Directed by:
Christian AlvartScreenplay:
Travis MilloyCinematography:
Wedigo von SchultzendorffComposer:
Michl BritschCast:
Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Norman Reedus, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Friederike Kempter, Niels Bruno Schmidt, Delphine Chuillot (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can't remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton (Quaid) staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower (Foster) ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking, deadly secrets are revealed∧ the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
I will start my review with an invective: Kill the editor! It’s been very long since I saw action scenes so confusing, there were many times when I couldn’t be sure whether a monster got a person or a person a monster (and I’m complaining about this as someone who loves REC, Seventh Moon, Cloverfield...!) Given the premise, Pandorum could have been an incredibly depressive and oppressive film, but Alvart conceived it as an action B-movie (instead of a new Alien, it’s a new Resident Evil, in space), and only at the very end does it show the masterpiece it could have been. The twist and its outcome are not as original as it’s sometimes claimed (a couple of months ago I read something very similar in a book), but they do feel fresh. Unfortunately, however, the script doesn’t deliver them with the force they deserve. Thumbs up for the premise, the atmosphere, the monsters, the final insanity and the twist, thumbs down for the editing, the flaws, the characters and the lack of horror. 70%
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A solid and mainly atmospheric sci-fi horror that has a couple of really nice aces up its sleeve. Both Foster and Quaid are very good and the former is the powerhouse of this movie. The surprise in the finale got to me and I was pleasantly surprised in fact by the overall feeling of the movie. This style simply appeals to me. I wasn’t bored for a moment.
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Pandorum is a sophisticated sci-fi survival drama that skillfully combines the atmosphere of a Gigerstyle spaceship, psychedelic shades of Event Horizon, and a well-paced space-monster horror movie
with a realistic (and thus more frightening) foundation. It also features well-written and played
characters whose entries to the scene are unexpected and move the story forward. Better than most
of the bigger-budget, star-studded blockbusters (Sphere, Life).
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An utterly entertaining sci-fi flick that is not that groundbreaking in terms of story, but is all the more effective and sophisticated in the final result. The effort to build on famous predecessors should certainly be appreciated – of course Alien will be probably the first thing pops in everyone’s minds when wandering the deserted corridors, but also the underrated Event Horizon, which I personally have a great fondness for. The plot is very straightforward and without explanations; it goes right to the point and it's up to the viewer to sort everything out in the breaks between the action scenes, which Alvart delivers in a truly superb fashion. I didn't even mind the much criticized editing, nor the pitch-black darkness in which most of the film takes place. I simply enjoyed a good sci-fi flick after a long time, I enjoyed its atmosphere, the pretty female lead and also the scary bad guys whom I probably wouldn't want to cross paths with. But those last ten minutes are a real shame. I wasn't expecting a miracle from the climax, but it really annoys me how all these movies end the same way. So the fifth star narrowly escaped. :-)
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I must ultimately acknowledge that from the perspective of sci-fi horror, this is a relatively successful film. It demonstrates that there is still potential in this fusion of genres, and it depends only on the creators how they perceive it and how they will approach the chosen theme. In some moments, it could have been intensified further, but I do believe that the horror aspect of the film is executed well.
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