know where did all the money go? The production budget was an amazing 160 million USD's! My God...

    Another thing is the cast. If you want to get the audience to watch a summer disaster, blockbuster, whatever you wanna call it, I'd assemble together a better cast then the one in 'Poseidon'. Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Josh Lucas are more or less well known names but they aren't so called "A-list stars". Dreyfuss was on the top of his game in the 70's and 80's and is a respectable actor, but I'd prefer if he'd decided to sit this one out...

    So what do we get for 160 million? A lame, unsurprising script, an OK cast, a dead Black Eyed Pea and decent effects. Worth it all? Hell no. A film that should not have been made.
  • March 19, 2009
    How many times have we seen ships or rooms fill up with water? How many times have we had to watch people running around these rooms trying to escape. Why should I have to sit through another one that takes no chances and uses its characters as nothing more than plot devices?
  • January 6, 2009
    A remake of a catastrophe film classic filmed by a director who regularly does films about ships doesn't sound like the most original idea ever but surely not like something that can go horribly wrong either. And that's exactly what the result is like: well done popcorn entertain...( read more)ment with several flaws on the story writing level. While it can be seen as a good thing that the film doesn't need much time to get to the rogue wave that gets the excellent first action sequence starting we don't learn much about the main characters before that. And neither do we afterwards. The only reason to care about their survival is pretty much the sympathy you have for the actor in general, which shouldn't be entirely the point of a film. To waste a great actor like Richard Dreyfus, who is in it for the whole distance, mind you, by saying no more than ten sentences in 100 minutes is a shame. The movie surely could have used 15 more minutes to make us care about the characters or add a few more interesting action scenes towards the end. Still, it's entertaining and over sooner than you can blink, with lots of really nasty death scenes. So not bad for a rainy afternoon.
  • January 4, 2009
    A luxury cruise liner is sunk by a rogue wave. A group of passengers try to make their way off the sinking ship. Kurt is good at these disaster / action movies. It's not quite Titanic, as it's a bit over dramatic. Good effects.
  • November 13, 2009
    When I first heard about Wolfgang Petersen was re-imagining Paul Gallico's The Poseidon Adventure, let me tell you at first I wasn't too pleased. I thought this was going to be another shallow and brainless Disaster film with amazing visuals and nothing much else to hold...( read more) it up. Boy was I wrong. What I got was a smart, extremely intense,edgy and highly entertaining film with all it's pieces of the puzzle in the right place and not a single one missing, while I like Wolfgang Petersen(director of In the line of Fire, The Perfect Storm and Troy.) I didn't think he could properly bring such a compelling and thrilling story to the screen but with some luck and ILM to back him up he did it.



    what I really liked about Poseidon was that it took a used story and turned it into something more, much more. And that is say something in the movie business where disaster films are a dime a dozen but a good disaster film is a one in a million. And here it is.





    Josh Lucas gives off some great energy in this as the gritty,smart and loner hero who has to take charge to lead the small band of survivors to safety. Lucas plays the part with ease and style but while his hero can't measure up to Gene Hackman's he does give the role more grit and heart than what would really need be needed in a film of this caliber. But never the less he gives us a good show for our money. Kurt Russell is not as good here as he has been in the past, but he does have his moments where he really shines above the rest as the second in command to Lucas. But Russell is almost the standout here by his ties as a father in this film, which in some scenes have him making very uneasy choices that are motivated by his duty to his child and there he shines above the rest in almost all his scenes. Emmy Rossum is much better than she was in TDAT, she's not anywhere closer to being great or even better than her previous works but she does do much, much better than she has in the past and that is something to admire. Richard Dreyfuss is not as good here as he was in say.. Jaws(1976) or The American President(1996) but he does great as the kind hearted old man and delivers some good scenes in the film. But none the less the cast holds up very nicely under a poor script and with excellent direction from Petersen they soar.





    Wolfgang Petersen's Poseidon is The Towering Inferno of disaster films, It just has water. This film delivers a powerful and moving experience that is common in disaster films but never quite like this, this time around it's more intense and character driven and that makes it one of the best and the brightest to hit the genre in years. All in all Poseidon is one adventure you want to be apart of.
  • November 9, 2009
    I don´t understand why the women are so helpless and the men need to be heroes.
  • November 7, 2009
    Now I've seen all the editions of the Poseidon saga
    This one has got the most boring cast but uses electricty and fire in wider range than the other versions
  • November 6, 2009
    This movie is quite like Titanic, although without the big love story. So this movie pretty much starts off with all the excitements and monster-waves and survivals and deaths.
    I haven't been this dedicated to a movie for a long time, it was brilliantly made and I just couldn't ...( read more)take my eyes off it. Through pretty much the whole movie I was screaming and begging that everything would turn out okay, but for you to find out the ending you'll just have to see it yourselves.
    Most definitely worth watching, maybe even twice!
  • November 5, 2009
    this was a prety good movie

Critic Reviews


May 18, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

As a humanist, I applaud the respect for life, but I miss the campy fun. The movie is, in all senses, a big downer. full review

May 11, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Poseidon, which cost some $160 million to make, certainly qualifies as a big movie. But it's the kind of 'big' that you forget almost as soon as you've left the theater. full review

May 11, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Poseidon is a sodden saga, with a script that is awash in clichés. It nearly drowns under the weight of its own soggy tedium. full review

May 11, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

By the end, you won't care who lives or dies, and you'll suspect the filmmakers didn't either. full review

May 11, 2006
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The chief virtue of Wolfgang Petersen's reasonably well-executed remake of The Poseidon Adventure is that it keeps the action moving.

May 11, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Relying on empty spectacle rather than drama, Poseidon sinks faster than a topsy-turvy cruise ship. full review

May 11, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

If The Poseidon Adventure was pure camp classic, Wolfgang Petersen's uninspired re-do succeeds at neither -- it's not camp and it's not classic. full review

May 11, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Petersen's heart isn't in it. He is too wise a director to think this is first-rate material, and too good a director to turn it into enjoyable trash. full review

May 10, 2006
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Its ever-present underlying racial politics [mirror] those of dunderheaded '80s B-horror movies. full review

April 27, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

You'll end up entertained if you forgive the cliches and let Petersen grab you with the visuals, from the avalanche of water in the ballroom to the eerie sight of a flooded crawl space where wires tak... full review

View more Poseidon reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • mal2pool
    January 20, 2009
    First Poseidon was the classic disaster movie. This doesn't do to bad in the remake stakes. Plenty of thrills. Better effects of course. Shame the original stellar cast of The Poseidon Adventure weren't in it.
  • neelvparmar
    July 19, 2008
    i really like this movie very much and i am speechless ,too! i wanted to watch this movie again and always. nw iam this movie's also fan member! ok,then you are all able to see my profile and sent (post) comment to my profile, ok? i am here to wait! nw give me huge smile. bye bye.
    new friend
    neel.









  • RickandorAndy
    January 10, 2008
    Anyone know where the already inflated life raft came from at the end? It seemed odd for it to be sitting there waiting for them right where they escape.
  • artisticboy92
    May 6, 2007
    wonderful graphics, great storyline..only that this monstrous wave seems to appear out of nowhere, rlly, and something should have explained it like *hmm hmm* in the original, a seaquake off of crete..the scene though when the wave crashes into the ship is incredible..and i love the violence
  • lisaladyc
    March 28, 2007
    KirstyC I totally 100% agree, I was thinking the same thing!
  • xmeganxmariex
    March 4, 2007
    this kinda scares me about going on a cruise...lol it was really action filled and it's a movie that u don't want to stop watching! i can't believe fergie dies! i cryed so much!! this movie was really good overall!
  • 21orangecreamsicles
    February 22, 2007
    THE BEST MOVIE EVER, I friggin loved it soo much.
  • rumzi08
    February 9, 2007
    i really want 2 watch this movie!!
  • jviper
    February 7, 2007
    its an OK film
  • arachniaspotion
    November 26, 2006
    Scary as hell. Im never going on a cruise!

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • See No Evil
    See No Evil (42%)
  • X-Men: The Last Stand
    X-Men: The Last Stand (51%)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End
    Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (53%)
  • The Towering Inferno
    The Towering Inferno (100%)

Facts


No facts approved yet. Be the first

Poseidon : Watch Free on TV


Poseidon Trivia


  • In which movie Kurt Rusell die to save the others?  Answer »
  • Poseidon is not a remake of an older film.  Answer »
  • What actor has appeared in all these movies? Supercross, Poseidon, Grind, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  Answer »
  • Which actress/actor starred in Phantom of the Opera at the age sixteen and returned to the big screen in Poseidon?  Answer »

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin