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"POSEIDON" (2006) (Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Heavy Moderate *Extreme None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor Minor Extreme None Mild Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Heavy Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: After a massive rogue wave leaves their cruise ship floating upside down in the water, a small group of survivors tries to make their way to the bottom of the ship -- that's now above them -- to find a way out before the rising waters get to them. PLOT: It's New Year's Eve and former NYC mayor Robert Ramsey (KURT RUSSELL) is on a cruise with his adult daughter Jennifer (EMMY ROSSUM) and her boyfriend Chris (MIKE VOGEL). Commanded by Captain Bradford (ANDRE BRAUGHER), the ship is massive, so much so that stowaway Elena (MIA MAESTRO) doesn't draw anyone's attention beyond the cook who's brought her onboard so that she can travel to see her sick brother. Also present is former Navy man Dylan Johns (JOSH LUCAS) who takes a liking to single mom Maggie James (JACINDA BARRETT) who's there with her 9-year-old son Conor (JIMMY BENNETT). Lucky Larry (KEVIN DILLON) is a rude gambler who doesn't have nice things to say about Robert, while architect Richard Nelson (RICHARD DREYFUSS) is depressed over a failed relationship. He's about to jump overboard to end his life when he -- like the crew -- spots a massive rogue wave headed straight for the ship under the moonlit sky. Unable to turn into it in time, the ship is swamped by the tremendous amount of water and rolls over, eventually settling completely upside down. Realizing he needs to get out and fast, Dylan starts to make his way, with Robert paying a ship worker, Valentin (FREDDY RODRIGUEZ), to help him find Jennifer and Chris who, being in the disco below them, are now one level "up." Joined by Richard, Maggie and Conor, the unlikely group sets out -- to the concern of Bradford who wants everyone to stay put -- to make their way to the bottom of the ship -- that's now above them -- in hopes of finding a way out, all as the flooding waters rise all around them. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into disaster films and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JOSH LUCAS plays a former Navy man who reacts to the disaster in a self-preservation fashion (only looking out for himself), but eventually comes around to helping the others in their joint quest. He briefly smokes. KURT RUSSELL plays the former Mayor of NYC who similarly wants to survive and make sure that Jennifer is okay. He drinks a bit before the disaster. JACINDA BARRETT plays a single mother who's concerned about the safety of her 9-year-old son. RICHARD DREYFUSS plays a gay architect who's depressed and suicidal after being dumped, but finds the will to live when faced with the disaster. EMMY ROSSUM plays Robert's adult daughter who's concerned about his safety as well as that of her boyfriend. MIA MAESTRO plays a stowaway who's catching a ride to see her sick brother and doesn't react well to the disastrous development. MIKE VOGEL plays Jennifer's boyfriend who proposes to her just before the incident. KEVIN DILLON plays a gambler and jerk of a man who doesn't like or respect Robert. FREDDY RODRIGUEZ plays a crewmember who assists the group in trying to find a way out. JIMMY BENNETT plays Maggie's 9-year-old son who's scared by what's occurring. ANDRE BRAUGHER plays the ship's captain who wants everyone to stay put with him until help arrives. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this suspense/thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is present, as are some views of cleavage, while it's implied one character is gay (only from a comment about his relationship with another man - not onboard - having ended). Violence consists of the natural disaster variety where many people are killed by a rogue wave smashing into and flipping over a ocean liner, as well as related aftereffects of that (we see characters being killed in various fashions, and the bodies of others who perished off-screen, while many other implied deaths are present). Some of that has bloody results, while those scenes (including a graphic drowning and some electrocutions, etc.) and many other moments of peril could be rather intense, unsettling or downright scary for some viewers. Some characters have bad attitudes, while some drinking occurs and one character briefly smokes, while tense family material involves parents and children worrying about each other during the disaster. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there are some full strobe effects inside a disco on the ship, and later there are flashes of light inside the ship. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement in several scenes. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Robert fixes himself a drink. Miscellaneous people drink at a reception. Robert and others drink while playing poker. A waiter brings Dylan two glasses of champagne and he hands one to Maggie. Richard and others drink, with a comment made about him ordering a $5,000 bottle of wine. As he walks off to make a call, he says they'll have wine, "lots and lots of wine." People have champagne to celebrate New Year's Eve. Larry drinks from a flask, but later accidentally drops and loses it, causing him to be quite upset. BLOOD/GORE After the disaster, we see various dead bodies floating in the water. Various people (alive and dead) have varying degrees and amounts of bloody cuts on their heads, arms, etc. following the disaster. We see a dead woman whose body is bloody and seemingly twisted in an awkward position. We see the charred face of a dead victim. We see additional bloody people. The survivors must walk through a room of dead and bloody bodies, some of which still have their eyes open. We briefly see a view of a gash in Chris' leg. We see more dead people. We see even more dead people in another scene. We see piles of dead and somewhat charred people from an unseen flash fire. Richard is injured when he opens a hatch (and his face is bloody). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Lucky Larry grabs or pats a waitress' clothed butt as she walks away from his table. Dylan is only looking out for himself and his own survival, but reluctantly agrees to allow Robert and a few others to join his escape plan. Larry is a jerk to Robert, bringing up the latter's failed mayorship and marriage. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. A lookout spots the enormous rogue wave approaching the ship. They then try to turn it to hit the water at a perpendicular angle, but the wave is upon them before they can. It crashes into and over the ship, blasting away various people inside and outside the ship before turning the ocean liner upside down in the water (with plenty of implied injuries and deaths). During this, we see some people on the bridge being shocked from electrical shorts, and views of people (from a distance) falling a great distance and smacking into structures inside the vast ship. We also see a flash fire blast through a room and presumably kill everyone there, while water sweeps through another area with implied similar results. We see that Conor is stuck on an upside down piano that's bolted to the floor (now the ceiling). Robert then gets some men to hold up tablecloths or something similar and the boy jumps a decent distance down into it and is okay. When an electrical cable hits the wet area inside the ship, many people are suddenly electrocuted, one woman's arm is on fire and we see a charred face of a dead victim. The survivors must walk through a room of dead and bloody bodies, some of which still have their eyes open. The survivors find that they must cross an extremely long/deep elevator shaft to get to the other side. Accordingly, they use a long metal table as an impromptu bridge to cross over the opening. While they're doing that, however, we see an elevator car above them start to come loose, and slip a bit in the shaft. The table then shifts and two people end up dangling from Dylan's grip (one hanging onto the foot of the other). Seeing what's going to happen, Dylan tells the first (Richard) to kick away the second (or they'll all die) and he reluctantly does so. That third man then falls down the shaft, followed by the elevator car that rips by Dylan and Richard just as they get to safety and it lands with a mighty crash where the third man did. An explosion then occurs and the resultant fireball races up the shaft, with the survivors closing the doors just in time. As the group traverses an immense lobby on some wreckage that straddles both sides, a large engine or something similar suddenly crashes down from above, smashing one person on that bridge. Oil or something similar then pours down from above and catches on fire, creating a "waterfall" of fire. Needing to get to the other side, Dylan grabs a fire hose and dives a long way down into the fiery water. He then swims below that, climbs up and ties off the hose, allowing Robert (with Jennifer on his back) to slide across that "zip line" to join the others on the other side. Massive explosions cause the ship to shift and then various cracks to form in the windows of a large area where many survivors are huddled. They then panic as the cracks spread, followed by spraying of water. The windows then simultaneously implode, sending massive amounts of water sweeping through the large room, presumably killing everyone there. Survivors hear the screams from a distance. The survivors see that the water is rising toward them and must make haste in their escape plans. Trapped, they decide to go through an air vent and then up and adjacent air vent shaft (all as the water nears the opening). But when Robert gets to the top, he finds the grate screwed shut. As he and then Conor race to try to get it open, Richard slips and gets stuck in the shaft, prompting Elena to panic and try to go back out. She eventually helps free Richard as the water continues to pour in and then rise in their shaft, with Dylan ending up underwater just as Conor succeeds in getting the grate cover open. The group reluctantly floods one ballast chamber in hopes that it will cause the opening to the next chamber to open. Accordingly, the chamber they're in floods to the top (meaning they're all underwater), but the automated hatch doesn't open, causing them to panic until it eventually does and spills them out into the next one. The group must swim underwater for quite a distance to get to safety. As they proceed, Elena becomes entangled in some wreckage and panics, eventually hitting her head and accidentally knocking herself out. Richard swims back to try to find her, followed by Robert and Dylan. The group rescues one of their members who's just drowned and tries to perform CPR, but it's too late. We see the ballast chambers continuously opening, spilling water from one to the next (meaning it's getting closer to the survivors). Many explosions go off inside the ship, eventually causing one end to rise up out of the water. A massive flood of water washes away Maggie, but Dylan rescues her. Maggie and Dylan find Conor separated from them on the other side of a vertical grate as the water rises on both sides. As Dylan tries to find a way to rescue the boy, the mother and son panic (above and below the water). Robert swims a long way underwater to try to shut off the engines. A major character ends up drowning (seen in graphic detail). Dylan tries to send a gas canister into the propeller tube, but it gets stuck in the opening. He then tries to dislodge it, but ends up being sucked into that opening (from the propeller movement). The survivors jump into the water and get into a life raft, but then try to paddle away as the ship begins to turn over, sending massive waves at them. We see the ship sink below the surface. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR The audio in our theater was not the best, so the following should be considered a minimum: Phrases: "You got some mighty big ones on you," "Easy there, fireball" and "Hell no." Lucky Larry grabs or pats a waitress' clothed butt as she walks away from his table. JUMP SCENES Lucky Larry suddenly grabs Maggie's arm. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of dramatic, suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY The audio in our theater was not the best, so the following should be considered a minimum: At least 1 "s" word, 2 damns, 1 ass (used with "hole"), 1 hell, 1 S.O.B., 8 uses of "Oh my God," 3 of "G-damn" and 1 use of "God." SEX/NUDITY The audio in our theater was not the best, so the following should be considered a minimum: Robert says he's not comfortable with Jennifer and Chris alone together in a room (when he walks in on them, although nothing is occurring beyond some close, seated contact -- both are fully dressed). Jennifer then says not to worry, adding that with so many places on the ship they could find a better place to do that thing he thinks they want to do (meaning sex). Elena states she's on the ship to see her sick brother and it's the only means of transportation for her. She then says that she made a deal with a cook on the ship exchanging passage for bunking with him, but we don't ever know if that implied sex. A lounge singer wears a tight, cleavage-revealing dress and does a slightly sultry performance. Lucky Larry grabs or pats a waitress' clothed butt as she walks away from his table. Jennifer shows varying amount of cleavage (depending on the camera angle and the positioning of her body) in her cocktail dress (and Robert comments on that -- before the disaster -- causing her to button the top button). Jennifer and Chris do some close dancing in a disco on the ship. Jennifer and Chris passionately kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve. We see some miscellaneous cleavage. Seeing that Jennifer and others are trying to rescue Chris whose leg is trapped under some scaffolding, Lucky Larry grabs a large pole for leverage and drops some innuendo when he says that what they needed was some good pushing with that pole. Maggie shows some cleavage. As the survivors are washed from one chamber into the next, we briefly see one of the women's black panties as her dress rides up. SMOKING Dylan smokes once. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Robert worries about Jennifer's safety (and vice-versa) during the ordeal, much like Maggie worrying about Conor. We hear that Elena is onboard for passage to see her sick brother. We hear that Robert's marriage failed. Maggie and Dylan find Conor separated from them on the other side of a vertical grate as the water rises on both sides. As Dylan tries to find a way to rescue the boy, the mother and son panic (above and below the water). A woman worries about her father's safety when he doesn't return from being underwater a long time. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Rogue waves. Whether a cruise ship could float upside down. What to do and how to act in crises. Richard is depressed and suicidal after his gay lover has dumped him for another man (we only see him trying to call the man on the phone). VIOLENCE A lookout spots the enormous rogue wave approaching the ship. They then try to turn it to hit the water at a perpendicular angle, but the wave is upon them before they can. It crashes into and over the ship, blasting away various people inside and outside the ship before turning the ocean liner upside down in the water (with plenty of implied injuries and deaths). During this, we see some people on the bridge being shocked from electrical shorts, and views of people (from a distance) falling a great distance and smacking into structures inside the vast ship. We also see a flash fire blast through a room and presumably kill everyone there, while water sweeps through another area with implied similar results. When an electrical cable hits the wet area inside the ship, many people are suddenly electrocuted, one woman's arm is on fire and we see a charred face of a dead victim. To save himself from pending doom, a man kicks away another man who's hanging on his feet in an elevator shaft. That other man falls down the shaft, followed by the elevator car that rips by and lands with a mighty crash where the third man did. An explosion then occurs and the resultant fireball races up the shaft, with the survivors closing the doors just in time. As the group traverses an immense lobby on some wreckage that straddles both sides, a large engine or something similar suddenly crashes down from above, smashing one person on that bridge. Massive explosions cause the ship to shift and then various cracks to form in the windows of a large area where many survivors are huddled. They then panic as the cracks spread, followed by spraying of water. The windows then simultaneously implode, sending massive amounts of water sweeping through the large room, presumably killing everyone there. Survivors hear the screams from a distance. Elena becomes entangled in some wreckage and panics underwater, eventually hitting her head and accidentally knocking herself out. A character drowns. Many explosions go off inside the ship, eventually causing one end to rise up out of the water. A massive flood of water washes away Maggie, but Dylan rescues her. Richard is injured when he opens a hatch (and his face is bloody). A major character ends up drowning (seen in graphic detail). A large gas canister hits a huge propeller and explodes. Reviewed May 8, 2006 / Posted May 12, 2006

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