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August 24, 2006

Oh how the mighty have fallen . . .

Darn. There was so much potential for this to be great.

It wasn't.

While there are moments of genuine excitement, the new "Poseidon" was an overall disappointment. It cannot hold an orange emergency flashlight to 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure."

As you'll recall, in the 1972 version Gene Hackman was the strong-willed if not a bit worldly priest, the Rev. Frank Scott. He and Ernest Borgnine's character, Det. Lt. Mike Rogo, played off each other very well (just like in the book).

But in this incarnation, Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas are two of the most lifeless leading characters imaginable. There is nothing -- nothing -- interesting about their interactions, backstories or motivations. They're just placeholders of the worst sort.

The visual effects are entertaining, but only for a while. You do find yourself saying, "Ok, sure these people can spend that much time underwater . . . without any hint that they should know how."

I guess the biggest disappointment comes with this being a film directed by Wolfgang Peterson. He brought us such entertaining movies as "The Perfect Storm" and "Air Force One" as well as the fine film, "Das Boot." But "Poseidon" has left me with a sinking feeling.

And I remain apprehensive about which Wolfgang Peterson is going to show up to direct "Ender's Game." Few sci-fi/fantasy novels can claim to be as influential as Orson Scott Card's simple classic. If Card is to be believed, he continually receives messages from readers whose lives were deeply touched by this story.

One can only hope the real Wolfgang Peterson is behind the camera for this one . . .

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