Pandorum

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). (21.09.2018)

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% (10.11.2009)

Anderson, Marshall, Cameron... the director has borrowed quite a lot. With the production supervision of Anderson, he has made an impressive horror/slaughter film that puts the cards on the table without much fuss and then rides the frantic rhythm of a space slasher, which shows that the director enjoys this genre and serves up all the B-movie clichés side by side. It doesn't matter that he answers the viewer's "What the hell is behind this?" question in the most banal way. The cast on this darkened spaceship does what was expected of them, and Ben Foster in particular deserves a few extra claps. It's not a radical film in the history of horror, but as a representative of thematically similar colleagues from previous years, it will be missing in this year's movie theater offerings. (10.11.2009)

On one hand, the film is firmly rooted in B-movie territory, not so much in terms of budget, but more in overall execution and cliché motifs, whether in the script or the directorial approach. On the other hand, it features decent performances, at least from the central duo of actors, has a respectable visual design that creates a properly claustrophobic atmosphere of mystery and horror in some scenes, and most importantly, it has a premise with immense potential that could lead to outstanding results under certain circumstances. These circumstances would require refining the script and particularly the film's dialogues, which at times made me bite my lip to hold back laughter, introducing the monsters much later and changing their appearance so as not to resemble something out of a generic horror film like Hellraiser, and most importantly, putting effort into developing the characters and eliminating a lot of cliched nonsense. I do not deny that Pandorum has its entertaining moments, its ability to be frightening in some moments and create tension in others, but with this execution, it's something I would enjoy at the age of 14 and nowadays I have to either switch off my brain or take a detached view of what's happening on the screen. Overall impression: 50%. (30.09.2010)

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. (10.11.2009)

A good film with a great start, which unfortunately doesn't manage to maintain its atmosphere. But it doesn't matter too much - instead of a sci-fi/psycho/horror movie, after half an hour Pandorum becomes a slasher flick in space with solid scares and a decently scary atmosphere. Everybody is still wondering what happened on the ship, and although I suspected one of the final twists, the point really surprised me and the finale was impressive. Go ahead and put on Pandorum like I do at 10 o'clock at night, put on your headphones, turn off the lights and I guarantee you'll have a hell of a time falling asleep in bed. (31.07.2010)

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. :-) (05.01.2013)

Nevertheless, I must ultimately acknowledge that, in terms of sci-fi horror, it is a relatively well-made film that shows that there is still potential in this genre combination, and it depends only on the creators how they interpret it and how they look at the chosen subject matter. There could be some moments where it could be intensified, but even so, I think that the film fulfills the horror part well. (09.10.2015)