A packed cruise ship traveling the Atlantic is hit and overturned by a massive wave, compelling the passengers to begin a dramatic fight for their lives.
Throughout the movie, Petersen has a dynamic feel for the rush and heave of the deluge, the pent-up energy, the sheer heft and momentum.
– David Denby,
New Yorker,
16 May 2006
rotten:
... a waterlogged, unnecessary re-imagining of the cheesy blockbuster from the Seventies heyday of disaster films.
– Richard Roeper,
Ebert & Roeper,
16 May 2006
rotten:
As a humanist, I applaud the respect for life, but I miss the campy fun. The movie is, in all senses, a big downer.
– David Edelstein,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
18 May 2006
rotten:
Poseidon betrays a studio mindset that can only hasten the current erosion of movie attendance -- skimping on human content while betting heedlessly on boom boom boom and gurgle gurgle gurgle.
– Joe Morgenstern,
Wall Street Journal,
22 Jun 2006
fresh:
Petersen's expert direction ensures it remains gripping, keeping the tension ratcheted right up and commendably steering it all home within 100 minutes.