By C. Ramsay
Much time is spent on characterization during the opening of The Poseidon Adventure, and though it is unclear whether or not this was the intention, it overwhelmingly involves traits that are negative. The vast majority of the characters are curmudgeonly, nosy, hyperactive, abusive, or any combination of, and it’s certainly an accomplishment that in opening the movie this way most viewers will still end up rooting and caring for the people we eventually follow.
This counterbalanced characterization is successful because of how effectively the disaster components of the film are handled, which stem from the SS Poseidon being capsized by a wave from an undersea earthquake while on her final voyage before being decommissioned due to her age. The degree of peril is established, the fear of which the viewer can relate to more strongly than any amount of disaffection that might be experienced through dislike of the characters. The shift from a joyful New Year’s celebration aboard the ship to complete panic is instantaneous, and there is some inventive camera and stunt work implemented to portray the ship capsizing. It’s the eventual sinking of the ship that works as a built-in timer to fuel audience anxieties, and the mix of this countdown with semi-regular catastrophic sequences as the ship comes closer and closer to fully submerging adds to the tension that the characterization can sometimes detract from.
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