Runtime: 117 minutes
Directed by: Ronald Neame
Starring: The expected all-star cast for a disaster movie
From: 20th
Century Fox
What a shame that some ghouls have dogged Gene Hackman as of late for what he wears in 2024. He's 94 years old and doesn't deserve to be harassed like that. Thankfully most were outraged by the actions of those bastards. I'm glad he can still get out and purchase a soda alongside a slice of apple pie. It won't be a trend but after watching a disaster movie the previous night, it only made sense for me to comment on Hackman and also finally discuss one of the most famous genre examples.
It had a simple premise: because of scummy owners, the ship S.S. Poseidon flips over because of a massive tidal wave; Ol' Gene plays a reverend (!) but is a “hip” and “modern” example; he leads those few that decide to follow him rather than sit around and wait. Ernest Borgnine plays a cop who of course comes into conflict with the reverend; at times it's understandable why it may seem foolish to blindly follow him with any confidence. The other famous faces include Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Stella Stevens, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall and Leslie Nielsen. There are other conflicts also but despite some cliché and dated elements, at least most of the characters (even the two children) have at least one shining moment.
As it is a genre example, that means the viewer shouldn't expect all of the name talent to survive by the end. That unpredictability does help, along with filming those scenes of peril and adventure on actual sets instead of it being phony-looking CG crap. There's plenty the small phalanx of people has to endure before climbing up to the bottom of the ship on the hope someone will rescue them. A nice John Williams score is also an asset; as for the Oscar-winning song The Morning After... 70's soft-rock cheese it was. That is a compliment, by the way.
What a formula there was for the disaster movie, from the casts to the effects and sometimes, attempting to win the Oscar for Best Song. Irwin Allen was involved w/ many of those, and if this wasn't his best then it was his most famous example.
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