The Poseidon Adventure
Composite Score: 82.33
Starring: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Jack Albertson, Pamela Sue Martin, Eric Shea, and Leslie Nielsen
Director: Ronald Neame
Writers: Stirling Silliphant and Wendell Mayes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Disaster, Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG
Box Office: $84.56 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Poseidon Adventure is the 1972 film adaptation of Paul Gallico’s novel of the same name, with a few tweaks to make it a more marketable product. The star-studded blockbuster garnered many awards nominations for its technical excellence and for some of the stand-out acting performances. The film follows a group of passengers on board the S.S. Poseidon, a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, on New Years Eve when the ship fully capsizes, leaving them to scramble to make their way down (up) through the ship to its hull in hope of an unlikely rescue. For a disaster flick, this film has some strong performances and decently developed themes to go along with its quality visual effects and epic John Williams score – definitely more enjoyable than its 2006 remake.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The film contains some interesting character choices, not all of which hold up super well under inspection, particularly in its women. In the main group of ten passengers, there are four women – Belle, the mildly out of shape Jewish grandmother, Nonnie, the disorganized hippie ship singer, Linda, the former prostitute and wife of a police detective, and Susan, the teenaged (?) older sister of the young boy travelling on the ship. While each woman admirably receives unique dialogue and characterizations, some of those characterizations become a bit more problematic from a modern point of view. Belle, a fairly average-sized elderly woman, is consistently criticizing herself for her “obesity” and fixates on it, even in her moments of heroism – other characters (the men, not the women) are quick to reassure her that they do not view her as too fat or anything, but it’s not the best characterization. Nonnie and Susan both constantly break down into hysterics whenever some new trouble besets the group, playing heavily into the damsel in distress stereotype. Also, Susan has some kind of strange fixation on Gene Hackman’s Reverend Scott that felt very romantic in its flavor, which isn’t great – having an implied romantic desire by a teenager toward an adult clergyman… you know.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Questionable female characterizations aside, I do think this might be one of the best disaster movies that exists – up there with films like Twister and Titanic in terms of watchability, entertainment, and substance. For one, for a film made in the early 1970s, The Poseidon Adventure contains some quality visual effects. The flooding of different rooms, fire elements, shots of the underwater ship, scenes shot underwater, and most of the rest of it hold up quite well under modern examination. Some of the makeup and effects on the characters’ bodies might not be quite as lasting, but overall, I’d say it does a good job.
The acting by the leads in this film leaves very little to be desired. Obviously, it helps when there are five Oscar winners in the cast, each of whom is given ample screen time and dialogue moments where they can shine. Borgnine, Hackman, and Winters stand out in their performances, with Shelley Winters receiving supporting nominations from the Oscars and BAFTAs for her performance as Belle Rosen. Having characters with substance allows the audience to connect more deeply with the film’s characters than if all they did was jump from action sequence to action sequence. The moments where the characters (and audience) are allowed to breathe provide some of the most compelling moments in the film. Hackman’s Reverend Scott’s belief in life having value only when striving to survive is pushed to the limit as he watches the struggles of his fellow passengers to remain alive. The deaths of various characters (for the most part) carry with them some added weight and emotionality thanks to the thematic and character explorations that the film gives us in those moments of discussion.
Character connection brought about through intentional moments and strong performances pairs with the well-crafted effects of a disaster thriller to turn The Poseidon Adventure into one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Though its characterization of its female characters comes up somewhat lacking, the other moments of substance in the film help make up for it. This film is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and for rent on many other streamers. Check it out.
