There's nothing fair about who lives and dies (Poseidon (DVD))

Member Name: aylawarner

Product:	Poseidon (DVD)
Date:	28/09/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing special effects, great action and brilliant cast

Disadvantages: A little too heart-attack-inducing

On the cruise ship Poseidon, over 2,000 passengers are celebrating New Year's Eve, when a giant freak wave slams into the boat knocking it upside down. A small handful of survivors realise that their only way out is to get to the bottom of the ship, which is now at the top, sitting above the surface of the water. The team have to race through the maze of the ship coming across dead bodies, debris and many horrifying obstacles along the way, to make it to the surface before the ship sinks.

~ Cast ~
Dylan - Josh Lucas
Robert - Kurt Russell
Maggie - Jacinda Barrett
Conor - Jimmy Bennett
Richard - Richard Dreyfuss
Jennifer - Emmy Rossum
Elena - Mía Maestro
Christian - Mike Vogel
Lucky Larry - Kevin Dillon
Marco - Freddy Rodríguez

I've seen this film before when it was first released but when I saw it was being shown on TV over the weekend, I had to watch it again.

Apart from Kurt Russell, the majority of the cast are all fairly less well-known actors but, regardless, they all do a splendid job in this. Every single one manages to convey their own individual fears and emotions and I found myself panicking along with every one of them.

Josh Lucas was great as the lead character who took charge in attempting to get everyone off the boat. He played the typical hero - handsome rugged looks, great physique, has immediate chemistry with the main female character, and just happens to know the structures and ins and outs of a cruise ship.

Conor, played by Jimmy Bennett, who is only a young boy in the film, is outstanding in his role. No one wants to see a child die so this automatically makes us like him, but his acting is brilliant and I thought he had some very difficult scenes to play for such a young age.

This isn't the sort of film to watch if you have any fears including drowning, being burnt alive, getting stuck in a lift shaft, or are claustrophobic, as these and many more panicking moments are in the film. This really is a heart-attack-inducing film and so many times throughout it I found myself shaking my legs trying to hurry the actors along to safety or simply covering my eyes and grabbing onto my cat for comfort. I hate the thought of having to crawl through a tight air vent or having to hold your breath for so long under water, and something happening on a boat is my worst nightmare so I was just panicking the whole time! It's also not a great film to watch if you go on a lot of cruises - my nan was watching the film with us and she goes on at least two cruises a year and I looked over at her a couple of times to find her with her hands over her eyes.

Apart from the panicking and quickening rate of my heart, this was, both the first and second times I watched it, a brilliant film. The special effects were all amazing and the film was full of them, which is why it had such an effect on my heart rate. For some reason I don't think Poseidon has received the popularity it should have done. This is such a great action film. I wasn't planning on actually watching the film and when it began I thought I would just watch some of it but, before I knew it, the film was finishing and I hadn't moved from my seat as it was so gripping. It has a very similar storyline to Titanic, apart from the love story is missing, but Poseidon is much better with all the effects and action.

This is a brilliant action/adventure movie and contains all the right elements for anyone to enjoy. Although, I would have to recommend against watching it if you have a weak heart!

Running time: 98 minutes
Certificate rating: 12A
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Summary: A very panicky but enjoyable action/adventure film