Poseidon
2006 · Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Original language: English
- adventure
- action
- drama
- thriller
The story
A packed cruise ship traveling the Atlantic is hit and overturned by a massive wave, compelling the passengers to begin a dramatic fight for their lives.
What it’s like
Dense, churning disaster spectacle: a glossy 2006 digital look with cool blue-grey water, flat fluorescent ballroom light that turns warm and orange once fire takes hold, and a camera that pitches and tumbles with the hull, tight handheld shots in corridors and stairwells giving way to sweeping crane views of the overturned ship. Sound is the main event: a big orchestral score swelling over groaning steel, roaring water, screams and crackling flames, with quieter stretches of wet breathing and dripping pipes. The vibe is frantic, claustrophobic adventure with a grim undertow, the kind of film that suits a loud weekend afternoon or a New Year's Eve viewing with company rather than a quiet night alone. Pacing is relentless, built around set-piece after set-piece, and the emotional register swings between heroic determination and raw grief; the central arc follows a group of survivors moving upward through the ship, with a father's desperate search for his daughter at its heart. Intensity is high: sustained peril, drowning, burns and bodies in the water, with some gore and a lot of loss, but no sexual content and little lingering cruelty. It is for viewers who want a spectacle of survival and sacrifice and don't mind the fear.
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