Starring: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster
Directed by: Christian Alvart
Runtime: 108mins
In space, no one can hear you scream. Or, in the case of Lt Payton (Quaid) and Bower (Foster), snore. The two have been in a disorienting hyper-sleep for years when their ship finally wakes them up. After years of unconsciousness, they have no idea who they are, where they are or what their mission is. All they know is that the ship doesn't appear to be functioning properly, the power's out, they can't access the bridge and, judging by the noises they can hear, they're not alone.
Blimey. A horror story set on a deep space exploration vehicle? That's original. And yes, you can pretty much tick off all the standard elements from Alien, Event Horizon, etc., for Pandorum. But, actually, while it's highly derivative, it's really not bad. Unlike Event Horizon, which worked on the principle that loud noises are an acceptable substitute for genuine shocks (they're not, they're just loud noises), Pandorum builds some decent tension and serves up some genuine nastiness and proper scares.
Sadly, it also goes the way of so many sci-fi / horror films with its frequently incoherent direction in the action scenes, which is a shame because Quaid is as solid as ever, Foster is excellent and the sense of claustrophobia is grippingly uncomfortable. It's certainly not perfect, one of the two "twists" is glaringly obvious to anyone who's, ooh, seen a sci-fi film before and the other twist is a bit of a non-event. But, if you're just after a few decent horror bangs for your buck, Pandorum will certainly get the palms sweating.
Available on dvd and blu-ray from 15th February 2010
DVD RRP £17.99
Blu-ray £24.99
