Review of Event Horizon (1997) by Julian T — 05 Dec 2011

Another film which I was expecting little from which actually turned out to be extremely good. Gripping, scary, and flat out disturbing at times.

This is an interesting film as far as the chronology of its genre. It is clearly influenced by sci-fi and horror classics like 'Alien', '2001', 'Star Wars', 'Hellraiser' and others, but has had an undeniable impact on modern sci-fi/horror like 'Pandorum' and 'Sunshine'. After watching this, I can see why the Fox Execs thought Paul Anderson was a good choice to helm 'AvP'. Anderson does show that he has some talent in creating a taunt, tense, industrial thriller. (Which only makes it worse as to how horrific 'AvP' turned out, but we won't get into that...).

The story isn't anything groundbreaking, but it is a sleek, sophisticated plot with an interesting blending of sci-fi, ghost story, horror/thriller genres. Say what you will, but I thought this was extremely creepy at times, and solidly scary throughout.

I will say that the pacing could have been better, as the first hour is intensely building and minimalistic and then gives way to a frenzied (be it still entertaining and creepy) and gory climax. The acting is solid as well. Neither Fisburne or Neill are ever going to win any Oscars, but they are both very serviceable here. A nice ensamble cast rounds out a respectable all around performance.

Another huge plus here is the set design, which really succeeds in combining elements that would usually be complete opposites. These big, impressive sets manage to perfectly blend an organic quality into a largely industrial setting. They also capture a sense of both claustrophobia and vastness.

Despite all these positives, this film is certainly not without its flaws. I found its score a bit overpowering a parts and non-existent in others. It has a couple of 'wtf' moments which seem quite out of place, and I mentioned the issues with the pacing. While Anderson handles the film pretty well, there are several instances of bad direction and dizzying camera angles which I found questionable. Some of the effects are also middling, but fortunately the film doesn't really rely on them to carry the story.

All in all, this is a really good and seriously scary movie that harkens back to some of the classics in its genre. Recommended.