(Review originally written at 25 February 2007)
This is a great and better than anticipated early disaster movie, set aboard an ocean liner.
Of course disaster movies were at an all time high during the '70's. I have to admit that, that genre isn't really my favorite one but I can appreciate how well they are made most of the time. It's funny and interesting to notice how many elements featured in this movie were all also standardly featured in later '70's movies. Elements such as an highly ranked character who is in denial of the whole disaster and its size, lots of different characters, an annoying little kid who can't act and an adventurous way of storytelling, in which the problems always get bigger and bigger. "The Last Voyage" isn't the first disaster movie but it obviously is one of the more influential ones, for later genre movies.
The movie chooses an interesting approach, involving many different characters aboard the ocean liner. The main characters of the movie are an average every day family, of which the wife gets stuck in the wreckage of their cabin, after the first explosion, while the boat is beginning to slowly sink. It works good for the tension and works well around the story of a sinking ship. The movie of course further more features characters such as the captain and his crew and the engine room crew. The one character or plot line does never distracts from the other.
The movie is really well build up and it takes its time for the disaster to unfold. Nothing ever gets hasted, which of course always had been the case with basically any other movie from the '60's. It makes both the story and the tension of it work out well. It especially makes the ending a great one, though it in fact really isn't anything that impressive.
Nevertheless the movie and the size of it all was better looking than I expected. It's refreshing and impressive to see that they used an actual boat for the sinking sequences, without the use of miniatures and such things. Some of the floating sequences aboard the ocean liner are also good and convincingly looking. It provides the movie with some good action sequences.
Obviously this movie was inspired by the events on the Titanic and this movie tries to be a 'modern day' variation of the Titanic disaster.
It's obvious that the most impressive thing about this movie are not the actors. They used some very little known and meaningless actors for the movie. They all serve their purpose well enough though, so it in no way downgrades the movie.
The movie features some of the flaws that early movies from the '60's often features, such as a needless voice-over. Nevertheless the movie still remains perfectly to watch this present day and features some actual tension and is good looking, with effects that still hold up this present day.
In my opinion better than the 'comparable' 1997 movie version of "Titanic", surprise, surprise!
8/10
Watch trailer
This is a great and better than anticipated early disaster movie, set aboard an ocean liner.
Of course disaster movies were at an all time high during the '70's. I have to admit that, that genre isn't really my favorite one but I can appreciate how well they are made most of the time. It's funny and interesting to notice how many elements featured in this movie were all also standardly featured in later '70's movies. Elements such as an highly ranked character who is in denial of the whole disaster and its size, lots of different characters, an annoying little kid who can't act and an adventurous way of storytelling, in which the problems always get bigger and bigger. "The Last Voyage" isn't the first disaster movie but it obviously is one of the more influential ones, for later genre movies.
The movie chooses an interesting approach, involving many different characters aboard the ocean liner. The main characters of the movie are an average every day family, of which the wife gets stuck in the wreckage of their cabin, after the first explosion, while the boat is beginning to slowly sink. It works good for the tension and works well around the story of a sinking ship. The movie of course further more features characters such as the captain and his crew and the engine room crew. The one character or plot line does never distracts from the other.
The movie is really well build up and it takes its time for the disaster to unfold. Nothing ever gets hasted, which of course always had been the case with basically any other movie from the '60's. It makes both the story and the tension of it work out well. It especially makes the ending a great one, though it in fact really isn't anything that impressive.
Nevertheless the movie and the size of it all was better looking than I expected. It's refreshing and impressive to see that they used an actual boat for the sinking sequences, without the use of miniatures and such things. Some of the floating sequences aboard the ocean liner are also good and convincingly looking. It provides the movie with some good action sequences.
Obviously this movie was inspired by the events on the Titanic and this movie tries to be a 'modern day' variation of the Titanic disaster.
It's obvious that the most impressive thing about this movie are not the actors. They used some very little known and meaningless actors for the movie. They all serve their purpose well enough though, so it in no way downgrades the movie.
The movie features some of the flaws that early movies from the '60's often features, such as a needless voice-over. Nevertheless the movie still remains perfectly to watch this present day and features some actual tension and is good looking, with effects that still hold up this present day.
In my opinion better than the 'comparable' 1997 movie version of "Titanic", surprise, surprise!
8/10
Watch trailer
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