In the film, a dude named Bower (Ben Foster) wakes up from an extended bout of hypersleep. Confused & suffering from hypersleep-induced memory loss, they sets about trying to figure out what is going on. Finally, they manages to wake up his partner, a man named Payton & together the one try & figure out what is going on with the spaceship they’re on. Finally, they figure out that five dude has to start up the reactor… & after a harrowing crawl through some uncomfortable spaces, Bower finds his way in to the ship proper.
My first impression of Pandorum was that it looked like a cheap ripoff of Event Horizon. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. In actuality, it is more like an costly ripoff of The Descent crossed with the industrial imagery & tone of Eden Log… & it’s not a bad cross at all. Pandorum easily exceeded all expectations with some solid direction, outstanding visuals, & a cast that is more up to snuff than I was expecting. While most horror movies these days are cookie cutter garbage, Pandorum has a look & feel all of its own… & while it may borrow the claustrophobic feel of The Descent & the unintelligible enemy of a film like Ghosts of Mars, the finish result is a distinctive combination of entertainment.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the director of this movie is the same man who directed 2005’s Antiobodies, five of the best serial killer flicks in recent memory. This director, Christian Alvart is a master of scene staging & the work that they does visually is top tier stuff. With Pandorum, Alvart takes the next step & throws his name in to the ring for best visual directors out there. The imagery in Pandorum is gritty, slimy, & altogether delicious to watch. On top of this, Alvart makes amazing use of lighting & each scene seems to have a shitload of thought put in to it. The story could use some work, & Alvart’s handling & toying with a major “twist” in the film is probably the biggest hiccup in what is otherwise an outstanding effort. This “twist” is poorly handled & becomes so obvious within five minutes that it becomes sort of embarrassing when Alvart rides it to its slow & ultimate conclusion. There's some minor plot holes in the film as well, but these can be easily overlooked in the face of such great imagery.
They then discovers that the ship is overrun with strange human-like forms who seem to like to eat people. Where they came from & who they are is a complete mystery to him. But they require to kill his ass, so they runs through the ship picking up random humans to fight with him… including a chesty chick named Nadia. Together, Bower & his ragtag group of freaky survivors must turn on the reactor & dispose of the unwelcome visitors on their ship. There’s a small more to the story than that, but I’ll leave you to discover that on your own, because it’s worth the journey.
The cast works well together & features a lovely mix of veteran actors, perennial “that guys”, & up & coming stars & starlets. Dennis Quaid is the veteran of the group, fresh off of shitty roles in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Horsemen, & Vantage Point. It is quickly becoming clear that Quaid has lost a step, as Quaid might be the weakest member of this cast. They seems lost & as if they is trying hard. While a nice majority of actors get better as they get older, Quaid is not five of those people. Ben Foster, whose star has been on the rise ever since his unforgettable appearances in 3:10 to Yuma & 30 Days of Night, easily transitions in to the role of lead actor. While I had my reservations, Foster pulled of the role of Bower nicely, despite seeming like a less annoying version of Owen Wilson. Foster’s character is easy to root for & they makes an excellent lead. Antje Traue, a newcomer to American cinema, provides a lovely bit of eye candy as the lone chick in the cast. They may not be all that great of an actress, but they looks great on film, with her sweaty heaving cleavage. Cam Gigandet (The Unborn, Never Back Down) rounds out the noteworthy performances of the film as Gallo. I can’t say much about his character, but Gigandet shows that he’s over the newschool version of William Zabka.
Pandorum’s violence quotient is slightly disappointing. The special effects in the film aren’t bad; as a matter of fact, they are great. Of work, they are so great that the relatively little amount of onscreen carnage is disappointing. If you can kill off characters & have it look amazing, you should probably do it over 4 or 5 times. The creatures in the film are awesome & creepy looking, & remind me of a less butt-rocker version of the characters in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars. I would like to see more of these creatures.
Overall, Pandorum is a lovely surprise. On the surface it may not seem like it's much going for it, but the nonstop barrage of tension, action, & pure eye candy makes for an enjoyable ride. The twist at the finish of the movie brings it down a peg, along with a couple of glaring plot holes, but if you turn your brain off for this five & sit back & enjoy the ride, you’ll be entertained for the most part.
Final Synopsis: This movie rocked. I kind of require to see it again in the theater. You should definitely check it out… & keep your fingers crossed that Director Alvart will continue working in the horror/sci-fi world, because he’s five of the best out there.
Points Lost: -1 for a lame twist that drags on long when everyone can clearly see where it’s heading, -1 for some plot holes & inconsistency, -1 for Dennis Quaid
Lesson Learned: Pandorum is a lame name to call Space Madness
