“It’s not a remake” is the familiar, oft-repeated mantra of cast and crew on the Poseidon DVD. Pity. Because as “campy” and “unrealistic” as director Wolfgang Petersen reckons the old Poseidon Adventure is, the 1972 disasterpiece still makes waves with its memorable cast and (admittedly melodramatic) character conflict – two things that have clearly been watered down in Petersen’s mega-budget reworking.

Shit ahoy, then? Not at all, me hearties. Poseidon may have got an iffy reception from underwhelmed cinemagoers this summer, but the movie’s excellent visuals, set-pieces and breathtaking scale ensure it’s an enjoyable piece of H²0 hokum that makes for a solid (mari)time-filler.

Petersen’s flip trip certainly doesn’t waste time getting its narrative going. We’re a mere 20 minutes in when the titular luxury liner is impressively overturned by a freak 150-foot wave of computer-generated water. From there, you know the drill: edgy gambler Josh Lucas, grumpy ex-fireman/ex-Mayor/ex-Snake Plissken Kurt Russell and touchy-feely dumped-architect Richard Dreyfuss gallantly lead a mismatched group of survivors on a mission to escape the Poseidon before it inevitably proves the captain wrong by drowning all of its occupants. Along the way, various characters fall foul of the cruel sea – not that you’ll really give a toss who lives or dies.

Because, with character development stifled and no real substitute for the original’s titanic Gene Hackman/Ernest Borgnine power struggle, the emphasis here is danger and action. Thankfully, Petersen delivers heaps of both. Sure, Poseidon never comes close to recreating the power and taut claustrophobia of the director’s true watery wonder, Das Boot, and it shies away from the real horror of its scenario. But despite being standard, glossy fare, Poseidon does succeed in being rousing and attention-keeping...

DVD Extras:

...which can’t, alas, be said for the meagre line-up of DVD extras. There is undeniably epic ambition behind the movie, but it’s skimped over in just one 25-minute documentary, Poseidon: A Ship On A Soundstage, which combines the aforementioned comparisons between the new and original films with a overload of hyperbolic PR-puff soundbites on the script, shoot and effects. The only other extra is a trailer – there’s no sign of a chat-track and, most infuriatingly, the three featurettes to be found on the Region 1 DVD seem to have gone overboard.