Something rather sad clearly happened to the script between the 2006 write-up on this site and the making or editing of the film. I'd have liked to see that 2006 script filmed. The actual film, available on DVD in Japan and, I believe some other countries, which I've just seen, is three parts trashy, cliché-ridden, confusing and badly-written remake of the Poseidon Adventure (which was bad enough to start with) crossed with a lame episode of Casualty; and one part somewhat interesting documentary about the subsequent official screw-ups, the insults to the families, and the appalling treatment of the bodies of the dead. That one part had potential, and a talented documentary team should make a good film about it one day. Unfortunately even this part of this film committed the sin of being less compelling than the real story.
Characterisation of those characters on the boat, both those who died and survivors, is nil. There is one stand-out performance from the actress playing the Trinidadian mother of one of the dead. Her character is given one or two lines that actually sound like a real person talking. The last six minutes or so of the film are two characters speaking straight to camera, a six minutes which seemed to come from another film entirely. All in all, the victims of this disaster and their surviving loved ones deserve a lot better.
Characterisation of those characters on the boat, both those who died and survivors, is nil. There is one stand-out performance from the actress playing the Trinidadian mother of one of the dead. Her character is given one or two lines that actually sound like a real person talking. The last six minutes or so of the film are two characters speaking straight to camera, a six minutes which seemed to come from another film entirely. All in all, the victims of this disaster and their surviving loved ones deserve a lot better.