Wild and Crazy Ride!

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2010)

Despite all the negative reviews here, or maybe because of them, I really enjoyed this movie. If I had not known what to expect I might not have enjoyed it so. But, going in, I was prepared for a suspend-your-disbelief special effects extravaganza. And that is what I got.
When watching the Poseidon Adventure, did you really care about the individual stories and acting performances? Of course not! It was the action that kept you watching. Such is the case here. And all the coincidence that allowed the main characters to prevail over cataclysmic odds - well that's part of the deal.
The special effects are excellent, and have really grown up since this director's terrible special effects in Independence Day, with its exploding matchstick White House. I only really spotted one glaring mistake: a dreadful mismatch of scale between the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy and the White House. The ship is not six times the length of the building!
Cusack was good, Peet was pretty, the kids were, well, kids. The scientist was honorable, as we know they all are (in the movies). This movie borrowed from many other disaster flicks, not least from the Poseidon Adventure and When Worlds Collide. It's just a lot of fun!