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SALT LAKE CITY - "Titanic" is headed back to theaters to wow fans all over again and make James Cameron another fortune in the process. In honor of re-release of "Titanic" here's a list of five disaster films that take place on the water. Yes, we know you didn't ask for it, but you're getting them anyway.
Titanic
Yes, this list is in tribute of "Titanic," but how can it not be on the list? It doesn't matter if you didn't like the film, because it was and still is a worldwide phenomenon.
When it was made, "Titanic" was the most expensive movie ever made and before "Avatar," another James Cameron film, it was the highest grossing of all time. Even if you don't like the sappy love story and will scream at the top of your lungs if you see Jack flip his hair out of his face one more time, the movie is still a spectacle that will forever live in the annals of Hollywood history.
"The Poseidon Adventure" came out at the height of disaster movies and this one stuck in people's minds. Watching that rogue wave capsize the ocean liner Poseidon as a kid caused me to decide right there and then that I would never get on a cruise ship.
While dated and a little hokey by today's standards, Poseidon still manages to entertain. If you decide to check the film out make sure you get the original 1972 version, we'll just pretend 2006's "Poseidon" was figment of our imaginations.
"The Perfect Storm" is the true-ish story of ill-fated Massachusetts fisherman who unwittingly sailed into the storm of the century.
The movie has its flaws as critics were quick to point out, but the cast is solid and overall the movie isn't terrible. Storm was a box office success and nominated for two Academy Awards despite some bad reviews. This film is not for everyone, but if you are in a secure enough place in your life to watch a very depressing movie with some big Hollywood special effects, have a ball.
Never heard of it? Well, this came out in 1974, the height of disaster films, much like "The Poseidon Adventure" and it actually has a pretty impressive cast.
In "Juggernaut" a cruise liner has been laces with bombs and a madman will sink the ship and its 1,200 passengers to the bottom of the Atlantic if he doesn't get a ransom. A bomb tech on board is the only hope the passengers and crew have.
The film has a number of familiar faces including, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Harris, Omar Sharif and Ian Holm. That's a pretty impressive cast, especially for that time.
Is "Juggernaut" over the top and pretty cheesy? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean it's actually quite a bit of fun.
So, "Waterworld" is a post-apocalyptic film and not a disaster film by definition, but let's break this down. This list is about disaster films on the water, so, that means it needs o meet two requirements. Does "Waterworld" take place on the water? Yes. Was "Waterworld" a disaster? Yes. So, we're good.
"Waterworld" cost $175 million to make, that's not including advertising and marketing. The film made just $88 million at the box office.
"Waterworld" was a mess, the story was all over the place, the acting was labored at best and well, the movie just wasn't good.
"Waterworld" will now always be synonymous with bad filmmaking and who knows; maybe someday it will enter than cult realm of, "so bad it's good." But as of now, it's pretty much so bad, it's just bad. And therefore, it is a disaster movie.
