 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Poseidon Adventure
- Review Date: October 6, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 1972
Common Sense Media says
Titanic without the smarm.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that kids will hear be exposed to some violent and scary situations. Bodies are flung like confetti in the wake of a tidal wave; some bloody injuries and many deaths result. There are frequent sprinklings of moderately salty language and a reference to a passenger's former career as a prostitute. But the film also emphasizes strength of character, determination, courage and ingenuity in the face of calamity, too.
What's the story?
After a luxury cruise ship capsizes en route from New York to Athens, a handful of desperate survivors work against time for a slim chance at rescue. An all-star cast led by Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine fires up this occasionally stilted 1972 Irwin Allen classic. If you thought James Cameron's Titanic was too smarmy, hop aboard. Shortly after midnight on New Year's Day, with confetti still raining down over the ballroom, the topheavy luxury cruiser S.S. Titanic encounters a 90-foot tidal wave and goes belly-up. The survivors divide into two groups: those who will remain where they are and await help, and those who follow impassioned Reverend Scott (Hackman) as he forges upward toward what is now the bottom of the ship, and their best chance for rescue. The dwindling group meets its share of catastrophic obstacles -- from explosions and flooding passages to their own crippling fear and uncertainty -- as the water rises higher in the sinking ship, cutting off all but one route of escape, and cutting their time short.
Is it any good?
There are more familiar faces in THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE than you'd find on a Love Boat reunion cruise: Roddy McDowall, Oscar nominee Shelley Winters, and Leslie Nielsen as the stony-faced captain. The characters themselves are a bit silly, but they all react realistically under duress. They sweat and yell at each other, and their clothes get messy. Gene Hackman binds the cast together as the fiery reverend who preaches that strength comes not from God, but from within. He proves his point.
Part of what makes the movie so effective is the novelty of seeing people trapped in a world literally turned upside-down, where barber chairs and toilets dangle eerily from the ceiling, where a giant artificial Christmas tree becomes a ladder to a higher deck that was once underneath. Adults who saw it in 1972 will find it still gripping, but not too intense for young teens. The blood is modest, and the cameras don't linger unduly on the dead.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why people enjoy disaster films, and why they became so popular in the 1970s. Families interested in film history can research how disaster films fit into a post-WWII world with increasing access to technology/technological advances, and they can also learn about the advances in special effects that play a major part in disaster films.
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AGE
One of the best movies ever made!!
I have seen this movie a million times. It was my favorite when I was little, and it still packs a punch. It is a must-see for anyone!!
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AGE
Not the best ending, but otherwise this is a greatly intense disaster film that will be remembered
My rating: PG-13 for disaster sequences throughout and some language.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 3, 2010
AGE
Okee Dokee
I watched this last month with my dad. It was ok, but younger kids might find it disturbing. it's about these people who are survivors when a ship flips over and need to find a way out. 8+, since i got a little freaked out when this lady was burned to death.
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AGE
You've gotta see this!
This movie was awesome!!! Although this movie is old, it has good special effects. If you are not sure about seeing the newer Poseidon, watch this one first. It's not as graphic.
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| Topics: | adventures |
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Ronald Neame |
| Cast: | Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 117 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 13, 1972 |
| DVD release date: | August 18, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | parental guidance suggested |
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