Since the original Poseidon Adventure raked in so much dough, Irwin Allen wanted to get a sequel off the ground right away. It would eventually take him 7 years to get it made and in that space of time it would go through many changes.
To begin with, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure was to star Borgnine, Buttons and the rest of the survivors. After being rescued by the French Coast Guard they were to be transported to safety by train through the French Alps. A tunnel cave-in was to trap them all over again amid other, more sinister, drama.
That idea was soon squashed. Hackman didn't want to return (as Reverend Scott's brother!) and even though poster art was created (you can still find the train/gun image out there), that's about as far as production got. Allen focused on making other movies for the time being. Then, in 1978 he asked Paul Gallico to write a sequel. Gallico obliged but died before Beyond was published. His novel had Rogo, Martin and Manny Rosen being forced at gunpoint to return to the ship to plunder its secret cargo. Bandits, pirates, double-crosses and macabre plot developments followed.
Unable to convince Borgnine and the others to return at this point, Allen changed the story to accommodate a bunch of new characters. This Mike Rogo became Mike Turner (Michael Caine) and Bandits and Pirates became Stefan Svevo (Television Savalas) and his group of terrorists.
Beginning just before the storm in which the Poseidon capsized, Turner and his crew (Sally Field and Karl Malden) are out in Jenny the Tugboat. Turner loses his cargo and worries about the bank taking his precious boat away. New Years Day arrives and the sea is calm once again. Turner sees the French Coast Guard chopper buzzing overhead and figures there must be something interesting over the horizon.
Interesting indeed. An abandoned 5-star, world-class super-liner designed to carry hundreds of wealthy passengers. There's sure to be riches to plunder and a quick trip down to the Purser's Office (the idiot who chose to die in the first) might save Jenny from the banks greedy hands.
'Doctor' Stefan Svevo (trying saying that while drunk) and his group of suspicious men dressed in impeccably white clothes follow Turner inside, hoping to save some remaining survivors. Yeah right! Svevo just happens to be after a secret cargo of guns and plutonium and has an agent still stuck on-board.
Turner and his crew find the Purser's safe quite easy and load up on the loot. But they also find a bunch of stranded passengers including a very young-looking Peter Boyle, Slim Pickens, Mark Harmon and Jack Warden as a blind writer. His quick trip to pinch the riches turns into the much more noble task of leading the rest to safety. But once they discover Svevo's plot a fight breaks out.
I think that BTPA has had an unfair amount of criticism. Until the 2006 DVD release the film suffered 27 years of pan and scan TV screenings and videos, which completely screws up the scope photography. Seeing the film in widescreen, as intended, gives it a much slicker look. But I wasn't too impressed with the set-decoration and lighting. The Poseidon was already trashed and unstable before the first survivors escaped. By now it should be seriously threatening to sink or explode and the sets should reflect how much stress the ship is under. But they do look too spotless and the lighting is too bright and un-atmospheric. And, just so you know, a ship of this size would have more than one kitchen. So moans about it 'already being flooded' are invalid.
And I do think that the ending is kind of abrupt and rushed. It was a bit of a let-down having finish with such a lame, flippant finale. And, despite, previous criticisms, I do think that the characters are just as good as before. I felt sorry for Jack Warden when his wife died, or when Michael Caine realised that he lost the gold. Wilbur (Karl Malden) was a good character too and I think that his exit from the film was less than what he deserved. There is also more continuity with the original than the negative reviews proclaim. So don't let that put you off.
It's had a bad reputation, but BTPA isn't as bad as pretentious movie zealots would have you think. If you are a fan of the original then it is at least worth a rental.
To begin with, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure was to star Borgnine, Buttons and the rest of the survivors. After being rescued by the French Coast Guard they were to be transported to safety by train through the French Alps. A tunnel cave-in was to trap them all over again amid other, more sinister, drama.
That idea was soon squashed. Hackman didn't want to return (as Reverend Scott's brother!) and even though poster art was created (you can still find the train/gun image out there), that's about as far as production got. Allen focused on making other movies for the time being. Then, in 1978 he asked Paul Gallico to write a sequel. Gallico obliged but died before Beyond was published. His novel had Rogo, Martin and Manny Rosen being forced at gunpoint to return to the ship to plunder its secret cargo. Bandits, pirates, double-crosses and macabre plot developments followed.
Unable to convince Borgnine and the others to return at this point, Allen changed the story to accommodate a bunch of new characters. This Mike Rogo became Mike Turner (Michael Caine) and Bandits and Pirates became Stefan Svevo (Television Savalas) and his group of terrorists.
Beginning just before the storm in which the Poseidon capsized, Turner and his crew (Sally Field and Karl Malden) are out in Jenny the Tugboat. Turner loses his cargo and worries about the bank taking his precious boat away. New Years Day arrives and the sea is calm once again. Turner sees the French Coast Guard chopper buzzing overhead and figures there must be something interesting over the horizon.
Interesting indeed. An abandoned 5-star, world-class super-liner designed to carry hundreds of wealthy passengers. There's sure to be riches to plunder and a quick trip down to the Purser's Office (the idiot who chose to die in the first) might save Jenny from the banks greedy hands.
'Doctor' Stefan Svevo (trying saying that while drunk) and his group of suspicious men dressed in impeccably white clothes follow Turner inside, hoping to save some remaining survivors. Yeah right! Svevo just happens to be after a secret cargo of guns and plutonium and has an agent still stuck on-board.
Turner and his crew find the Purser's safe quite easy and load up on the loot. But they also find a bunch of stranded passengers including a very young-looking Peter Boyle, Slim Pickens, Mark Harmon and Jack Warden as a blind writer. His quick trip to pinch the riches turns into the much more noble task of leading the rest to safety. But once they discover Svevo's plot a fight breaks out.
I think that BTPA has had an unfair amount of criticism. Until the 2006 DVD release the film suffered 27 years of pan and scan TV screenings and videos, which completely screws up the scope photography. Seeing the film in widescreen, as intended, gives it a much slicker look. But I wasn't too impressed with the set-decoration and lighting. The Poseidon was already trashed and unstable before the first survivors escaped. By now it should be seriously threatening to sink or explode and the sets should reflect how much stress the ship is under. But they do look too spotless and the lighting is too bright and un-atmospheric. And, just so you know, a ship of this size would have more than one kitchen. So moans about it 'already being flooded' are invalid.
And I do think that the ending is kind of abrupt and rushed. It was a bit of a let-down having finish with such a lame, flippant finale. And, despite, previous criticisms, I do think that the characters are just as good as before. I felt sorry for Jack Warden when his wife died, or when Michael Caine realised that he lost the gold. Wilbur (Karl Malden) was a good character too and I think that his exit from the film was less than what he deserved. There is also more continuity with the original than the negative reviews proclaim. So don't let that put you off.
It's had a bad reputation, but BTPA isn't as bad as pretentious movie zealots would have you think. If you are a fan of the original then it is at least worth a rental.