Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)

Now I didn't come to The Poseidon Adventure until relatively recently (about four years ago) but in the time since I first saw that film it has taken on a near sacred quality to me, being close to the platonic ideal for a film of its type. Almost everything about that film is perfect, the pacing, the effects, the sets, the casting, the characters, it works on just about every level, it ranks alongside San Francisco (1936) as one of the two greatest "disaster movies" of all time. Now that's a lot to live up to, but The Poseidon Adventure isn't the kind of movie that leans itself to a sequel, so its not something anyone should really ever have to worry about. Ahh, but Irwin Allen, he couldn't help himself, in fact it was all foreshadowed in the originals hit song, "There's got to be a morning after", and this is it.

The only thing that really ties this film to the original, that references it at all, other then the ship, is a brief flyby of a rescue copter presumably taking the survivors of the first film to safety. It is glimpsed by the three man (or two man and one women) crew (Michael Caine, Karl Malden, and Sally Field) of a tug boat that somehow survived the massive tidal wave that capsized the titular luxury liner. Anyway the tug, named Jenny (not a Forrest Gump reference) didn't go completely unscathed, it lost the cargo it was carrying and as a result the ships captain and owner Mike Turner (Caine) will probably lose his strangely beloved craft to the bankers. That is until the crew realizes what happened to the Poseidon, they hurry to the upturned vessel in the hope of obtaining some of its doubtlessly valuable cargo under rights of maritime salvage, and maybe save some survivors while they are at it.

 

When Jenny makes it to the big boat they are met by another vessel captained by Telly Savalas. Savalas character Dr. Stefan Svevo claims to be part of a Greek Orthodox affiliated rescue mission, though being Telly Savalas, and given that he's dressed like a yachtsman, has a too fancy looking boat and a team of black outfitted henchman, I wouldn't be so sure. Anyway the two groups decide to team up to look for survivors and loot, they find both, including a blind Jack Warden and wine coinsure Slim Pickens, among others, as well as enough gold from the pursers office to ensure that Mike keeps the Jenny, and that Karl Malden get the surgery he needs for the unspecified illness he's been poorly trying to hide.

 

Anyway all turns out to not be well as  Dr. Svevo is in fact after something mysterious on the boat, which turns out to be plutonium, which is plain ridiculous. Svevo and his men get in gunfight with Turner, crew and the survivors, a shoot out not being something I had expected to see in this movie. Turner and company now must escape the still sinking ship, because in case you forgot it's still sinking, this movie seems to forget that at times, they were racing against the clock in the first film, while in this movie the boat only seems to take on water at random intervals. Anyway the group must escape and make it back to the Jenny, and a few must die in the process of doing so, you know so it means something, and Field and Caine must realize they really love each other. This is a ridiculous movie, so much talent in the cast, yet none of it on display, its pretty much a waist, as has been every other attempt I've seen to try and recapture the magic of the original Poseidon Adventure, I guess sometimes title wave only strikes once. * 1/2