The Poseidon Adventure

Play trailer

3:14

The Poseidon Adventure

PG

1972

1h 57m

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

En route from New York City to Greece on New Year's Eve, majestic passenger ship the S.S. Poseidon is overtaken by a tidal wave. With the captain (Leslie Nielsen) dead, surviving passengers, including the passionate Rev. Scott (Gene Hackman), band together in the ship's ballroom. The group struggles to avert fires, flooding, structural instability and mechanical malfunctions as they make their way through a maze of ladders and tunnels in their desperate attempt to escape a watery grave.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Poseidon Adventure exemplifies the disaster film done right, going down smoothly with ratcheting tension and a terrific ensemble to give the peril a distressingly human dimension.

Read Critics Reviews

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/29/2023

The picture would be more fun if we cared about who got killed and who survived.

Go to Full Review

Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

05/08/2006

3/4

What the glittering, star-driving survivalism of Poseidon Adventure actually presents is a nightmarishly schematic fantasia of guiltless discomfort.

Go to Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

04/19/2006

B-

Neither as exciting nor as unintentionally funny as one would like it to be.

Go to Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

May 19

4.5/5

A masterclass of a disaster film filled with characters you care about, nail-biting suspense and some truly revolutionary special effects. The Poseidon Adventure has it all, folks.

Go to Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

May 13

4/5

Shelley Winters deserves all the praise for bringing humanity and pathos to her character. It's no surprise why this Oscar-winning disaster movie kick started a trend or that it holds up 50+ years later

Go to Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Jan 7

2.5/4

Disaster movies had already taken place on an airplane so a sea-going vessel seemed a natural evolution. The Poseidon Adventure was the result, a star-studded voyage of death, survival, and courage.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

AC C

@Mon_Alisa 21h

Gene Hackman was yelling a bit too much for my tolerance. I believe this is the original Poseidon movie so it deserves props there and was overall a good (if simple) watch.

See more

Valens S

@RT80184552 Aug 6

I think this movie was an amazing movie as I entertained to the very end of it. I felt very attached to the characters and felt sad when they died. A great action packed escape from a capsized ocean liner. The only reason I did not rate it 5 stars is just because now it does look a bit outdated and the death scenes look pretty fake. Would totally recommend it.

See more

Shizue Leigh H

@RT72406249 Jul 26

Capsized ocean liner with an all-star cast. Not one wasted moment, Enjoyable from start to finish. That's why we old timers went to the movies for back in the 1970s.

See more

thiago S

@Thiagostone Jun 16

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

Jeff M.

@Jmo54 Jun 11

The Godfather of disaster movies.

See more

James R.

@Jimbobwa May 6

One of my all time favorites!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Ronald Neame

Director

Irwin Allen

Director

Gene Hackman

Rev. Frank Scott

Ernest Borgnine

Det. Lt. Mike Rogo

Shelley Winters

Belle Rosen

Red Buttons

James Martin

The Deep

38%

39%

The Deep

Watchlist

The Day of the Dolphin

43%

42%

The Day of the Dolphin

Watchlist

Emperor of the North

67%

84%

Emperor of the North

Watchlist

The Towering Inferno

69%

72%

The Towering Inferno

Watchlist

The Man With the Golden Gun

40%

55%

The Man With the Golden Gun

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Happy New Year! 20 Big Screen Celebrations to Ring in 2017

R.I.P. Red Buttons

Critical Consensus: "Poseidon" Sinks, "Luck" Is Lacking

The Poseidon Adventure: Trailer 1

3:14

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

En route from New York City to Greece on New Year's Eve, majestic passenger ship the S.S. Poseidon is overtaken by a tidal wave. With the captain (Leslie Nielsen) dead, surviving passengers, including the passionate Rev. Scott (Gene Hackman), band together in the ship's ballroom. The group struggles to avert fires, flooding, structural instability and mechanical malfunctions as they make their way through a maze of ladders and tunnels in their desperate attempt to escape a watery grave.

Director: Ronald Neame, Irwin Allen
Producer: Steve Broidy
Screenwriter: Paul Gallico, Wendell Mayes, Stirling Silliphant
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 12, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 3, 2016
Runtime: 1h 57m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings