Pandorum, directed by Christian Alvart (Antibodies, Case 39), combines science fiction, horror, psychology, a space travel theme reminiscent of Battlestar Gallactica, and biological science vaguely similar to The Cave or Doom. Still, the film is original enough to entertain, its direction is fluent, and its leads, Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, give strong performances.
Pandorum offers some quality science fiction. Not quite a masterpiece, it still manages to entertain all the way through.
Pandorum’s Plot and Cast
Ben Foster (The Punisher, Hostage, X-Men: The Last Stand) stars as Corporeal Bower, engineer for Flight Crew 5 of the massive spaceship Elysium. The ship has thousands of inhabitants, all heading toward an Earth-like planet called Tanis in order to colonize it. Bower wakes up from hypersleep to a malfunctioning ship and no crew in sight. His memory is equally dysfunctional, and he cannot even recall his name. Slowly, his memories return.
The only other person near him, Lieutenant Payton, remains in suspended animation. Played by Dennis Quaid (Horsemen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Legion), Payton’s hypersleep comes to an end. He, too, awakes disoriented. Trapped, Payton and Bower work together to understand the destruction around them.
Payton suggests they attempt to access the bridge. Bower climbs into a ventilation shaft and makes his way into the ship’s vast hallways. Once there, he finds that he and Payton are not alone. Something else, something evil, has claimed the ship as its home. And evil is hungry.
Pandorum Portrays a Dark Vision of the Future, but It’s Sci-Fi That’s Fun to Watch
In Pandorum, Earth is on the brink of extinction when the Elysium is sent on its 123 year mission. Bower and Payton awake to find most of the ship’s inhabitants dead or worse. The ship is in dire condition, potentially lost in space, and overrun by flesh-eating, humanoid creatures. From there, things get worse. Pandorum is not a vision of the future anyone would want to see come to fruition.
It is, however, a future worth watching in the form of a science fiction film. Blending horror with an interesting premise, Pandorum delivers suspense, thrills, invention, and, admittedly, a bit of stupidity. It’s everything Doom could have been and perhaps should have been.
Pandorum’s cast is small, but it also delivers. Quaid is involved in very little of the action, but he makes the often trite dialogue convincing. Foster is exceptional in all aspects of his role, another solid performance from the young actor. Antje Traue (Georgia), who plays an acrobatic scientist named Nadia, kicks up the action and adds another dimension to the story. And Cam Gigandit’s (Never Back Down, Twilight, Priest) turn as Gallo, an astronaut with a disturbing story to tell, comes with performance-evoked senses of distrust and eeriness.
Through Alvart’s direction, Pandorum is a fluid sci-fi/horror movie of a caliber similar to Ghosts of Mars or Event Horizon (although the nod goes to Event Horizon). Overall, it is no better than a renter. But as a renter, Pandorum should not be overlooked.
Jason Parent - Jason Parent earned his Bachelor's Degree in English in 2000 and his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He currently works as an attorney with a ...
