‘Poseidon (2006)’ 4K UHD Review (Arrow Video)
Stars: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Mike Vogel, Kevin Dillon | Written by Mark Protosevich | Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
In 1972 the “Master of Disaster” Irwin Allen, known for the popular 1960s science-fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants, produced the epic adventure The Poseidon Adventure. Over the years, that film became a classic and over 20 years after that film’s release, legendary director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot, The Perfect Storm) made his version of Paul Gallico’s classic adventure novel with 2006’s Poseidon. Now, as we are heading to the 20th anniversary of this remake’s release, Arrow Video have restored and transferred this film to deluxe 4K UltraHD.
Passengers and crew members alike are celebrating New Year’s Eve aboard the cruise-liner Poseidon, the pinnacle of engineering and the height of luxury. But soon after the clock strikes midnight, a gigantic rogue wave comes crashing against the vessel, sending it plummeting towards the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. As the ship sinks further down, a group of survivors must learn to work together if they are to pull through this terrifying ordeal.
Director Wolfgang Petersen made his “trouble-at-sea” trilogy that included Das Boot and The Perfect Storm. Two pretty great films! And then concluded the trilogy with Poseidon being the finale. The film has a great cast that includes Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher and Emmy Rossum. And the special effects are great, but somehow the story just kind of falls short. Of course, it had large shoes to fill when compared with the ’70s classic.
Arrow Video has transferred Poseidon to 4K in 2160p Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) presentation. The audio track is the original DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround audio. And finally, there is the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Poseidon really shines in 4K; the detail of the underwater scenes and the beauty of the ballroom scenes are simply stunning. Arrow Video made sure to put their best foot forward here with this transfer. And a gorgeous transfer is not all that this 4K has going for it, the disc is packed with extras:
Special Features:
- Ocean View, a brand-new interview with director of photography John Seale
- Big Sets for Big-Time Directors, a brand new interview with production designer William Sandell
- Surfing the VFX Wave, a brand new interview with visual effects supervisor Boyd Shermis
- Bringing Out the Dead, a brand new interview with make-up effects on-set supervisor Michael Deak
- Set a Course for Adventure, a brand new retrospective on the film by Heath Holland
- Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage, a featurette looking at the film’s production featuring interviews with cast and crew
- Poseidon: Upside Down, a featurette exploring the film’s challenging set design
- A Shipmate’s Diary, a featurette following production assistant Malona Voigt on the set of Poseidon
Extras:
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacey
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Priscilla Page
With interviews, featurettes, retrospectives, a booklet and reversible artwork, Arrow Video never ceases to amaze with the quality of their releases. While Poseidon may lack the emotional resonance or character development of its predecessor, it excels as an adrenaline-fueled disaster flick and has never looked better than this 4K Ultra HD release.
*** 3.5/5
Poseidon is out now on 4K UHD from Arrow Video.
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