Poseidon

Okay, Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper I ain't. Although I can tell a good movie from a truly dreadful one, I am probably not the most discriminating person in the world. Some Oscar caliber movies are boring as heck, can we say The English Patient? And some lightweight movies have their merits. I am not exactly defending dreck such as From Justin to Kelly, but if I can find a few redeeming qualities in something like White Chicks, then I can't say that I am exactly a cinematic connoisseur. If a movie is able to take me to another place and forget the outside world for an hour and a half to two hours, then it is a success. Generally speaking, I go to the movies for escapism. While you need to see films like Schindler's List, Ghandi, or Transamerica, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the popcorn flicks.

 

Recently, I rented Poseidon. So, it is not the best film in the world, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it enough to buy the DVD. Yes, there are plot holes so big that you could sail and ocean liner through, but who cares? There is a little thing called suspension of disbelief. There are flaws in the movie. A good actor like Andre Braugher isn't given much to do other than tell people to remain calm. Richard Dreyfuss' character gets to utter inane opinions about the seaworthiness of an upside down ship based on his career as an architect. Yes, he is an architect, but not a naval one and as someone who works in the field I can tell you that most of us wouldn't have a clue about ship architecture. Although, pretty much any moron can tell you that a ship is not designed to float upside down. Fergie gets to stretch her acting chops by playing, oh my gosh a singer! Actually, I didn't know that Fergie could actually sing that well. I think that being in The Black Eyed Peas doesn't let her voice shine in the way it should.

 

So despite convenient plot devices and some implausible situations, I liked the film. I think I will go watch the original Poseidon Adventure and through Irwin Allen's other disaster flick The Towering Inferno while I am at it. Maybe I will throw in that other 70's disaster flick Earthquake while I am at it and listen to Sylvester Stallone mumble his way through Daylight.