While “The Poseidon Adventure” was not the first splashy, big-budget natural-disaster movie, it is the pinnacle of the form. It has an undeniably catchy and terrifying premise: A Titanic-esque cruise liner capsizes and turns end over end with only a smattering of survivors. The motley crew of remaining guests, who are now castaways, does their best to survive the dangers of the Poseidon lest they drown. But while “The Poseidon Adventure” belongs to the Irwin Allen school of filmmaking, its strength lies in its fiercely committed ensemble cast, including five past Oscar winners: Shelley Winters (who got another nod for her role here), Jack Albertson, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, and a fresh-off-“The French Connection” Gene Hackman as a fiery reverend.
Although Hackman, in particular, dives fully into the bombastic nature of his character, it’s that intense willingness to sell the cheesy script that elevates this film beyond its fellow ’70s-era disaster epics. Like many natural disaster movies, there is a slight tinge of the goofy in “The Poseidon Adventure,” but the cast is so fully on board to sell the ’70s-era version of excess. At the time, “The Poseidon Adventure” felt like the first time a disaster movie could feel respectable, not merely content with box office success but also netting eight Oscar nominations.
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