Featuring a familiar story and appealing visuals, Pandorum is a solid science fiction horror movie. I simply cannot get enough of these movies set on distant space stations where deadly creatures are hunting down our heroes. Granted, this time we’re not talking about alien creatures per se but they are still nasty as fuck. I know, I know, you’ve heard this plot a thousand times before but there’s something special about Pandorum.
Claustrophobic and slow-burning, it’s not just a movie for science fiction fans. Plus, there are all these nice little details that amount to quite an entertaining and at times frightening experience. First of all, the special effects are excellent and the visuals have this “European cinematography vibe”, best showcased in Alien: Resurrection. This is not strange since this is a British-German co-production. Secondly, the atmosphere is phenomenal.
Intense and foreboding it’s only amplified by great performances coming from Foster and Quaid. Especially Foster who was intense as shit and completely immersed in his role. I just wish the character development was better but at least we got a lot of action to make up for that. And finally, the runtime is just over ninety minutes making sure you’re not going to be bored at any point.
We’ve finally done it! The year is 2174 and the battle for Earth’s limited resources has reached its peak. Right around this time, a huge spaceship Elysium has begun its journey to Tanis. Tanis is an Earth-like planet and 60,000 settlers are hoping to call it their home. They are all in a stasis state, waiting to reach their destination. However, during the flight, something horrific is going to happen. Something that will jeopardize the whole mission.
Right from the opening scene, there’s a sense of mystery and dread in the air. Pandorum slowly reveals its story, making sure the viewer has enough time to form its own theories. And you can count on several twists to make things even more interesting. The production values are phenomenal and the spaceship along with all the gadgets and weapons looks stunning. And quite creative too.
Add to this gnarly make-up and you’ve got yourself a visually accomplished movie. Now, Pandorum was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy. However, after its poor box office performance it started to look like this is not going to happen. Since one of the producers of the movie is Paul W. S. Anderson I think they were going for the Resident Evil franchise vibe.
And while I do love Milla, Antje Traue as Nadia was just as good here. There’s a Facebook page that’s still active so if you liked the movie do check it out: Fans for PANDORUM Sequel. If you’re looking for movies like Pandorum, I recommend you check out Lockout, Doom, Dead Space: Downfall and Infini.
Director: Christian Alvart
Writers: Travis Milloy, Christian Alvart
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le,Eddie Rouse
Fun Stuff: Ben Foster insisted to eat real live insects instead of using special effects or even dead ones.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1188729/
