Beyond the Poseidon Adventure Reviews

When Maureen McGovern sang the torchy hit "The Morning After" in the original Poseidon Adventure , this probably wasn't what she had in mind. But for viewers, this post-disaster disaster film--which takes place immediately after the original Poseidon capsized--is fearlessly campy and surprisingly entertaining. As per the recipe for '70s catastrophe movies, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (directed and produced by the original's Irwin Allen) boasts a top-notch ensemble cast. Michael Caine is the crusty, opportunistic tug captain who comes across the wreck of the Poseidon and immediately declares, "Salvage! Salvage is our salvation." Along for the ride on Caine's tug are Karl Malden and a still ingénue-ish Sally Field. They meet up mid-ocean with the suave doctor/rescuer Telly Savalas, who may not be all he says he is. And inside the wreck, incredibly, there are survivors. The film may follow a fairly predictable formula by this time (1979), but it's fun nonetheless. The effects are just right, there's plenty of treachery and tension to keep things moving along merrily, and the capsizing of the boat means the set consists of upside-down ship innards (blessedly, this also means the shag carpeting is on the ceiling, rarely seen). Families and couples are wrenched apart, unscrupulous bastards reveal hearts of gold, and the plucky ones (almost) always survive. Among the rest of the cast are Shirley Jones as the Poseidon's nurse, Peter Boyle as a passenger and concerned dad, and a baby-faced Mark Harmon as a farming kid from "back home" in Iowa, cute as the early-years Beatles. Extras include a vintage making-of featurette (perms! elephant bells!) and a montage of the era's disaster-film trailers, a movie-buff time capsule in itself. --A.T. Hurley