The Poseidon Adventure
20th Century Fox | Release Date: December 13, 1972 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
There's ample overacting by the likes of Stella Stevens, Ernest Borgnine, and Shelley Winters, but the movie's one-obstacle-atop-another plot—and active meditation on faith—remain sharp and surprising. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyClark Collis
Once the lady in question is overturned by a freak tidal wave the tone shifts from unintentionally comedic to undeniably exciting as renegade priest Gene Hackman leads a motley band of souls (including Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, and Roddy McDowall) on their upside down quest to escape from a watery grave. Read full review
80
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
The Poseidon Adventure is a highly imaginative and lustily-produced meller that socks over the dramatic struggle of 10 passengers to save themselves after an ocean liner capsizes when struck by a mammoth tidal wave created by a submarine earthquake. Read full review
75
Rolling StoneDavid Fear
The effects here run the gamut from grandiose to goofy, but watch the upside-down ballroom sequence again. It's a set piece of pure destructive bliss, set to a symphony of screaming and breaking glass. Awesome. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
A well thought-out script and fine direction keep a steady amount of tension, which doesn't let up until the survivors are rescued. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineEric Henderson
A nightmarishly schematic fantasia of guiltless discomfort. Read full review
70
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
It's a terrific piece of junk: the top-notch screenwriters (Stirling Silliphant and Wendell Mayes) never let a cliché slip through the net, and Neame's anaemic direction ensures that every absurdity is treated at face value. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a wonderful formula. I love it. The Poseidon Adventure is the kind of movie you know is going to be awful, and yet somehow you gotta see it, right? Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.H. Weiler
Though tensions slacken and credibility is strained here, realistic technical effects make the stricken ship and the efforts of its survivors to escape a fairly spellbinding adventure. Read full review
60
The New YorkerPauline Kael
Expensive pop disaster epic, manufactured for the market that made Airport a hit. Ronald Neame directed, with dull efficiency.
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