“Pandorum” is a movie from the common sub-genre of films that splice Science Fiction and Horror, and while it plays out more in the role of the former, I have to admit my mind was plagued with a series of vivid and disturbing nightmares in the hours after watching, courtesy of the grisly imagery and graphic nature of the piece.
Its 2174, and the massive population explosion on Earth has caused a battle for the limited and quickly dwindling resources. Rather than focusing on the final days of Earth as many films do, “Pandorum” follows the journey of the space shuttle Elysium as it makes its was for the a planet called Tanis which scientists have discovered has the ability to sustain human life.
Two crewmen emerge from an extended hyper sleep to find that 8 years has elapsed since Elysium departed the besieged Earth. Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) and Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid) suffer from memory lapses, paranoia, and intangible fears as they attempt to reach the bridge of the massive ship.
The shuttle was carrying a large group of settlers with a plan of colonization on Tanis but as they emerge from hypersleep are unable to locate a single other person. “Where is the rest of the crew?” Payton asks. “They were supposed to wake us up…”
In a mold similar to the horror classic “Alien,” “Pandorum” takes place entirely on board the spaceship with the desolation of outer space serves as a perfect backdrop for terror. Christian Alvart (writer/director) takes common beds of fear; claustrophobia and nyctophobia to make everyday things like a small crawl space or glow sticks amidst a shadowy room to advance the suspense.
As Payton and Bower explore the ship in search of clues, they discover odd sounds and the bodies of many of the crew members scattered throughout and quickly discern that they are not alone on the Elysium.
One great scene depicts Bower slowly losing his mental faculties as he crawls through a small air vent that continues to diminish in size. The fear is one anyone could relate too and seeps through the screen in an alluring way.
Dennis Quaid seems the perfect casting choice for a militant space cadet, his veteran experience a calming presence to the terrifying situation. The other characters are not as well developed as they could be. The gorgeous Antje Traue playing the geneticist Nadia.
“Pandorum” has some creepy parts for sure, but gets a little drawn out and bogged down with an unneeded expansion of the plot.
The situation is dire enough; Earth is no more and all that remains is a space ship full of people heading to a new planet. Exploring a dark ship and being stalked by unknown creatures is perfect. Adding an assortment of other elements is almost counterproductive to the plot.
As we gear up for October, “Pandorum” is a decent warm up movie. It has scares and some cool effects. While not a complete horror fest, its a good combination of science fiction and spooky.
by – Matt Christopher
