SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Iseerphia All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

paulclaassen The film must have been exceptional at the time of release but unfortunately did not stood the test of time. The ship so clearly is nothing more than a model in a pond. The ship's interior scenes were far more realistic and here the sets were quite impressive. The script was corny and silly, though, and at times it felt I was watching a comedy or spoof instead of a dramatic disaster movie. The dialogue was really bad - no, terrible, actually. At times the silly dialogue was just downright inappropriate and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell they were thinking! The acting was also over-dramatic and over-sentimental, and not believable at all. None of the characters were really fleshed out and seemed very one-dimensional. How did the preacher (Hackman) know so much about the ship anyway that he was able to lead everyone through an upside down ship to where they needed to be? At one point he says "Just one more door and we're home". What did he mean?? They're in the middle of the ocean on a capsized boat!!! They had no idea what was waiting for them on the outside...At the end our hero (Hackman) also seems to simply give up by 'falling' into an inferno. There didn't appear to be any struggle on his behalf - he just let go for no reason. I didn't find that scene one bit believable. I actually never realized how bad this film actually is.

Woodyanders A handful of people led by take-charge renegade priest Reverend Scott (an excellent performance by Gene Hackman) struggle to get out of a capsized ocean liner that they are trapped inside of before the ship eventually sinks.Director Ronald Neame keeps the gripping story moving along at a brisk pace, builds plenty of tension, maintains a tough tone throughout, and doesn't let the pyrotechnics overwhelm the intrinsic powerful drama in the desperate main situation. The meaty script by Wendell Mayes and Stirling fleshes out the principal characters nicely, doesn't pull any punches concerning the grim fates of certain people who one initially expects to make it, and even comes complete with a significant central message about the basic human desire to live and survive no matter what.Moreover, it's acted with tremendous aplomb by a tip-top cast: Ernest Borgnine as belligerent detective Rogo, Red Buttons as happy-go-lucky bachelor Martin, Carol Lynley as fragile pop singer Nonnie, Stella Stevens as Rogo's brash ex-hooker wife Linda, Shelley Winters as the good-hearted Belle Rosen, Jack Albertson as her gentle husband Manny, Pamela Sue Martin as spunky teenager Susan, Eric Shea as precious kid Robin, Roddy McDowall as helpful steward Acres, and Leslie Nielsen as the no-nonsense captain. The use of convincing practical effects adds a strong element of gritty realism, with the real flames and water conveying a potent and palpable sense of genuine danger. Kudos are also in order for Howard E. Stine's crisp widescreen cinematography and the lush and majestic orchestral score by John Williams. Worthy of its classic status.

alexanderdavies-99382 Here we actually have a well made and entertaining disaster film. "The Poseidon Adventure" contains moments of tension and suspense as the survivors of the cruise ship wreck attempt to reach safety and against overwhelming odds.... Most of the time, the leading man or lady isn't required to act very much. They are required to look either brave or frightened. In this case, Gene Hackman made his character - a maverick priest - a multi-dimensional one. He doesn't feel he is any more brave or heroic than the average person. He never forgets the terrible task that he is faced with, as leader of the survivors on board the cruise liner. A great performance. Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters give the best performances in the supporting cast. The screenplay is a lot better than films of this kind usually are. The director Ronald Neame sensibly allows the audience to know the backgrounds of all the main characters before disaster strikes. The introduction of all the characters helps to give them much needed shading. Everything about this film looks frighteningly real. The fact that the "The Poseidon Adventure" was directed by an Englishman can't make it that bad a film! This is the definitive disaster film by a long way.

Pete Martin As opposed to the moron who currently has his review on the main page, who casually said "the cast doesn't matter -- what matters are the special effects..." well, all I can say to that is: "thank God you're not in the film business, pal!! Because brother, you haven't got a goddamn clue."Make no mistake: the cast is EVERYTHING in this film. That's why it's a great movie... along with a fantastic script, great sets and perfect editing that moves the story along at a thrilling pace. And speaking of the cast, in my opinion it's an absolute crime that Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons and Carol Lynley didn't all win Academy Awards -- or at least nominations -- because they are all superb. In fact, every performance is powerful and believable, adding to the drama and emotion and constantly pulling the viewer into the scene. Because of these performances, the film is as heartbreaking as it is breathtaking... NOT because of the special effects (which are fantastic, incidentally, courtesy of the great L.B. Abbott).A good lesson in how NOT to involve the audience can be seen in the multi-million dollar turd of a remake, directed by some clueless idiot whose brain apparently works the way the aforementioned reviewer's does. In the remake, the effects are EVERYTHING and the cast is basically nothing. Not that Richard Dreyfus and the others don't do a good job. They do. But with the lame writing and unsympathetic characters, no one gives a crap. That's why the film failed.In "The Poseidon Adventure," however, every scripted word counts, and every second of valuable screen time matters, dramatically moving the story along, building unbearable suspense and audience involvement. It's a great lesson in filmmaking, which clueless amateurs like Tarentino obviously never bothered to learn (as so painfully demonstrated in his latest snore-fest, "The Hateful Eight."As directed by the great Ronald Neame, "The Poseidon Adventure" is not only the greatest of the 70s disaster films, it's one of the most dramatic and exciting adventure movies ever made.