Poseiden Adventure Updated...and maybe lost in translation

When I was in 7th grade, I had an English teacher named Mrs. Schmidt, a fiery, chain-smoking, 60-year old woman who was like Judi Dench channelling a pissed off nun. But she loved English, and so I learned to too.

One time, someone asked her if she thought that any movies were better than the books upon which they were based. She said that the mediums of film and books are totally different, but that one of her favorite adaptations of a book onto the big screen was the movie The Poseiden Adventure. Since it came out in 1972, three years before I was even born, I'd never heard of it. But I went and rented it. And I remember really, really liking it. Here's why

1. It's very Titanic-ish in its scope. On New Year's Eve, an underwater earthquake creates a giant tsunami that capsizes a luxury ocean liner. It's turned turtle, meaning, it's completely upside-down. Folks who were on the top of the ship (now the bottom), have to get to the bottom (now the top). To do so they must navigate upside-down staircases, elevator shafts, anything that's not flooded. It's intense.

2. It focuses on a group of people from different walks and paths of life who all come together. A preacher, an ex-cop and his ex-hooker wife, an elderly Jewish couple, a beautiful but stuck-up lounge singer. All forced together. It's a character study about people, their hang-ups, their cowardice and their bravery.

3. In the end - and I don't mean to spoil the ending here - but the Reverend character (played by Gene Hackman) gives up his life to save the remaining band. I remember thinking this was crazy, especially since they were all so close to the now-top of the ship. The others beg him not to do it. They ask him to pray for them, but not to do this which is essentially suicide. But the Pastor, played by Gene Hackman, says something to the effect of "If I don't act out on the things I've been teaching for 25 years, then I don't have much faith in God or Heaven, do I?"

Point number 3 was really crucial to me as a young man growing up. This idea that in a real crisis, a Christian should give up their life to save others FIRST, because at least he knows he's going to heaven. And maybe in his selfless act, others will see that conviction of who God is and what Christ-followers believe Him for, and that will change their hearts. That was a really deep idea to me.

Here's the problem. In the new Posideon trailer, the character cast to play Hackman's role of the preacher is Kurt Russell. But in the trailer, they call him "Your Honor" which implies that they've changed his profession to that of a judge.

????

This totally changes everything. The whole reason the Reverend gives his life for the other passengers is because of his Christology. That's the part that affected me. I'm not saying that people can't or aren't affected by an act of sacrifice - or that people who aren't overtly religious won't act in the same manner - but it was the articulation of the reasons why the Reverend was so willing to die that really started to change my ideas about life.

I'm really looking forward to the movie, and I'm sure I will enjoy it. It just kind of depresses me that Hollywood doesn't have much ability to write about people with an actual faith.

Click here to download the trailer.