This film was retro when I watched it as a kid in the 80's. Four decades on from that and it's now entering movie history territory.
Pre cgi it's practical effects are sometimes triumphant over todays technological witchcraft, I mean they're actually flooding a ballroom full of people, how more real do you want it? Yet model boats and a bit to "film setty" parts fall a little flat for 21st century viewing.
There's a touch of day time soap opera characterisation to the cast, but that's part of its charm. There's no ex navy submariner that just happens to be on board, (I'm looking at you remake), or action hero muscle man to lead the way, (that's a nod to you Sylvester "Daylight" Stallone), it's a bunch of quirky, mouthy and sometimes comedic average folk, spurred on by a priest asking them to push through and fight their way out.
Yes sometimes it's a bit old school scripted, but in reality, personalities wouldn't just switch off, humour is used as a way to cope and everyone here has a "I can't do it" moment. They're thrown upside down, thrown together and bicker and squabble their way up each level, yet fiercely stick together to survive. Personally although still a little "Hollywood" I find them more realistic than most disaster movie ensembles.
The plot has enough introduction so we get to know our cast, but doesn't take so long that you find yourself waiting for the tipping moment. After that it's a good pace, helped by each deck of the ship climbed, becoming another "level" of the story and where it stands out from other disaster movies is that it does start killing off characters you've started to like, ones you would normally expect to survive til the end credits.
Overall you're never gonna stop me watching this every New Year's Eve. Shelly and Stella will forever remain the gay icons of the disaster movie, (this film is still a cult favourite for the gays), I'm still impressed they got these actors to be physically swept along corridors full of water and every single time I see it, I still want that man to just hang on in there and not plummet into the chandelier.
Movies are getting old, don't judge it solely on todays production values, in a couple of decades they're gonna mock just how over the top and unrealistic some of todays cgi is (they already do for 90's films), it's the ones with something more about them than effects that still get watched and talked about and this is one of them. (Plus let's not forget this one is the template for all disaster flicks that followed)
Pre cgi it's practical effects are sometimes triumphant over todays technological witchcraft, I mean they're actually flooding a ballroom full of people, how more real do you want it? Yet model boats and a bit to "film setty" parts fall a little flat for 21st century viewing.
There's a touch of day time soap opera characterisation to the cast, but that's part of its charm. There's no ex navy submariner that just happens to be on board, (I'm looking at you remake), or action hero muscle man to lead the way, (that's a nod to you Sylvester "Daylight" Stallone), it's a bunch of quirky, mouthy and sometimes comedic average folk, spurred on by a priest asking them to push through and fight their way out.
Yes sometimes it's a bit old school scripted, but in reality, personalities wouldn't just switch off, humour is used as a way to cope and everyone here has a "I can't do it" moment. They're thrown upside down, thrown together and bicker and squabble their way up each level, yet fiercely stick together to survive. Personally although still a little "Hollywood" I find them more realistic than most disaster movie ensembles.
The plot has enough introduction so we get to know our cast, but doesn't take so long that you find yourself waiting for the tipping moment. After that it's a good pace, helped by each deck of the ship climbed, becoming another "level" of the story and where it stands out from other disaster movies is that it does start killing off characters you've started to like, ones you would normally expect to survive til the end credits.
Overall you're never gonna stop me watching this every New Year's Eve. Shelly and Stella will forever remain the gay icons of the disaster movie, (this film is still a cult favourite for the gays), I'm still impressed they got these actors to be physically swept along corridors full of water and every single time I see it, I still want that man to just hang on in there and not plummet into the chandelier.
Movies are getting old, don't judge it solely on todays production values, in a couple of decades they're gonna mock just how over the top and unrealistic some of todays cgi is (they already do for 90's films), it's the ones with something more about them than effects that still get watched and talked about and this is one of them. (Plus let's not forget this one is the template for all disaster flicks that followed)