Pandorum

Pandorum (2009)
Overture Films
Directed by Christian Alvart
Starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet

There have been many films that have tried to match the success of 1979’s Alien. There have been even less that have succeeded. Pandorum does not match Alien’s horror or thrills, nor does it qualify as a benchmark in the sci-fi horror genre. When astronauts Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Bower (Ben Foster) are suddenly awakened from suspended animation, they find themselves alone on the Elysium. Looking for any of the 60,000 passengers that were set to colonize the planet of Tanis after Earth has been destroyed, they find no one. The astronauts suffer from “pandorum,” a condition from suspended animation that causes amnesia, paranoia, and hallucinations. They discover that the reactors to the ship will die soon and Bower decides to go turn them on. While exploring the ship he discovers that the passengers have turned into mutated humanoid that are faster and stronger than Bower. It’s up to him to turn on the reactors and save the few remaining humans from being killed.

Pandorum does not feature the best acting, or the most original story. There have been many other films featuring monsters in space including Alien and Sunshine that are far more entertaining. Though Pandorum is not up to par with those films, it does provide some thrills and fun for sci-fi lovers. The story could have been improved by adding a sense of claustrophobia to the film. This technique made Alien and The Descent wonderful monster films. The ship is very dark and narrow, but the cinematography never took advantage of this.

There are good moments that make up for this mediocre script and acting. The sets are impressive, and some of the sci-fi gadgets are well invented including a futuristic laser razor. While the script is not original, there is a nice plot twist at the end that tries to change it up, though the actual ending is flawed and very unoriginal. There is a large amount of gore in this film, but not enough scares to compliment it. You truly don’t feel for the characters on screen, but sometimes wind up cheering for the monsters. Some of the story is rushed because of the shorter running time. Details about the mission, the ship, and the monsters are rushed through dialogue when they could have been explored more.

One major positive about Pandorum is the lighting. Many newer horror films have started this new technique where the lighting is extremely dark and it is almost impossible to see. This is apparent in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Pitch Black, which takes away the momentum from the film. Pandorum does not use this horrible new idea and takes a more traditional lighting approach. Pandorum does not feature too many deep social messages, but it does a good job as a mindless popcorn horror featuring sci-fi, monsters, and a good amount of violence and gore.

Rating: C-


February 28, 2010