Pandorum (2009) Review
The story is very interesting and by now you should all know I am a Sci-Fi nerd. However it wasn’t as good as it could have been on the horror side of things. What I was hoping for in this film was a mixture between The Descent and Event Horizon which in a way it did as you could tell they were going for it but just failed to get it right. They had the stranded on a ship idea like in Event Horizon but failed to get the gore and psychological twists that was needed. Same goes for ‘The Descent’ if it had those scenes in narrow passages and creatures hunting them like meat then I think it would be far scarier. However I am weird when it comes to Sci-Fi films so I think on that basis I kind of liked it. The film presented some interesting ideas for space travel.
Awakening in their hyper-sleep chamber with no memory of who they are or what their mission is, disoriented astronauts Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) gradually surmise that they are the only ones aboard the darkened spacecraft. But how did they get here, and what are those strange sounds coming from the other side of the ship? The only way out of their hyper-sleep chamber is a cramped air shaft, and the only one small enough to climb through it is Corporal Bower. As he shimmies inside to investigate, Lt. Payton mans the radio transmitter. But the deeper Corporal Bower ventures into the ship, the more apparent it becomes that something horrible has happened.
Tim’s Film Reviews Recommended.
Story: 70% Acting: 80% Visuals: 80% Dialogue: 55%
The Scares: 35% Style/Sound: 50% Characters: 70%
Total: 62%
To start off let’s talk about the acting. The acting was very good especially from its main cast Ben Foster and Antje Traue who is actually playing Faora in next year’s Man of Steel, I think she will do that role rather well. My favourite of the cast would be Ben Foster because he did really well in this role and it’s a shame that the film didn’t do better because it wasn’t anything to do with acting ability or characters, but he is always in something so I am sure he will do well. Other rather impressive acting roles would be from Dennis Quaid and Cam Gigandet who end up playing more of the psychological characters which is a bit weird as with horror films it works more if everyone is being effected however there is a plan and it all works out quite clever at the end. I did like the idea behind the deep space travel on the human mind as a Sci-Fi nerd I find the idea interesting as it is the only possible current way of travelling light years in space. What would you do if you woke up from a stasis chamber with no memory, on a space ship with no one around and finding out something is hunting and killing people?
So let’s talk about something more fun like the visuals. The Visual Effects in this film were really good. Granted is was mostly revolving around small cramped and dark conditions but still if I see no flaws and I think it looks real then it gets a good score from me. The physical props were particularly good whether it was the monster things (no spoilers) or the design of how a person would look after stasis plus what would be involved in that whole process. The choreography in fights where pretty good as well, I didn’t expect that got some knife and blade play going on in this film (Antje Traue particularly good with a blade). If they had better planning when it came to the scares and dialogue this film could have been really good, never going to make any money but it would have gotten cult status. The film could have used more gore and scares since it was a horror film but I understand why there wasn’t as much of that as normal however small changes could have really improved it.
Must Watch Trailer:
The best reviews I have found would be these “Alvart achieves a strong sense of scale, but characters and ideas are lost amid a mess of fight scenes that, oddly, look like outtakes from ‘The Descent’.” Nigel Floyd. The outtakes from ‘The Descent made me laugh because it does have the odd scene that look straight out of ‘The Descent’, mainly that scene in the blood pool and crawling through tight ceiling corridors. Also “a sci-fi scenario far less interested in exploring outer space than human interiors where the only ‘aliens’ are our own monstrous selves, just waiting to leap out of the atavistic shadows”. Anton Bitel. Really interesting thoughts about how this film plays out because it does focus on what happens to people inside the ship and you very rarely even see space in this. My favourite scene would have to be the last part of the film because it all starts to make sense and it does explain and show some of the best parts (can’t really talk a great deal about that without giving away spoilers) Want more ask in comments.
26 responses to “Pandorum (2009) Review”
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Tim The Film Guy
Shitfest Winner 2013
LAMB #1368
Good review Tim. This one definitely kept me involved the whole way through, even if the story itself was a bit obvious and unoriginal. That poor guy Ben Foster doesn’t ever seem like he’s going to branch-out though.
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Thanks Dan 😀
Poor Ben 😦
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I don’t remember this one being out, but if it’s a cross between The Descent and Event Horizon, I’ll have to give it a watch.
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It has a feel of them, not quite as good but still a fun watch 😀
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Good review, there can never be enough wake up from cryogenic sleep type scenes. Let’s crack open a cold one and watch it on a dark night.
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Thanks man, Gotta love those stasis scenes 😀
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Another great review Tim, I have to agree as well, it was a pretty darn good film, as horror go. I didn’t find it scary really though.
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Thanks Aaron, i think if it was judged just as a Sci-Fi film it would be better or increased the fear factor in most of the scene 😀
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Have you seen “Moon” or “Cube?”
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I have seen moon, and cube is on my list of films to watch. I liked moon. Havent reviewed it but its a good time for a nerd watch haha 😀
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Liked moon a lot and the original cube. Didn’t see the sequels. The acting was a bit over the top at times but very interesting concept.
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You’d Recommend ‘Cube’ then?
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I’d recommend Cube for sure as well. There’s ben one or two sequels but the first is very good.
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Glade to hear 😀
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I do recommend it. Lot of social commentary which is why science fiction is so appealing.
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Good to hear and I think science fiction is the best genre because it really combines a lot of human social pinnings. It allows for everything anybody could want in a story 😀
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Looks like the films about my peeps. The spaceship especially.
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Nah non of your peeps on this film, you may like it though. Clever story 😀
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The interior of the ship resembles the Nostromo though, right? And they hyper sleep chambers.
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Well I suppose there are some similarities, maybe some ‘Engineers’ where involved in the design 😀
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Good point.
I watched a good part of the Prometheus making of doc. Amazing stuff! I have to admit, after talking with some of my alien family members, Ridley Scott got several things right about human and alien evolution.
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Good to know as i am a fan of his work 😀
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This film was a very pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed it. Fine review.
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Thanks mike, I do like to be pleasantly surprised aswell 😀
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I have been wondering whether to watch this on Netflix instant, so based on this I will give it a shot.
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Certainly should, glad I influenced your decision and thanks for commenting 😀
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