Review of Pandorum (2009) by Julian T — 07 Jan 2012

Another perpetually underrated and seemingly unheard of horror/sci-fi film that is actually an excellent movie. Intricate, smart and tense plot that isn't ridiculously original, but sells itself. It borrows alot from previous films like 'Event Horizon', 'Alien', 'Star Trek' and 'Hell Raiser', but adds in its own ideas and innovation to come out as something all its own.

Director Alvart does an excellent job of revealing his hand. Starts out intimately and without much introduction. You're just thrown into the situation the same way as the characters are, and you are introduced to the building tension and earth shattering implications as they are. The acting isn't tremendous, but it isn't bad by any means. Quaid certainly isn't at the top of his game, but none of the performances bog down the film. The script is pretty good, although there are a few lines that stick out as being a bit eyebrow raising.

What makes the movie go is a really interesting plot. The creatures are pretty decent. Impressive makeup applications that do end up being a little overexposed, but remain effective because they are in shadow or are back-lit for alot of their scenes. While the monsters are what makes the film immediately tense, the realization that the survival of the human race depends on these characters becomes the real area of interest. An interesting sub-note is that each character seems to represent a stage of human evolution (or de-evolution), reverting back to different stages of human instinct. Also foremost is the exploration of how the human psyche reacts to extended periods in deep space. It is an idea that hasn't been explored much, and it is unsettling when you think about it.

Another huge plus of the film is its set design. It offers a great deal of intricate and very different scenery. It blends cold, claustrophobic, industrial settings with amazingly expansive and organic ones. It accurately reflects and reinforces both the intimate and far-reaching implications the plot offers.

All in all, this is a seriously good flick for anyone who appreciates science fiction. It is fast moving, intricate, and goes out of its way to build its history. Not to mention is is pretty much edge-of-your-seat the entire way. Intelligent sci-fi is always at a premium, and this is on that list without a doubt.