I hadnt seen Poseidon since it arrived on rental DVD back in 2007 I think it was. It was a film that I didnt see on the big screen and to be honest it wasn’t a film that I was super excited about. I love the original 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure and I didn’t see how a remake would improve on a film that I loved. (yes I know- silly me!) I did view the film when it arrived in the video store that I ran and owned and thinking back to what I thought of the film on that viewing, I thought it was ‘okay’ and ‘fun’  I hadn’t seen the film from then until this week and I now change my thoughts on the movie. Yes its still ‘fun’ but its also pretty terrifying (in a good way) I don’t compare it to the original in a ‘which ones better?’ sort of manner as they are both different films. Yes the storyline is pretty much the same ‘big ship gets flipped over by an even bigger wave’ but the production of the 1972 film and the 2006 film is vastly different. The budget for the 2006 film was around $160 million compared to $5 million for the 1972 film. The technology to make the films was also vastly different. There was no CGI in 1972 and to be honest having watched the special features on the 2006 film. I was stunned to see just how much of that film was done practically. Yes I still prefer the 1972 film but that’s perhaps because its a film I grew up with and its a film I’ve seen dozens of times over the years whereas the 2006 film I’ve now seen twice. But I really did have a great time watching Wolfgang Petersen’s 2006 Poseidon. I prefer it now, to the thoughts I had back in 2007 and it definitely stands up there with the best films that Wolfgang has made (and its a great list)

Wolfgang assembled an outstanding ensemble cast including Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher and Emmy Rossum and the stunning special effects by Industrial Light and Magic along with the stunning production design by William Sandell make for a great looking film. Add to that the cinematographer is the legendary John Seale who also filmed Mad Max:Fury Road, Witness, Cold Mountain, and The Hitcher and you are in for a visual treat when you pop this 4K bluray into your player. Sadly Poseidon raked in just over its budget when it comes to box office ($181 million worldwide) but over the years it has gained a following (me included) 

Poseidon is an audiovisual treat, presented for the first time on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and its a great way to see the film (the first time I saw Poseidon it was on a 32 inch non HD TV). Its around 90 minutes of theme park style cinema and its such a blast! Great cast, thrills and some truly nerve shredding moments. I also cant recommend the special features enough. I sat down to watch them the day after I saw the film and I was stunned (and impressed) about how much practical work went into the film. It would be very easy to think that its mostly CGI- think again, The practical work in this film is incredible and by the end of the special features you’ll have a new found admiration for everyone involved in a film that most people wrote off when it hit cinemas nearly 20 years ago.  I may still love 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure more, but there’s enough movie love in my heard for 2006’s Poseidon also. 

Here are the specs for the set

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless stereo and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio sound
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Ocean View, a brand-new interview with director of photography John Seale (14 mins)
• Big Sets for Big-Time Directors, a brand-new interview with production designer William Sandell (13 mins)
• Surfing the VFX Wave, a brand-new interview with visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis (18 mins)
• Bringing Out the Dead, a brand-new interview with make-up effects on-set supervisor Michael Deak (12 mins)
• Set a Course for Adventure, a brand-new retrospective on the film by Heath Holland (17 mins)
• Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage, a featurette looking at the film’s production featuring interviews with cast and crew (17 mins)
• Poseidon: Upside Down, a featurette exploring the film’s challenging set design (11 mins)
• A Shipmate’s Diary, a featurette following production assistant Malona Voigt on the set of Poseidon (12 mins)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacey
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page

Summary: Pure popcorn entertainment, terrifying in places- and a the special features give a great insight into a film that many overlooked (but shouldn’t have overlooked)  Well worth adding to your collection