When Pandorum came out, I thought it looked awesome, but I also knew it had the potential to be very cheesy. Well, I missed it when it was in the theaters, and while I think it did okay, it didn't kill the box office so my expectations dropped a little bit. When I went to Blockbuster, the clerk, who regularly gives me his opinion on the movies I rent, told me Pandorum was actually a pretty good movie. I still had pretty low expectations going in, but he was right, surprisingly it is a pretty dang good flick.
Pandorum is along the same lines as Event Horizon and Sunshine. It's the lost-in-space, don't-know-what's-going-on, type of movie. In it. two astronauts, Bower (Ben Foster - the meth head from Alpha Dog) and Payton (Dennis Quaid), wake up from hyper sleep to find themselves alone on a space ship. They no memory of who they are, what they are doing, or what has happened to the crew of their 60,000 passenger ship the Elysium. They are unable to access the ship's bridge, and cannot communicate with any other members of the crew, including the flight team they are to apparently supposed relieve. Bower must then explore under Payton's radio guidance, the spacecraft to locate the other crew members and to restart the power source of the ship. Along his journey through the massive ship, Bower must battle the possibility that he could have Pandorum, a psychological condition brought on by extended periods of hyper-sleep and its symptoms and effects, including severe paranoia, vivid hallucinations, and homicidal tendencies. He also encounters dead bodies, and fast moving, cannibalistic humanoid creatures. He also encounters some other survivors who have been living on the ship, fighting and running from these evil creatures. They work together to reach the ship's power source to help Bower reset it before the ship "dies." It is discovered what the mission of the ship actually is, and what has caused all the evil on the ship. Will they be able to survive not only the evil creatures, but each other, and the Pandorum?
This is an incredibly dark movie. I watched this on a cold rainy afternoon, and I recommend everyone else do the same to get a better effect. I really like both Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid, and they did not disappoint in this movie either. The cast is rounded out by Cam Gigandet (The OC, Twilight, Never Back Down), Antje Traue (the resident hottie) and Cung Le (the resident ass kicker). The whole lost in space on a ship with no place run thing is a pretty scary concept, and this flick does a good job of heightening that fear. Pandorum is smart, and as believable as sci fi movies can be, meaning that maybe, just maybe something like this could possibly maybe happen. It is violent and has a lot of "That's pretty nasty!" moments. But at the same time, it's not too overdone. It almost seems necessary in this one.
Regardless of how good this movie actually is, it's clearly intended for only a certain type of audience. If you liked Event Horizon, Sunshine, or even the Alien movies, you'll enjoy this one. This movie isn't perfect by any means and there are a few plot holes, but who cares really? It's entertaining. It scares you and makes you think a little bit at the same time. Guys, I wouldn't recommend this one for a date, unless you've got a girl who likes scary movies. Otherwise, I think this one is best enjoyed either alone or with some other sci fi horror fans.
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