The 2005 TV Version of the Poseidon Adventure was Pretty Good

Having never seen the theater release of "Poseidon" (2006), nor the 1972 original "The Poseidon Adventure", I was very curious when I saw "The Poseidon Adventure" TV movie was going to be on the Sci-Fi channel. It was listed as 4 hours... so I watched it and taped it because I knew there was no way I could sit still for 4 hours! It turned out that there were sooooo many commercials that the actual movie length was only 156 minutes. After watching the movie on and off for 4 hours, than watching it straight through for 156 minutes, I decided - it's pretty good! I am surprised at the low ratings this version has on imdb.com, so I must assume those people have seen the actual theater makes of the film and cannot understand that this is a TV movie and should not be judged to the same standards. After watching this film, I'm even more excited to watch the 2006 version, and even the 1972 version.
Here's why I think you should catch it next time it's on!

Minor Plot Details
Let's keep it simple because there's a lot going on. Basically the Poseidon is a cruise ship with lots of family and friends on board preparing for a Christmas vacation. The trouble is that there are also terrorist on board! I don't think I'm ruining anything if I tell you that within an hour of the movie (an hour TV time, but only about 30 minutes if you skip the commercials) there is an explosion and the ship turns completely upside down! Now the rest of the movie is in the escape - can all these people escape off of an upside down ship? And in the meantime, other stuff may go down... sit back and relax and watch to find out what happens!

Characters
The movie has many characters, but Steve Guttenberg from the various Police Academies was the only recognizable actor. The main focus is on the following: