Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The cruise ship Poseidon is on its way from London to New York on New Year's Eve when it's suddenly struck by a rogue wave turning it upside down in the water. The Captain (Andre Braugher) tells everyone in the main ballroom to be calm and patient, but a band of survivors led by Dylan (Josh Lucas) and Robert (Kurt Russell) have their own plan of escape.

As disaster films go, I've seen worse and as long as you keep your expectations in check this can be entertaining on the first viewing. There are such things as rouge waves and the mystery surrounding them does give some credence to the screenplay but by the last act the endless obstacles faced by our heroes is a tad fatiguing.

Video Highlights

• VC-1/1080p encode on a BD-25 disc
• Excellent black level
• Revealing shadows
• Adequate color saturation
• Inconsistent detail, especially on long shots

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Intense LFE
• Plethora of discrete effects
• Intelligible dialog

The video presentation is solid but it's the audio track that shines with crystal clear dialog and the many discrete effects bouncing around the room.

Bonus Materials

• Poseidon: A Ship on a Soundstage: The Complexities of Making a Modern Adventure Movie
• A Shipmate's Diary: A Film School Intern's Experiences on the Set
• Poseidon: Upside Down: A Unique Set Design Chronicle
• History Channel Documentary "Rogue Waves"

Unfortunately, this is the third time I've reviewed this film in the past four years and familiarity breeds contempt. The presentation mimics what I experienced on the HD DVD although the IME is absent from the Blu-ray (no big loss). If you haven't seen it before it's worth a rental in order to hear the stellar audio track but trust me, you don't want to watch this more than once.

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Release Date: April 6, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movies: 6/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics