Movies-TV

A classic .....

I saw this movie on television while I was a teenager ... quite an action-packed flick in its day and worth owning just because it was the first one made. I also own both of the remakes and enjoyed seeing how the years altered the basic plot here and there.

Highly recommended for nostalgia's sake ... watch all three Poseidon movies in order on a Sunday afternoon and see the boat always sink and the few passengers survive and escape (differently in each, and in all three equally entertaining). Fascinating! :-)

Best 70s disaster movie ever

To even compare this movie to Titanic is an insult to movie-goers everywhere. Titanic isn't even in the same league as The Poseidon Adventure. Titanic's acting is like an elementary school play compared to Gene Hackman and his castmates. And unlike Titanic, with Poseidon Adventure, you actually root FOR the survivors. I don't know anyone that wouldn't have preferred that Rose went down with the Titanic along with Jack. The only thing Titanic beats Poseidon on is the special effects, and you certainly can't fault it for that. For its time, The Poseidon Adventure stretched the limits of the technology far more that Titanic during its mid 90s shooting. My only bad memories of The Poseidon Adventure, and this is not its fault, is its sequel. Not only was Beyond... a horrible movie, but it ruins the first movie. Suddenly rather than a huge disaster where only 6 people make it out alive, and only because they listened to Reverend Scott, we find that many more made it without his help. It just doesn't have the same feeling after seeing the sequel. (And why did the rescue team just leave after finding 6 survivors? They couldn't stay awhile longer looking for more?)

Still Good To Watch

I developed a disliking for cruise disaster movies after watching Titanic.
Then I was channel surfing and landed on AMC and decided to stick around to watch this 70's disaster movie entitled "The Poseidon Adventure". I found myself liking the movie despite its various problems. Still, the special effects for its time are remarkable, if not superb.What I liked about this film were the characters and the development for selected favorites. I admit that Winters pulled off a good show, but I wasn't really paying attention to it. My greatest concern was whom I believed was the scene stealer Pamela Sue Martin in her first movie role.
She made an excellent showing out of what would otherwise be such a small role. Actually, if you pay attention its not so small. Her character, Susan, has a crush on Reverend Scott, played by Gene Hackman, and expresses it one point in the film when he goes off alone to look for a possible exit.
Kind of helps produce the many films and stories that would have either older men falling for teen girls or the other way around. I really didn't pay attention to the hot pants situation. I thought it was pretty normal to me. Then again, I'm watching a movie that was made in the early seventies.I like watching this movie because of the characters. I found it better than Titanic and worth watching again and again. See it. You won't be too disappointed.

One of the best disaster movies

After this film was released at the beginning of the 1970's, it started a trend for big budget disaster movies. This is one of the best, (The Towering Inferno and Airport'75 come close). Typically in a disaster flick we have a perfect cross-section of society, i.e. a shy loner, a jewish retired couple, a know-all kid that you hope will die, a cantankerous ex-cop etc. (strangely, though, no token Afro-Carribean character). And a disaster movie wouldn't be complete without the irritating hysterical blonde who can't swim, and screams whenever there is an explosion. Gene Hackman is brilliant as the Maverick Priest, and the way he sobs and dribbles over the dead Shelly Winters is method acting at its best. You hope that he survives with the rest of them - but does he??With the brilliant characterisations set up, all that can go wrong is with the sets and special effects. No fear, as these essential elements shine through (you can literally smell the mixture of sweat, diesel oil and sea water), and you can tell that they used moving sets rather than getting the cameraman to jiggle the camera about and directing the actors to run into walls - the initial disaster scene in the dining hall when the ship turns over and bodies are sent flying still manages to shock.

Cool Natural Disaster Flick Kids!

The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 Gene Hackman flick I recall seeing in the early eighties. When re-watching I remembered the scene where the fat lady dies after saving the preacher. This movie is so realistic and striking for it's time. This would have been a very high budget film to make. It was so funny how there was so many shots of the blond hooker in her panties or an ass shot. Like when she's climbing up that one ladder and you can several times easily see her ass cheeks. The kids were cute and I love the ex police officer. Gene Hackman rocks and is awesome as the preacher man. I love the Jewish guy and the foreign girl and redheaded guy. Very well written script. Awesome camera shots and set design. Very realistic and disturbing for a film this old school. But the old movies are always the classics. This film is totally shot on 35mm motion picture film and is edited pretty slickly. I can imagine this film would have grossed very wealthy profits at the box office in 72' when this film was originally released.

A perilous escape from an overturned ocean liner, but who dares to try?

"The Poseidon Adventure" starts out as a rather routine ocean voyage but turns into a very risky escape from disaster, thanks to a massive tidal wave striking the ship on New Year's Eve.The Poseidon is an old vessel on its way to the scrap yard, but its last voyage is never completed. Instead, only a few of the passengers survive the overturning of the ship, and manage to climb to the hull, which is now afloat. Gene Hackman plays the leader of the small group, with excellent back-up from Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, and Red Buttons. Female leads are handled with skill by Stella Stevens and Shelly Winters. Each deck the small group climbs brings them closer to the engine room, and safety in the hull, but the water keeps edging ever closer. Who finally survives?Rent this one to find out, or better still, buy it. A must-see.

Not a dull moment in this timeless adventure.

It is hard to believe this movie was made over 30 years ago. Don't let the fact that it was made in 1972 influence your decision to see it. It is as exciting today as it was then. I never miss a chance to see it, as I pick up new details each time. The scene when the cruise ship turns over is especially awesome. The actors are well cast. There is just a sprinkling of comedy to take the edge off the drama. Gene Hackman plays his part well. I have never been disappointed by this actor. The main characters compliment each other well. They are all familiar faces, but they become the people they are playing. Hollywood has not remade this movie because they can't improve on it.

Kudos to Red Buttons and Jack Albertson

******** Very Mild Spoilers ******************************Some great actors sail on the Poseidon, but ultimately it sinks. This is a fun popcorn movie, but that's about it. The concept of the movie is great.
The idea of people being trapped in a boat which is upside down is interesting and fun to watch. I like the beginning of the movie with Leslie Nielsen. However, the characters in the movie and some of their dialogue is inane.
The characters played by Gene Hackman and Stella Stevens are the two which are most over the top. It is so campy in places, it is unintentionally funny. Actually, Gene Hackman's character being a minister made no sense and the scene where he preaches at a church service on the deck of the Poseidon is absurd and insulting. And Stella Stevens was schizoid and grating in her role. Nobody could be as dumb and one dimensional as her character. At times, it feels like the movie is trying to convey some profound message about humanity, which spoils the movie because it's much too pretentious for this movie.The Poseidon works best when it is a straight forward disaster flick. When it tries to be more, it doesn't work at all. Kudos to Red Buttons and Jack Albertson for fine performances.

Stands the Test of Time

This film stands the test of time. It is 30 years old, but it is still good -- better than many films on the market today. I had never seen this film, but it was the last film my parents-in-law had seen in the theaters! They didn't like the problems dealing with a theater (some things never change), so they only buy or rent movies now. I thought I would try the movie. I was pleased.

Some of the special effects are noticeably older, but very few. For the most part, much of it could have been filmed a couple years ago. Part of this is that a lot of the "effects" are real (as opposed to so many poorly done cheap digital effects today).

The acting is good, with a little too much of the 1960s style where some actors think they have to yell or the microphone won't pick it up. Besides that, pretty good.

The action is very good, with a lot of turns and little surprises. It may not be as good as "Speed", but few things are (if you think "Speed" is not great, try viewing it again -- I often forget how good it really is). It is better than most of these types of films of the 70s, especially the mid-70s.

The transfer to DVD is good. Sound and video come across very well. Give it a try.

A Familiar Story **SPOILERS**

There are a hundred and thirty-three reviews written for this film before mine. It's an okay movie, and I have little to add, good or bad, to its assessment.

But, for those who've seen this film, I do have this little which might amuse you:

It occured to me, watching this film for the first time earlier in the evening, that I'd seen this particular story somewhere before. A leader takes a group of difficult people on an arduous journey towards a promised land. Along the way, he briefly gets separated from them as he climbs up for guidance. While away, they become distracted and unruly, inviting his wrath upon his return. Ultimately, they complete their journey, but the leader himself (who takes undue pride in having accomplished the trip "on his own") is only allowed to view the promised land from afar; he dies before being allowed to enter it.

In a nutshell, this is the tale of The Poseidon Adventure. It is also, of course, the tale of Moses, which is what forms the basis for the plot of this movie. Because a film that does something like this *must* explicitly do so at one point or another, the Jewish couple discuss near the beginning (as they travel to Israel) that they might travel to the mountain where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. The film knew what it was doing, but it is subtle enough that I doubt many people see it. That's why I thought I'd mention it. It doesn't make the movie any better or worse than what it is otherwise--and you can read the other reviews here for an assessment of that--but it's an interesting tidbit that I wanted to share.

Ham, Cheese and Mucho Male Fantasy

I strongly suspect either Mrs. Irwin Allen was considerably younger than Mr. Irwin Allen or he at least wished that were the case because except for Manny Rosen (whose wife is the same age and chubby, but incredibly saintly), every guy has a waaaay younger, waaaay hotter lady hitting on him. Two of them sporting hot pants, no less! Not only do studly macho men like Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine and Gene Hackman have women 20+ years their junior to rescue and comfort, but they get to chew lots of scenery. While spouting lots and lots of self-righteous, pompous dialogue. What more could a middle-aged to old man ask for? I honestly would have preferred (and believed) Roddy McDowel paired with Carol Lynley. Though Roddy was only 9 years younger than Red, Roddy looked like he was 30 years' Red's junior, his character had already spent time gazing dreamily at Carol Lynley's "Nonnie" (was that meant to be some swingin' singer name?)and they actually had chemistry together (Carol and Red didn't do such a hot job of hiding their mutual dislike).I found the references to Stella Stevens' hooker past hilarious. Guys "looked familiar". Really??? She remembered her tricks from her street walking days? And they remembered her? This was especially entertaining when she talked about a "young officer" who looked familiar. If he was young and this was recent, why was he paying for your rapidly whithering butt, Stella (sorry, but she was 36 at the time and looks at least 10 years past that)??? And if this was more of a distant past thing, then I'm sure he doesn't remember you and eeeewwww, child molestation.I also loved how hip, radical Reverend Gene always wore his turtleneck and jacket---lest you forget he was a hip, radical reverend (or maybe he just wanted to be Banacek).All in all, entertaining in a campy, silly, overacted to the max way.

This is a really good movie....

This is a really good movie that stands the test of time. Made more than 30 yrs. ago, this movie relied on a good plot and good acting to make it's mark. Gene Hackman is great in everything he does. I would pay to watch him direct traffic. However, Shelly Winters and Ernest Borgnine are the standouts here. In my opinion, Winters should have won the Oscar for Best Actress, but Liza Minelli won it. Go figure. Rent this DVD, and then you'll want to buy it. It's that good!

The movie that started it all!

I tend not to be a spoiler, but this to me is the movie that started all disaster movies. I love this movie to no end! The Poseidon Adventure is based on a novel by Paul Gallico. Of course the book version and the movie version are completely different but some based on fact. Paul Gallico during World War 2, witnessed the Queen Mary almost capsizing and that inspired him to write the book. The characters in the movie are very good. The special effects are awesome. Though this movie is fictional, this tops all sea disaster films. The movie has a lot of realism in it, and a variety of characters. If you are a disaster film lover, this is the one movie for you! You will find out later on that you'll keep on going back and forth between scenes, and then before you know it, you are addicted to it just as I am, and you'll probably watch it so much you may know every line by heart!

It was great when I was twelve

This movie was a big deal when I was a kid. It doesn't hold up at all and I would be hard pressed to watch it again. It can't hold a candle to "Titanic". There are too many Oscar winners trying for another trophy, and its all very heavy-handed.

my way to honor in the New Year

Every New Years's Eve, I watch this film to remind me that "life does matter very much", a very profound line spoken by Reverend Scott. I also like to be reminded that in a crisis, if a group pulls together, more than likely there will be a desirable outcome.

Seen the special edition DVD which gives this classic a fantastic upgrade

Timed to coincide with the big-screen remake "Poseidon," 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are releasing 2-disc special editions of two classic star-studded disaster movies, including the 1972 original "The Poseidon Adventure" starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and Roddy McDowell among a crew of 15 Academy Award winners. Produced by the legendary Irwin Allen (who made a career in the 1970s of turning out big-budget disaster movies) the movie, based on a novel of the same name by Paul Gallico, tells the story of the aging liner Poseidon, which is hit by a 90-foot tidal wave that knocks her over on her final voyage from New York to Greece.
Featuring impressive special effects for its time and excellent performances from its cast, the movie manages to rise above a trite script and corny dialogue as they travel through an upside-down world, into the bowels of the ship in the hope of rescue from above.
Perhaps the main attraction of this movie is the sets, which effectively create a world turned on its head that leaves passengers walking on the ceilings of a maze of passageways and falling into what was just seconds before the roof of a giant ballroom. The movie proved to be a smash hit in 1972 and itself garnered nine Oscar nominations.
The movie was previously released on DVD as a relatively bare-bones effort, an oversight which has been corrected here in what is a virtual embarrassment of riches for those of us who love to scour through the special features of those shiny discs. Alongside two audio commentaries, one featuring director Ronald Neame and a second with cast members Pamela Sue Martin, Stella Stevens and Carol Lynley are ten all-new featurettes that include a retrospective by the cast and crew and the AMC Backstory that looked behind the making of the movie. The longest of these short documentaries by far is the Backstory presentation that clocks in just short of a half-hour at 25:08 and details not just the fight by Allen to bring the novel to the screen, but also on-camera interviews with the likes of Roddy McDowell, Sheila Metthews Allen and Stella Stevens.
Fox apparently was reluctant to finance the $5 million picture and tried to kill the movie even after work had started on it. It was up to Allen to raise half of the budget, something he managed when he interrupted two rich friends playing cards at the neighboring country club who said "Yes, but let us get back to the game." The two men subsequently became even more wealthy.
The shortest documentary "Turning over the ship" on the effects shots in the picture is a mere 2:26.
The other documentaries cover such elements as the song "The Morning After," the religious themes of the movie, how some of the scenes were created and a featurette, which this DVD shares with "The Towering Inferno," on writer Stirling Sillipant.
Even given its short length at 6:27 is the featurette "The R.M.S. Queen Mary" which gives a fascinating history of the liner which served not only as a location for exterior shots of the "Poseidon" and the design of the ship, but also in the genesis of the idea for the novel. Apparently Gallico had taken a trip on the Queen Mary in the 1950s when it had been hit by a large wave. Tilting slightly plates and glasses went flying until the ship righted itself. Years later as Gallico sat down to write a novel the memory came back to him.
Perhaps the most famous shot of the movie is of the character Terry falling from a table into the glass ceiling below. This stunt was performed by actor Ernie Osatti, who was asked to do it so the movie could say that a number of the stunts had been performed by the actors themselves. This is recounted by Osatti in the 4:09 documentary "Falling up with Ernie."
Of the two commentaries the solo effort by Neame is the most involving with the director commending his cast for spending virtually an entire movie being "damped down" with hoses before practically every shot. Neame also reveals that he was "terrified" when he heard that Gallico would be seeing the movie because he had not stayed faithful to the novel, but was relieved to find out that the novelist loved the film.
Neame also explained the use of the "title" on the front of the movie which would seem to a casual observer to be a spoiler. As the movie opens we learn from a blurb on the screen that "only a handful of survivors" made it through the capsized ship. As Neame tells us, this was included as a means of holding the audiences attention through the first 20 minutes of the picture as we are introduced to the impressive cast with the audience trying to figure out who will survive.
The second cast commentary by Martin, Stevens and Lynley has, strangely enough, more periods of silence as the three seem to become involved in watching the movie unfold. It is also more anecdotal in nature. Stevens, for example, recounts getting into trouble recently for having her picture taken with the model of the ship (which apparently is on display at the maritime museum in Long Beach, Calif.), until it was learned she had appeared in the movie.
The three also talk about the casting and even mention how they had expressed an interest in making cameo appearances in the new movie, a notion which was met with no enthusiasm by the studio.
Perhaps the most interesting special feature is also the most unusual, an interactive feature that allows the viewer to follow the escape through schematics of the ship as they watch the movie. With a boat graphic in the lower right corner of the picture as a prompt, a screen comes up that shows the viewer where the survivors are, the path they took to get there and who is left. The schematic is based (as the movie and book were also) on the R.M.S Queen Mary.
Rounding out the DVD is a 10-minute archival 1972 promotional feature on the movie, two teaser trailers and the theatrical trailer, three storyboard comparisons and the transcription of an article that appeared in an edition of "American Cinematographer" with selectable images that take the viewer to image galleries.

A true classic!

This is still the greatest disaster film of all time, with fantastic special effects, great performances and a terrific message about people's inner strength. If there was never a "Poseidon Adventure," there never would have been a "Titanic!"

The Disaster Epic Turned Upside Down

How often have you run into someone who feels that a film adaptation of a novel is never as good as the novel itself? It certainly can be annoying, especially if all you want to do is lose yourself in visual splendor. But I'm afraid I have to side with the literary aficionados in the case of "The Poseidon Adventure," a well intentioned disaster flick that delivers plenty of action but skimps on deep, meaningful emotion, a quality that made Paul Gallico's original novel such a fascinating read. What little human drama that remains is shallow and brief, almost to the point of being completely unnecessary. It's basically an abridged version of the text, stripped of all complexity in order to present a bare bones action adventure. I suppose in that sense, this film does deserve some credit; action films are entertaining, and the fact that the filmmakers understood that showed that they knew how to appeal to a wider audience. And I have to admit: the scenes of destruction were fun to watch.

But that doesn't change the fact that this is an incredibly superficial film, great to look at but at times difficult to stay connected with. The transition from book to screen resulted in several watered down elements, not the least of which was character portrayals. I felt that the novel had an almost fable-like quality, presenting the kind of characters found in fairy tales and nursery rhymes: one-dimensional yet important in plot advancement. While they represented a wide range of caricature-type personalities that conflicted, they each served a purpose that almost supernaturally gets the passengers to try and reach the hull of the S.S. Poseidon. They all followed the leadership of Reverend Frank Scott despite emotional turmoil, distrust, hidden feelings of love and rejection, and at times, full blown hatred. It was as if they were somehow drawn to Scott despite the fact that most of the group was unwilling to follow him.

But most of that has been disregarded for the film adaptation. Now the characters are much less interesting, especially in the way that they all come together so willingly and set aside feelings of hostility in order to work towards their goal. That may be an incredibly odd and heartless thing to say, but I can't help but feel that the story was meant to embody the characteristics of a legend, something you don't necessarily believe but you do understand. The legend as Gallico saw it pitted a group of men and women against all the odds in a capsized ocean liner, each one assigned a personality type that never faltered. It poses some questions. How can anyone expect to make a perilous journey with an antisocial, resentful former actress? How about with a hard-nosed New York cop who remains suspicious, angry, and enabling of his abusive wife? Or maybe a brave yet unhealthy old woman who never seems to think she can accomplish anything because of her excessive weight? I could go on, but you get the point. These are all caricatures in the original novel, defined right from the start and unchanging even in the midst of disaster.

In this Irwin Allen production, we have Gene Hackman as Reverend Scott, who takes it upon himself to lead a group of Poseidon survivors to safety after a freak title wave literally turns their lives upside down on New Years Eve. Most people are skeptical and unflinching, but some do follow him: Lieutenant Mike Rogo (Ernest Borgnine), a New York cop; his wife, Linda (Stella Stevens), an angry woman who's afraid the past will catch up with her; Manny Rosen (Jack Albertson) and his wife, Belle (Shelly Winters); Susan Shelby (Pamela Sue Martin) and her know-it-all younger brother, Robin (Eric Shea); the lonely James Martin (Red Buttons); the frightened young singer, Nonnie Parry (Carol Lynley); and the crewman Acres (Roddy McDowall). They trek across the ship, working their way up towards the keel and back to the propeller shaft in the hopes that they can be rescued. Along the way they experience death, obstructions, and limited physical capabilities. They're being tested, pretty much to the point of questioning whether or not their efforts have been for nothing.

Fans of the novel will immediately notice the story changes: Sue and Robin's parents have been eliminated, as have The Beamer, Pamela, Hubert Muller, Mrs. Kinsale, and Kemal; Linda's hostility is almost exclusively directed at her husband instead of humanity in general; Rogo's bigotry, ignorance, and anger was dropped in favor of a more flexible demeanor; and Martin replaces Hubert Muller as the one with the caring, protective instincts for Nonnie (which are much more subdued). There are also other differences, ones that prevent me from going into detail due to spoiling the plot. I'll say this much; some of the deaths occur at different times while other lives are spared altogether, and the ending is completely different.


Despite this review seeming like a negative rant, the truth is that "The Poseidon Adventure" is not an especially bad movie. But it definitely is missing a lot of the emotional qualities that made Gallico's novel a great read. Maybe I was just too taken with it; anyone who reads a novel first will almost surely moan and complain about the foibles of its film adaptation, especially if the novel was well-written (I'm sure the films generated from Stephen King's works undergo just as much scrutiny, maybe more so). Or maybe I'm too dense to appreciate nearly two hours of nautical peril. But whatever the case, this didn't quite do it for me. If those of you reading this think that I've completely missed the point, then I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Next time I'll try harder.

The King of disaster movies, brilliant and an absolute classic!!

I picked up this original classic as I anxiously await for the remake opening soon in theaters. I had never seen the original and I was absolutely blown away. Never before have I been a big fan of Gene Hackmans. He's a versatile actor who's been around a long time but I never much enjoyed him and finally after many years he won me over in a huge way and proved his stardom. The entire cast comes together as a group and creates a death defying story of a group of survivors making their way from the bottom of a ship (which was the top before it capsized) to the top (formerly the bottom.) Everything comes together to make The Poseidon Adventure the brilliant classic that it is. The performances, the story, the adventure, the action, the writing, the directing, the brilliant setting...you can't beat this film and there is nothing else like it.Gene Hackman plays Reverand Frank Scott. A rather loud mouthed, do things his own way preacher who has had some fallings out with God. Nonetheless he's brave and caring and a leader at heart. When the ship capsizes it is him who leaps to action to save not just one or two people but everyone aboard the ship. Unfortunately most will not listen to him. This is hands down Hackman's most brilliant and wonderful performance. He should have absolutely taken home some awards for his role. Ernest Borgnine plays brash and tough cop Mike Rogo. He's the perfect balance to Hackman's character and they clash for leadership but also work together to save lives. They have great chemistry opposite each other and he's a loud mouth fun character. Shelley Winters is terrific as Mrs. Belle Rosen and equally good is her husband Jack Albertson as Mr. Rosen. Together they are "everyones" grandparents and you root for them as they make their way through and overcome some real adversity to escape. Stella Stevens is terrific opposite Borgnine as his equally loud mouthed wife Linda. Their banter and arguing but love for one another is fun to watch. Pamela Sue Martin and Eric Shea do a great job as the younger members of the cast, brother and sister Susan and Robin Shelby. Roddy McDowall makes a brief if not a little unremarkable appearance as ship hand Acres, and watch for Leslie Nielson in an equally brief but more important and stand out role as the Captain of The Poseidon. Red Buttons plays quiet nice guy James, and Carol Lynley plays his love interest of sorts Nonnie, whose brother's death aboard the Poseidon makes her wonder if life is worth continuing but James pushes her through and saves her every time. With such an enormous starring cast...the majority of them share equal screen time it's amazing that most of them manage to give stand out performances. Some stronger than others but all of them make up an important ensemble and each play a role that you enjoy watching. Nobody is ever safe and with only a few survivors you fear for them aboard the ship.The setting for this film is absolutely unique and incredible. Your average sinking ship disaster film is changed immensely when they are escaping from a completely capsized cruise ship. Everything is upside down, creating a world unknown to them due to that. Scenes in washrooms, kitchens, hallways, doorways all become new terrain because it's all upside down and creates a uniqueness and cinematographic brilliance. The Tag line really says it all...Hell...Upside Down. That's exactly what it is. You become so attached to each and every one of the cast members...most of all Hackman's hero. There are some very minor downsides...at times the acting gets a little over the top, their fear and moments of emotion are almost campy and overdone which can happen in a disaster film. They want to give it their all. I also felt that the women in the film, although strong characters were intensely sexualized. For 99% of the film Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, and even Pamela Sue Martin shed their dresses and pranced around the ship baring their very long legs. I think that was to really mainstream the film and I suppose it did that but seemed out of place and almost blatant at times. That aside The Poseidon Adventure is an absolute classic, brilliantly made, and a constant edge of your seat adventure. You'll wish there was more when it's all said and done. You'll laugh and cry and root for them...it's the best classic I have seen in a very, very long time and one of my favorite movies hands down. 10/10

Generally entertaining but highly conventional

After a ship accident which turns the SS Poseidon upside down a small group of survivors tries to find a way out of the ship while the waters are rising in the ship. The basic constellation and the story which results from it sounds not too original and indeed it's the classic but usual stuff we have here: The usual bunch of different characters within the group which together with the dramatic action results in rising conflicts among the passengers. Setbacks, heroic rescue operations, sacrifices all along the attempt to survive. Sometimes the cliché prevails over lively and sensual action. Very good performances especially by Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters. Generally entertaining but highly conventional.