Poseidon (PG-13)

Graphic disaster flick. Not for younger kids.

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Common Sense rates it
3
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Movie details
  • Studio: Warner Bros., Warner Bros.
  • Directed By: Wolfgang Petersen
  • Cast: Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell
  • Running Time: 99 minutes
  • Release Date: 05/12/2006
  • Video/DVD Release Date: 08/22/2006
  • Genre: Action/adventure
  • MPAA Rating: PG-13
  • MPAA Explanation: intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril.

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie begins with some family tension -- a single father and his teenage daughter clash over her boyfriend -- but as soon as the wave hits (some 10 minutes in), the brutal, often fatal, action is non-stop. So are the bodies: Broken, bloodied, and burned corpses appear every time the core group of survivors turns a corner. This group is beleaguered by fires, explosions, flooding/rushing water, and crashing architecture as they make their way to the surface. They teeter across hand-made bridges over dizzying heights, get locked in flooding rooms, fight with each other, and risk their lives for each other.

Families can talk about the formula of disaster films: How are relationships between characters forged through dire hardships? How does the movie use conventional gender roles: the women are fearful, loving, or maternal, and the boys are sneaky, assertive, or courageous?

Message

Social Behavior:

Some characters are courageous and generous, saving others at great risk to themselves; others are plainly selfish and afraid; Dylan transitions from being selfish to selfless.

Consumerism:

Vending machine with brands visible.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Characters smoke cigarettes at party, drink alcohol; nasty character drinks from flask and gets drunk during the escape.

Violence

Many dead bodies, in various states (bloody, burned, broken, sometimes in foregrounds of shots); several explosions on the ship; character pinned under scaffolding; several characters fall from frightening heights; blood indicates injuries (mouth, eye, face, limbs); characters are caught in an airshaft; characters drown repeatedly; man tries to throw oxygen tank out a vacuum-ish hole, resulting in much tension and loud slamming of his body against columns and walls.

Sex

Some kissing and discussion of romance between primary couple; one character is gay (we hear about a boyfriend who left him).

Language

Very mild language ("damn," You gotta couple a big ones").

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Cynthia Fuchs

In this remake, a New Year's celebration aboard a luxury liner turns disastrous when a 150-foot rogue wave slams the ship and flips it upside down. Rejecting the captain's (Andre Braugher) advice to wait, passengers try to find a way to the top of the ship, led by ex-firefighter Robert Ramsey (Kurt Russell). He's occasionally preoccupied by his daughter Jennifer (Emmy Rossum), who is in turn preoccupied by her fiancé Christian (Mike Vogel). Before the wave hits, gambler playboy Dylan (Josh Lucas) is hitting on single mother Maggie (Jacinda Barrett). After, he's saving her young son Conor (Jimmy Bennett). As the group makes its way to the surface, the individual characters take a back seat to the pyrotechnics, the water, and the weird upside-down spaces the group must negotiate. While a recently brokenhearted gay architect Nelson (Richard Dreyfuss) takes an interest in the underclass pair -- busboy Marco (Freddy Rodríguez) and his just-met stowaway friend Elena (Mía Maestro) -- the others pretty much stick with their (white and moneyed) kind.

Is it any good?

3
Why cast Andre Braugher if you don't use him? In his role as captain, he’s relegated to making a couple of feeble speeches and then leaves everyone on board to their dire fates. When he advises passengers to wait to be rescued, you know he's wrong, and also that he's not long for the film. That's too bad, because the survivors are a dull lot. It’s mentioned that Kurt Russell’s character used to be "mayor of New York," which is never explained, but plainly draws on post-9/11 desires for heroes). None of the characters or their relationships are presented for more than a minute to two, and so none solicits much emotional investment.

That's not to say the folks in gowns and tuxedos don't learn some lessons in loss and courage. But they do so incidentally. The point in a disaster film is fear and relief and some more fear: It's a ride. Here, you watch characters work to get out of small spaces, endure water and fire, and make their way to more small spaces.

Other choices

The Poseidon Adventure

The Towering Inferno
Titanic
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Parents and kids say

All Reviews

There are 20 reviews.

2

Posted on 12/12/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

Boring

The Movie was okay but not as good as the original plus it was too short 98 mins come on.
2

Posted on 12/12/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

Boring

The Movie was okay but not as good as the original plus it was too short 98 mins come on.
2


Posted on 05/10/08 by co Kid contributor, age 10

dissapointment. show us a storyline, Wolfgang Petrsen!

5


Posted on 05/09/08 by mistycat115 Kid contributor, age 11

Great Movie!

I expected it to be way more violent. You see a lot of dead bodies, some floating, some burned, and some people fall down elevator shafts. You don't see any blood. There is a little bit of language. Good for ages 10+.
4

Posted on 05/07/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 12

GREAT MOVIE

while there is no fight seanes of that type of violence you should know that of all the people on the ship only 5 survive. there is not much detail for most, but one guy falls down an elevator shaft and is inpled by debre at the botton note: this scene dose not last long this movie is not for poeple who get upset esealy
2


Posted on 02/23/08 by GHOST Kid contributor, age 12

Whoa!

I just wanna say that, knowing the people at common- sense, they should have given this a 13+ or more, this was really scary and sad. I saw this at I think 10 and my brother,7. One dude is really drunk and makes a stupid mistake and dies. The violence is strong but the people are always courgeous and someone dies to save everyone else. many people die, including major characters and everyone on the boat that didn't try to escape (including Fergie, NOOOOOO), which is about (let me think), EVERYONE.
Age 13+
3


Posted on 09/25/07 by quest133 Adult contributor

Worthy Effort

This is a grphic disaster flick with some violent images I would perfer if they had it for 13 and up but doesn't matter much.he Sexual content is very mild the oly thing is a man is supposedly gay but hard for tweens to understand.Language not much a few minor curses and thats about it.
5


Posted on 08/02/07 by LuvEwan4Ever! Kid contributor, age 15

omgosh i luved this movie to bits!

this movie is so awesome. i know lots of people dont think its that good but i watched it twice in a row i liked it that much. (altho i do hav some strange fasination with the ocean and big ships) i cant say i took much notice of the violence as usual so i would have thought ages 9/10 or 11 up. if u luv the ocean and big sinking ship then this movie is 4 u. its hardcore
3


Posted on 04/08/07 by jcsoblonde Kid contributor, age 16

hmm

it was ok...i was hooked wen i watched it but i wouldnt watch it again...and if i knew it was gonna be like that i wouldnt hav watched it at all cuz a lot of things happened that i hated...
1


Posted on 11/28/06 by purplecatroo Kid contributor, age 13

Horrific and Stale

I was shocked at how horrific this movie was. Dead bodies left and right. We watch a kind father and a sweet young woman drown, a little kid almost drown,and a man falling down several stories into a firey hell. Combine that with waaay fake explosions and an unimpressive ending. Why wasdte the time ot money.

See all 20 reviews >

Adult Reviews

There are 2 reviews.

Age 13+
3


Posted on 09/25/07 by quest133 Adult contributor

Worthy Effort

This is a grphic disaster flick with some violent images I would perfer if they had it for 13 and up but doesn't matter much.he Sexual content is very mild the oly thing is a man is supposedly gay but hard for tweens to understand.Language not much a few minor curses and thats about it.
Age 17+
4


Posted on 05/12/06 by stevi starfyre Adult contributor

it's a classic, a must see.........great movie

it is a remake of a long forgoten movie i remeber when the first one came out in the 70s,it was a good film and it deveses the repsect of the original............a must see

Kids Reviews

There are 18 reviews.

2

Posted on 12/12/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

Boring

The Movie was okay but not as good as the original plus it was too short 98 mins come on.
2

Posted on 12/12/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 13

Boring

The Movie was okay but not as good as the original plus it was too short 98 mins come on.
2


Posted on 05/10/08 by co Kid contributor, age 10

dissapointment. show us a storyline, Wolfgang Petrsen!

5


Posted on 05/09/08 by mistycat115 Kid contributor, age 11

Great Movie!

I expected it to be way more violent. You see a lot of dead bodies, some floating, some burned, and some people fall down elevator shafts. You don't see any blood. There is a little bit of language. Good for ages 10+.
4

Posted on 05/07/08 by Anonymous Kid contributor, age 12

GREAT MOVIE

while there is no fight seanes of that type of violence you should know that of all the people on the ship only 5 survive. there is not much detail for most, but one guy falls down an elevator shaft and is inpled by debre at the botton note: this scene dose not last long this movie is not for poeple who get upset esealy
2


Posted on 02/23/08 by GHOST Kid contributor, age 12

Whoa!

I just wanna say that, knowing the people at common- sense, they should have given this a 13+ or more, this was really scary and sad. I saw this at I think 10 and my brother,7. One dude is really drunk and makes a stupid mistake and dies. The violence is strong but the people are always courgeous and someone dies to save everyone else. many people die, including major characters and everyone on the boat that didn't try to escape (including Fergie, NOOOOOO), which is about (let me think), EVERYONE.
5


Posted on 08/02/07 by LuvEwan4Ever! Kid contributor, age 15

omgosh i luved this movie to bits!

this movie is so awesome. i know lots of people dont think its that good but i watched it twice in a row i liked it that much. (altho i do hav some strange fasination with the ocean and big ships) i cant say i took much notice of the violence as usual so i would have thought ages 9/10 or 11 up. if u luv the ocean and big sinking ship then this movie is 4 u. its hardcore
3


Posted on 04/08/07 by jcsoblonde Kid contributor, age 16

hmm

it was ok...i was hooked wen i watched it but i wouldnt watch it again...and if i knew it was gonna be like that i wouldnt hav watched it at all cuz a lot of things happened that i hated...
1


Posted on 11/28/06 by purplecatroo Kid contributor, age 13

Horrific and Stale

I was shocked at how horrific this movie was. Dead bodies left and right. We watch a kind father and a sweet young woman drown, a little kid almost drown,and a man falling down several stories into a firey hell. Combine that with waaay fake explosions and an unimpressive ending. Why wasdte the time ot money.
3


Posted on 10/03/06 by Sosi Kid contributor, age 12

So Sad!!!

Poseidon is good but it is SO sad, and if you don't like seeing dead bodies, this might not be the movie for you.
See all 18 kids reviews >
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