Pandorum
I’ve known about Pandorum since it came out in 2009. I hesitated to watch it because I heard negative things about it so I kept putting off watching it. I now regret that decision. I find Pandorum a good, underrated science fiction horror movie that definitely does get the credit it deserves.
PLOT:
Two crew members of a spaceship wake up from hypersleep to discover that all their colleagues are missing. Despite this, it appears that they are not alone.
Photo Credit: Impact Pictures
Released: Sep 25, 2009
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Director: Christian Alvart
Writer: Travis Millroy, Christian Alvart
Actors: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet
MY THOUGHTS
In Pandorum we get a handful of kills, but we get a lot of dead bodies, and weird creatures. The kills are decent with some blood (poor Shepard. He’s basically eaten alive). And for those who don’t like it when someone messes with the eyes, be forewarned. Someone gets stabbed in the eye. (What is this, a Fulci movie?) And if nothing else, never trust a kid. Sad.
Pandorum’s two lead actors do a good job. We have Dennis Quaid (known for Jaws 3d and Dreamscape) who plays Payton, the leader of the 5th shift. He does a great job of showing the slow progression of going crazy. Ben Foster (known for X-Men Last Stand and 30 Days of Night) plays Bower, the engineer who descends into the depths of the ship, and finds indescribable horrors.
Pandorum starts with Bower, waking from hibernation, confused and with no memories of who he is or where he is at. He finally wakes up Lt. Payton who also has no memories of what is going on. They both realize that they are the only ones there. Where’s the rest of the crew? While Payton tries to figure out how to get onto the bridge, Bower starts exploring the ship. Instead of finding his crew, he finds a few survivors, lots of dead bodies, but also strange, humanoid-like creatures. These creatures are feeding off the people in hibernation. As Bower makes his way around the ship, the actual events of what happens on Elysium (the ship) start to unfold.
Is Pandorum original? Not really. It does borrow from other movies (like Event Horizon a bit), but I did find myself enjoying this movie. The acting and the creatures were definitely good. And how the real story unfolds is actually interesting. The movie has a very claustrophobic feel which I liked. I was disappointed to read that this movie has such low reviews on Rotten Tomato and IMDB. I think Pandorum is a decent Science Fiction Horror movie. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Norman Reedus (from Walking Dead) is in it? If you have time and are looking for a sci-fi horror movie, then I would recommend watching Pandorum.
And now for your Forever Final Girl Exclusive…Did you know?:
The child hunter is played by Asia Luna Mohmand, daughter of the director, Christian Alvart.
André Hennicke, who plays the lead hunter, can be seen without the monster make-up. He plays the commanding officer of young Gallo in the opening scene.
Norman Reedus asked for a role in the movie, for he wanted to work with Christian Alvart again. They previously worked together on Antibodies.
Ben Foster insisted on eating live insects instead of using special F/X or dead ones.
Pandorum is the first film in a proposed trilogy, but it is doubtful the sequels will ever see the light of day due to the first film's low box-office performance.
The movie has gained a cult following over the years. Fans created a Facebook group called "Fans for a Pandorum Sequel" in hopes of a sequel to the movie. Director Christian Alvart and writer Travis Milloy have joined the group to show their support for a sequel.
Let’s get into the rankings:
Kills/Blood/Gore: 4/5
Sex/Nudity: 0/5
Scare factor: 4.5/5
Enjoyment factor: 5/5
My Rank: 3.3/5
IMDB: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: critics: 3/10 audience: 4.9/10
Letterboxd: 3/5
Check out my other reviews here: Forever Final Girl
