Event Horizon

Event Horizon (1997)

*** (out of 4)

Dark and sometimes disturbing mix of sci-fi and horror about the spaceship Event Horizon, which went missing shortly after its mission. Seven years later it reemerges so a rescue crew goes after it trying to figure out where it's been the entire time. I saw EVENT HORIZON when it was first released and really couldn't understand why it gained so many negative reviews. There's no question that the film contains some flaws but it's also a rather ambitious film that relies just as much on its story than just the special effects. I thought director Paul Anderson did a fantastic job early on really making the viewer feel uneasy. There's a brief line where a crew member talks about how far they are from safety and this scene perfectly builds up a rather dark tension because you realize that these people really are on their own with no one to help them. The entire atmosphere of the film is incredibly dark and while I'm not going to give anything away, what the story attempts to do with where the ship has gone was rather unique and I think that for the most part it works. Now, if you've ever heard of this film then you know about the various issues it ran into during the test screenings. There's been talk of a director's cut, which I think might help out many of the flaws. The story takes us to a rather dark direction but it just seems as if something is missing. There are a few questions that need to be answered and there are a few things that don't make much sense but perhaps these were forced to be left on the cutting room floor. If so, hopefully we can see the complete version at some point. Another thing that works here are the extremely strong performances with Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson delivering great work. The special effects are also another major plus including an incredibly beautiful opening sequence as well as the effects really making you feel as if you're in space the entire time. Some have been critical of some of the graphic and bloody violence but I thought it actually played well into the story and didn't take away from anything. As it stands, EVENT HORIZON is a rather brave but flawed film but hopefully a complete version will give us a better look at what it was really trying to do.