Poseidon: Two-Disc Special Edition DVD Set Review

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Title: Poseidon: Two-Disc Special Edition

Region: One

Genre: Adventure Thriller

Stars: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Mike Vogel, Mia Maestro, Jimmy Bennett, Andre Braugher, and Kevin Dillon

Writer: Mark Protosevich

Based On The Novel By: Paul Gallco

Director: Wolfgang Peterson

Feature length: 98 minutes

Extras: Poseidon: A Ship On A Soundstage: The Complexities Of Making A Modern Adventure Movie, Poseidon: Upside Down: A Unique Set Design Chronicle, A Shipmate’s Diary: A Film School Intern’s Experiences On The Set, The History Channel® Documentary Rogue Waves, Theatrical Trailer

Languages: English, French (Dubbed In Quebec), and Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Single Size Two-Disc Amaray Keep Case Within A Special Holographic Slip

Chapter Stops: 22

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2006/DVD Release: 2006

Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

Poseidon was one of the first event films to open the Hollywood summer box office season, which means that it opened in early May. The film is a loose remake of the Irwin Allen Classic The Poseidon Adventure that had already had a television version produced a few years before this new feature film adaptation was released. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, this is a tight, fast moving thriller that sacrifices character development in favor of action. So basically what you get are a bunch of “types” with about a sentence or so of information about them so we can at least know them beyond their face and then watch as various members of the group die tragically amidst a mix of computer generated and practical effects featuring pyrotechnics and lots and lots of water and believable sets. The film is hit and miss sometimes (no pun intended), but very effective. To paraphrase a line from the film, it’s not fair who lives and who dies, but the cynical side of my personality at times finds the action all too believable. When faced with a life or death situation, there are those who will try to help another and those who won’t and ultimately I think many if not all of us would become self centered to the point that as much as we may hate to admit it, we would be so glad to be alive that we might not greave for the dead unless they were very close to our hearts and minds. Some might prefer a more idealized adventure where we have a more defined protagonist and antagonist, but as hard as it can be to take, I can’t blame Petersen for taking the road he takes with this film since Irwin Allen already gave us a memorable classic three decades ago. I also think that all things considered, Poseidon delivers on exactly what the trailer illustrates. A rouge wave about 100 feet high capsizes a luxury liner on New Year’s Eve and a group of survivors attempt to reach rescue by journeying into the bowels of the capsized ship since it is their only hope for escape before it finally sinks.

In many ways I found myself humbled by the idea of a force of nature than can hit a ship as if it were slamming it with concrete and cause the kind of damage it does while at other times I almost wondered if it was the work of the god Poseidon that was reminding humanity that we are but small beings upon a big blue globe. If you look at it that way, one can almost see the tragic deaths as being sacrifices to appease the ancient god or force of nature in order for a select group to survive and tell the tale to others who may dare take crossing the ocean with no respect for the sea and the power therein. It does appear that whenever something is built that stands defiant to the laws of nature, sooner or later it gets taken down with horrendous consequences for anyone around. So if there is a character that Petersen successfully gets across as being three dimensional, I would say it is the ship itself.

Though this is a two-disc special edition DVD set, from watching it I can’t help but feel that this is just a preview for the HD DVD version that will street on December 5, 2006, which I believe will prove to be the definitive home video version of the movie if only for the enhanced picture and sound quality though I expect that there is going to be a lot more to the HD DVD release than just that. As it is, I think the anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio presentation is nothing short of terrific. I watched the film on my Toshiba HD DVD Player HD-XA1 and with the 1080i up conversion from standard definition I often thought to myself how much better will a true HD version look? Yet I have already reviewed quite a few HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs and compared them to the standard definition counterparts and I can attest that there is a great improvement over some of the best standard definition DVD transfers out there. So if the DVD of Poseidon looks this good, the HD DVD version could potentially become a top demo title for the year. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is great with a truly enveloping three-dimensional sound field that makes one almost believe that the pieces of the ship coming apart are falling down all around the viewer. A French (Dubbed In Quebec) and a Spanish Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack are also encoded onto the first disc along with English Closed Captions for the Hearing Impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles as options. The main menu on disc one is animated with motion transitions to standard interactive still frame menus that are easy to navigate. The menu on disc two is a simple still with choices to be highlighted. French Language Subtitles are encoded onto the second disc too.

All of the extra value materials with the exception of the theatrical trailer (1:43), which is presented in anamorphic widescreen, are presented in a (1.33:1) aspect ratio and they include a kind of over view of the production with various onset cast and crew interview clips entitled Poseidon: A Ship On A Soundstage: The Complexities Of Making A Modern Adventure Movie (22:40) on disc one while the second disc contains The History Channel® documentary Rogue Waves, which contains some eye witness footage as well as discussion of the phenomenon. A video journal of a film school intern’s experience on the set (12:21) and a production design featurette (10:44) wrap up the extra value materials on disc two.

Poseidon: Two-Disc Special Edition is available on DVD now along with a single disc version that is sold separately. The two-disc special edition keep case features a cardboard slip with a holographic cover. An HD DVD version is expected to be released on December 5, 2006, but do not let that stop you from checking the film out now that the DVD is available at retailers and renters on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.

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