Poseidon (PG-13, 2006)

common sense media says

Graphic disaster flick. Not for younger kids.


parents & educators say

What 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.

Positive messages: 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.
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").
Consumerism: Vending machine with brands visible.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters smoke cigarettes at party, drink alcohol; nasty character drinks from flask and gets drunk during the escape.

More on Poseidon

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
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?

What's the story?

What's the story?
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?

Is it any good?
 
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.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Jacinda Barrett, Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release: May 12, 2006
DVD release: August 22, 2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril.

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

bubbo
adult
 
Interesting and intense, but basically the exact same movie as the original with worse acting. Good for kids 12+

Jadenp
teen, 15 years old
 
Suggested MPAA Rating: R for intense sequences of disaster and peril throughout, graphic disturbing images, some language and sensuality.

DKRUMBLE725
teen, 17 years old
 
Poseidon takes a plunge deeper than original
This movie was okay. The interpretation of the original was not very good. It isn't great for younger kids because of some of the peril and bloodier gruesome scenes. Think twice before letting a small child see this movie. I personally (being 14) thought it was pretty good.

 
One of the best movies I saw this year!
I absolutely loved this movie, and I think it is a must-see for everyone ages 12 and up. I liked it because it had an amazing display of courageous characters and The sequence of events just kept me in suspense! I even had my eyes covered for a little!

mikeyski
teen, 16 years old
 
Awesome
I love this movie. It is full of action and adventure. It is a perfect movie for anyone above 11. It`s too graphic for younger kids though. I suggest you go buy it or rent it now!!!! IT IT AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

 
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.

 
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

bob102
teen, 15 years old
 
Not original
The new poseidon movie stunk. If you compare this with the original, the original is best.

 
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...

davstern1500
teen, 14 years old
 
Great disaster flick
Intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril. Dead bodies, bloody. Two disturbing scenes: a man falling down a shaft, getting pierced by spikes. A woman hits her head underwater, drawing blood. For more information, contact me on YouTube - davstern1500

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
Bad remake of classic disaster film. The moral: do not remake disaster movies.
My rating: PG-13 for intense disaster sequences throughout, alcohol use and some language.

Swit Swat
kid, 12 years old
 
An okay movie might appeal to older teens and adults.
This is not one of my favorite movies, but it's okay, I guess. There are some things you should watch out for. There is a lot of violence in this movie. You see the ship getting hit by a rouge wave causing passengers to get hurt or even die. In some scenes you see dead people on the floor. There are also brief sequences where the crew is floating underwater...DEAD! There is also some very iffy language. There is some drinking and smoking too. There is a gay character and some talk about sex and sleeping with someone. This movie would appeal more to older teens and adults.

Sophiazertuche
kid, 11 years old
 
I like it because some kids likestuff that are impacts but only 10+ should watch it because there is some bad language and if younger kids see it they might say it and not know better and might say it fir the rest if their lives so they might get a bad education

Emmeline
teen, 17 years old
 
This one was pretty good; I'd watch it again. There's quite a lot of carnage and some swearing. At a dance, a few characters are grinding. Amid all this, there are some good, unselfish role models. Positive family relationships are touched on, and (spoiler alert) a man dies to save his daughter's boyfriend, who is soon to marry her. Overall, I liked Poseidon, but I'm a little biased because my favourite celebrity was part of the cast.

Suregirl38
teen, 15 years old
 
good
I thought this movie was good, I'd see it again. I'd say that you should know your kid before letting them see this. It's got a lot of dead bodies, explosions, and other images that might be frightening. The people who are main characters who die are sweet innocent people who don't deserve to die but one dies to save others, one dies because if he didn't two people (including himself) would've died. (that death was not voluntary). One death I don't totally understand why they had to die but I might be missing something. Another death of a very minor (and drunk) character is being very obnoxious and makes a choice that especially in his drunken state is very stupid. I'd say the end is happy (relatively) but the overall movie is sad and often visually disturbing. (bodies are burnt, bloody, jammed under things) KNOW YOUR KID

MovieNower
teen, 15 years old
 
Boring
The Movie was okay but not as good as the original plus it was too short 98 mins come on.

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
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