Directed by:
Paul W.S. AndersonScreenplay:
Philip EisnerCinematography:
Adrian BiddleCast:
Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee, Emily Booth, Noah Huntley (more)VOD (5)
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In this eerie science-fiction ghost story, an astrophysicist (Sam Neill), haunted by the memory of his wife's suicide, joins a rescue mission to salvage his life's work: the Event Horizon, a prototype spacecraft capable of faster-than-light travel that has been missing for seven years. Their arrival triggers contact with something beyond human experience--and more dangerous than ever imaginable. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
Paul W. S. Anderson ventured into the realm of action B-movies and, in some cases, true oddities, such as The Three Musketeers. With Event Horizon, however, he created one of the best sci-fi horror films, where neither genre dominates, resulting in a perfect blend of both. It's sci-fi and, for fans of the genre, it's at least interesting. But it's also a horror film that won't disappoint any horror enthusiasts because it definitely has the right horror atmosphere.
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I have a bit of a weak spot for this film. It's great to see that Anderson is a very fine filmmaker, and the first act, for example, can easily be put among the of best sci-fi horror, even though, the lack of fear is not exactly appropriate. Fear radiates from the stuffy atmosphere, and even though the film gradually shifts to pure action, the unpleasant feeling in the pit of the stomach persists. Other major strengths are the special effects hand in hand with the gloomy setting of the huge (abandoned?) ship, the director's feeling for the right amount of violence and, of course, the actors. I've known for a long time that Lawrence Fishburne is awesome, but Sam Neill was so much better here and his villain, with Pavel Soukup's excellent dubbing, was truly unforgettable and terrifying. If they made more quality B-movies like this, I wouldn’t be mad. 80%
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It's a very bizarre disgusting thing, which is brilliantly filmed and probably won't make you feel very well. There aren't many films like this. I applaud Paul Anderson for always pushing the envelope hard, regardless of audience reaction, and not giving a damn about disgusting the average viewer. I wonder what the original unedited version, which is 40 minutes longer, looked like. It must have been cool.
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The stormy atmosphere of Neptune and a space ship spewed from the depths of hell didn’t give me a moment of rest for the whole 92 minutes. Anderson can do it if he wants (the faultless dizzy beginning) and if it weren’t for the slightly over the top ending I would easily give it 5*. But now I can only remember the perfect build up of atmosphere in the first two thirds, the superb acting performances of Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill, the very decent effects and the idea which, if it had been developed right could have satisfied my dark side.
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For about two-thirds of the film, I was convinced that Anderson had accomplished something absolutely unique. The atmosphere in Event Horizon completely took me by storm and caused me to have very unpleasant mental states. The magic of the unknown evil works perfectly – we find ourselves in the morbid bowels of a long-lost ship, we don't know what's going on around us, we just know that every next shot can bring fright and horrific brutality. Anderson plays, stretches thrilling moments, then increases psychological pressure with short cuts, spares no blood, but leaves evil in disturbing anonymity... until the ending. Then suddenly he waves a magic wand, and the film turns into a B-movie with an eyeless monster, and all the carefully built tension is for nothing. It’s too bad that Event Horizon won't settle for what is suspected, and instead serves up a fistfight with what is nasty but palpable. It was confirmed to me once again that Anderson is a talented director but lacking in sound judgment. I saw a film, most of which is the work of a smart strategist, and the point is the work of a B-movie routinist. A split personality? But the better part of the film will remain with me for a long time to come, along with good music by Michael Kamen, quality acting performances (just that jovial nigga again... for God's sake, why?) and watchable tricks. This may have been a memorable sci-fi horror, but as a result, it's a victory squandered in the final third. What a pity!
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