The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Before it gets scrapped, the SS Poseidon embarks on one final adventure from New York to Athens. When an undersea earthquake erupts, the luxury ocean liner overturns and a foul-mouthed minister (Gene Hackman) takes charge, trying to lead the survivors to safety. The movie also stars Leslie Nielsen as Captain Harrison, a commanding officer who serves as a foil to the greed and disregard of safety from the SS Poseidon’s owner’s representative Linarcos (Fred Sadoff). Based on Paul Gallico’s novel of the same name, about a real submarine voyage, this 1972 film won an Academy Award for best visual effects and became a major influence in pioneering the modern-day disaster genre, inspiring movies like The Towering Inferno (1974) and Earthquake (1974). — Katia Krassin