This document provides a compare and contrast analysis of the disaster-adventure films Poseidon and Dawn of the Dead. Both films feature central struggles that play out through physical forces, but they differ in their plots, endings, settings, and visual effects. Poseidon is about a capsized luxury cruise ship and features identifiable survivors and a climax where helicopters rescue the remaining characters. Dawn of the Dead depicts the outbreak of a zombie virus and has an ambiguous ending where the characters' ultimate fate is unknown. The films also use different locations for shooting and distinct visual effects companies and techniques.

1. 1
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
THE DESIGN SCHOOL
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL& BUILD ENVIRONMENT
NAME : NABILA HANIM BINTI SALLEH@MAN
STUDENT ID NO : 0321368
FILMS SELECTED:DISASTER-ADVENTURE FILMS
WORD COUNT: 744 WORDS
ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION DATE: APRIL 8TH, 2015

2. 2
Genre refers to the method of film categorization based on similarities in the narrative
elements from which films are constructed. While disaster-adventurefilms genre refers to the
stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces. Two disaster-
adventure movies that I have chosen are Poseidon and Dawn of the Dead.
First of all that we can compare between these two movies is its plot. Poseidon is a story
about a luxury cruise ship, SS Poseidon is making a transatlantic crossing the North Atlantic
Ocean. A depressed Nelson who is waiting a midnight phone call from his ex-lover, sees a 150-
foot high wave heading towards the ship. Most of the passengers enjoying a New Year’s Eve
party in the ship’s ballroom unaware of the danger. When the wave capsizes the luxury ship, a
small group of survivors started allies in a battle for their lives. Meanwhile in Dawn of the Dead,
after finishing her shift as a nurse, Ana returns to her suburban neighborhood and her husband,
Luis. Caught up in a scheduled date night, they miss an emergency news bulletin. The next
morning, a neighborhood girl called Vivian enters their bedroom and kills Luis, who immediately
reanimates as a zombie and attacks Ana. While she trying to escape from her undead husband,
she realized chaos that happened in her neighborhood.
Apart from it, both movies also have different ending. In Poseidon, it ending is clear as
we know what happened to the survivals. As the time is running out, water begins to rush in
through the cracks and holes of the ship. Then, Dylan found a nitrogen tank and throws it
toward the propellers, creating an explosion for them to escape. After managed climbing
through the propeller tube, they jump from the ship and swims toward an inflatable raft. After
firing a flare using flare gun into the air, helicopters arrive and save the six survivors. While in
Dawn of the Dead, its ending is unsure. Everyone finally agreed to escape to an island in Lake
Michigan. When in the buses, Glen loses control of a chainsaw, accidentally killing himself and
Monica causing blood to splatters on the windshield which then lead the bus to crash. C.J. exits
the first van to look for crash survivors with Kenneth and Terry. They encounter with the undead
Steve but Ana managed kills him. She retrieves his boat keys, and they take the remaining bus
to the marina. C.J sacrifices himself so the rest of the group can escape. During the end credits,
a montage of footage from a camcorder found on the boat shows that the group running out of
supplies before finally arriving at an island, where they are attacked by another swarm of
zombies. The camcorder drops, recording dozens of zombies chasing them, leaving their fate
unknown.
In term of settings, Poseidon used studios in Burbank, California, which separate sets for
each main room, one right-side-up and the other upside down. The upside down ballroom set
was built on top of a large water tank in the sound stage so that it could be filled with water and
drained in a matter of hours. While in Dawn of the Dead, The mall scenes and rooftop scenes
were shot in the former Thornhill Square Shopping Centre in Thornhill, Ontario and the other
scenes were shot in the Aileen-Willowbrook neighborhood of Thornhill, Ontario. The set for Ana
and Luis's bedroom was constructed in a backroom of the mall. The final sequences on the boat
and island were shot much later and at a different location.
In comparison of visual effects, in Poseidon, the interior and exterior shots of the ship
rolling were constructed using computer-generated imagery. The primary visual effects were

3. 3
completed by Industrial Light & Magic and Moving Picture Company. ILM used the most
advanced version of mental ray to photo-realistically light and render the shots, and were
responsible for all of the ship's exterior shots. For water simulations, proprietary software was
used, known as PhysBAM, which was created in collaboration with Stanford University. In Dawn
of the Dead, most of the visual effects in the movie uses Mr. X, Inc.. Other than that, the
producer also uses CIS Hollywood. Efilm or Panavision is used for quality control coordinator,
digital intermediate and digital colour timer
In a nutshell, disaster-adventure movies genre are a good choice for movie-goers out
there. In fact these two movies are from same genre, but it is totally different in its contents
either plots, visual effects, settings and its ending.

4. 4
References :
1. Rovi, Synopsis, from http://www.fandango.com/poseidon_94772/plotsummary
2. Rob Kemmett, The Movie Plot of Poseidon, from http://entertainmentguide.local.com/movie-
plot-poseidon-1756.html
3. Poseidon - Movie Synopsis & Plot, from http://www.filmjabber.com/movie-
synopsis/poseidon.html
4. ‘Poseidon’ Synopsis, from http://www.movieweb.com/movie/poseidon/synopsis
5. Rovi, Synopsis, from http://www.fandango.com/dawnofthedead_42564/plotsummary
6. Dawn of the Dead, from http://www.movies.com/dawn-dead/m60516
7. Mark Walters, Poseidon from
http://www.bigfanboy.com/pages/reviews/filmreviews/2006/poseidon/poseidon.html