Poseidon (2006) PG13 - 3½ Stars

If you want a good action adventure that has you sometimes holding your breath, this version of Poseidon will give that to you. Even though the movie is full of flaws, like - okay come on, they get to the bottom of the ship and find decorations for the New Year hanging from what would now be the floor, I don't think so. Where did the raft come from that was waiting outside the ship, perfectly positioned for them to get on? People can hold their breaths for an amazing long period of time and no one is getting electrocuted, wading through water with electrical cables sparking all around. But, if you can get past all of that and pretend what it might feel like to be trapped beneath the water in a luxury cruise liner, fighting for your life, then you can enjoy a little thriller about the will to survive.

The magnificent, and very elegant Poseidon, is at sea in the vast waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, with passengers aboard awaiting to toast in the New Year, enjoying a party in the ship's ballroom. But what the passengers don't know is that the Poseidon is about to be hit by a rogue wave, over 100 feet high. When it does hit, the ship is turned upside down sending most of the precious cargo tumbling to their deaths. Those that survive, huddle together on the ceiling, now floor, awaiting the arrival of the rescue ship. That's when Dylan Johns (Josh Lucas), makes the wager of his life, betting if he can make it to the ships haul, he can find a way out through the bottom. A curious young boy Conor James (Jimmy Bennett), along with his mother Maggie (Jacinda Barrett), Richard Nelson (Richard Dreyfus), who was on the verge of suicide before the wave struck, ex mayor Robert Ramsey (Kurt Russell), along with his daughter Jennifer (Emmy Rossum) and her boyfriend Christian (Mike Vogel), all decide this inverted plan seems more plausible then sitting in a room and force Dylan to take them along his route. Waiter Marco (Freddy Rodriguez), along with his stowaway Elena (Mía Maestro), are asked to join the group as Marco knows his way around the ship and obnoxious Lucky Larry (Kevin Dillon) demands he be taken too.

As most of the survivors await their fate in the ballroom, Dylan and his crew risk their lives climbing up through burning wreckage, trying to find a way out of the ship. As the ship begins to collapse it's air pockets, the question will be, can they make it out in time.

Warner Bros. Pictures International
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Writers: Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman
Producers: Akiva Goldsman, Mike Fleiss, Diana Rathbun

I viewed 6/09