The Poseidon Adventure
Directed by Ronald Neame
- adventure
- drama
- thriller
The story
When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.
What it’s like
Warm, cramped ship interiors under 1970s studio lighting, with the glow of chandeliers and the flicker of emergency lamps giving way to dim, tilted corridors and water rushing through them. The palette moves from gilded party gold and New Year's red to murky greens and sooty browns once the ocean liner is upended, and the camera stays close and mobile, tracking people through narrow spaces and pausing on faces. Its score is big and orchestral, with swelling strings and a Oscar-winning theme that rises over the sound of creaking metal and gushing water. The vibe is sweeping disaster-movie suspense with a stubborn streak of faith and sentiment, the kind of film that suits a holiday-night watch with company or a nostalgic rewatch on a long winter evening. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with a series of tense climbs and near-misses, and the tone swings between hopeful, bickering camaraderie and genuine fear. Its people, a mismatched group of passengers, slowly drop their differences and grow closer through shared danger, while a few of them face losses. Violence is absent, but peril and deaths are present; the drowning and crushing moments are startling and there is some brief, non-graphic rough handling. There is a little romance and an undercurrent of bitterness and grief. It suits viewers who want old-school spectacle, ensemble character drama and a clear rooting interest in survival.
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