If you have been moved by "Titanic", then don't expect to be moved by "Poseidon" again. Although the two films have a very similar theme of "shipwreck", the core under the package of perfect special effects is actually is totally different. This is the gap between the two directors, James Cameron and Wolfgang Peterson. If Cameron is a first-class genius who controls blockbusters, then Peterson, the German, can only be regarded as a great ingenuity. A second-rate director, Cameron knew how to tell a perfect story in a disaster special effect, while Peterson would only keep repeating special effects and big scenes, and his story seemed riddled with holes.
The setback on the blockbuster "Troy" didn't completely kill Peterson's Hollywood career, and he was once again selected for the shipwreck blockbuster. It is understandable that Peterson was chosen to direct the film "Poseidon". After all, he has successfully dedicated works such as "From the Bottom of the Sea" and "Perfect Storm". It is reasonable to believe that he is very familiar with such films. ability. Judging from his previous works, Peterson seems to be more skilled and keen on the visual impact of grand scenes, but not good at character characterization and plot arrangement. He is somewhat rough and lacks delicate director.
"Titanic" once touched the hearts of the audience with a poignant love based on an unprecedented shipwreck. Director Cameron used nearly half of the length to tell such a moving story, and then began to use the shipwreck to push the story to a climax. Hold the audience's heart tightly. In fact, Cameron divided the primary and secondary very clearly. The special effects of the shipwreck are for the love of Jack and Rose. If there is no moving love shipwreck, it will not be so moving. The story of "Poseidon" was cut from the beginning without any foreshadowing. After hastily introduced several main characters, without letting the audience understand the detailed background, the sea began to attack, and a huge wave overturned the luxury cruise ship. Subsequent story development is a rigid and outdated routine, nothing new at all. The audience can guess the end with the beginning of the story. Even though they have experienced a difficult adventure with the protagonists in the film, they have never invested any emotion in it. The joy of interaction between the rescued characters. Aside from being a little nervous in several special effects scenes that combine sound effects, Peterson was unable to bring the audience into such a movie story as soon as he walked out of the theater.
The empty surface of the characters in the film is obvious, we don't understand how the leading big brother played by Josh Lucas is so clear about the structure of the ship, the film only uses one sentence to explain that he had joined the navy, and the rest of the audience simply Know nothing. And the relationship between the smuggling girl and the chef has never been explained. In fact, the architect once kicked the chef out of the elevator for self-help, so there are many subtle stories between the two that could happen, but what happened in the end? nothing. Kurt Russell's story between a father and his daughter and her boyfriend is really old-fashioned, just like in "Doomsday," where the father ends up sacrificing himself for his daughter's happiness. All these characters in the film are pale, all the emotions that should be generated are weakened, and even die, and the necessity of the characters' existence is sometimes questionable.
In a big production with an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, why not invest more in the choice of actors and the planning of the plot? Could it be that all the money is spent on special effects? It's not that the current cast isn't enough for acting, but it's impossible for the film to have much box-office appeal with an out-of-date second-tier star like Kurt Russell and an unsympathetic actor like Joe Lucas. In addition, the film itself has the same plot development as a game of crossing the borders. In addition to creating a tense atmosphere in danger when crossing the border, it lacks the necessary ups and downs and climaxes and cannot mobilize the emotions of the audience.
In fact, the film also has some problems in expressing the theme. The chef sacrificed himself for others to let others escape first, but he was kicked down by the architect when he was in danger. Although this kind of sacrifice is also a last resort in times of crisis, the film expresses the emotions of everyone after being temporarily escaped, but it is so understated. This is actually very unreasonable. Humanity should be quite struggling after this situation. The treatment not only makes the characters feel inexorable, but also directly creates a moral void in the film. Moreover, most of the people in the film died extremely uselessly. Everyone obeyed the command of the black captain and stayed in the hall waiting for rescue. In the end, the cabin was flooded and they died without even a sound. I really don't know what the film is trying to tell the audience, should they obey the captain's command when in distress? Or should you try to save yourself?
At the same time, the role of the Poseidon, which is the other protagonist of the film, is not as good as that of the Titanic. To be honest, the sinking of the Poseidon is far less tragic than the Titanic, except for a bird's-eye view rotation of the Poseidon at the beginning of the film. Three hundred and sixty Outside the mirror, the Poseidon did not have a particularly wonderful display from the inside to the outside, and the scenes inside the ship were mostly concentrated in the lobby, which did not give the audience a direct feeling of depth and detail. Although after the ship capsized, the route of the escape team mentioned the structure of the ship slightly, but the grandeur of the Poseidon could not be displayed in the dilapidated hull, and the sinking method of the Poseidon overturned could not achieve the sinking of the Titanic. The visual effect, because the Poseidon makes people die all at once, without even giving a chance to struggle, while the Titanic makes people struggle and survive, which greatly stimulates the emotions of the audience. Although it would be cruel to say that the sinking of the Titanic was cruel, only the tragic can move people, but the Poseidon could not arouse the emotions of the audience. In the process of dying, people often reveal various natures, which is often the easiest to play, but "Poseidon" makes all the faces colorless.
Peterson's failure is multi-faceted, the story of failure is overbearing, the cast has no appeal, and the theme is vague. The most important reason is that Comrade Peterson has not been able to keep pace with the times and grasp the taste of the current audience. Repeating the old-fashioned methods of the past, I don’t know that the market after the rapid development of film technology and bombarded by special effects has developed a certain immunity to large-scale production and large-scale scenes. If you continue to follow the old path, it will inevitably repeat the same mistakes.
Text: Between the eyebrows
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