Buzz

(2012-04-29 14:23:00)

Characters develop that we can identify with

Anyone who grew up in the 50s and 60s might relate to people who must bravely restart the human race following a cataclysmic event. But the characters have to be portrayed realistically. ..like these are! In Pandorum the new beginning must take place on another world, an earth-like planet discovered and designated as the target for a very long journey across the vastness of space, requiring hyper sleep and crew rotations. My favorite thing about Pandorum's script is the way that the science that would make such a journey possible is presented realistically and the way the various disciplines of science are represented by the actors portraying the various teams among the crew of the vast ark-like space ship. It helps when a script is so well thought out that the viewer can believe it could very well happen just that way. Throw in genetic mutation as an unforeseen adverse effect of the blood treatment the passengers received prior to take off and the heroic trip becomes a horror!!!

pontram

(2012-04-29 03:19:25)

Very entertaining, but fanciless SciFi/Horror

At first I was very enjoyed about the beginning and the premises. Afterall, I knew soon where the movie's direction will be. Personally, Ihate Zombie-movies a bit, except if there's a cute ass wiping them out.So I was pleased that the enemies are at least not Zombies but mutatedhumans with high combat capabilities, still dumb like zombies, and alsocannibalistic, but much much more dangerous, that gives the action agood kick.Surely I had to press the 'SciFi brain-off' switch in my head after theinteresting beginning, because the main mystery so far was, how thesemonsters could have been evolved, and the only answer is, over a verylong time, and thus the ship is probably lost in space.Surprisingly this is not so, the authors switched on their brains for alimited period and elaborated some little twists, certainly very rareand very late, but, nice.In the meantime there is much much disorientation, tightness, fleeingand gasping and fighting, a little bit too much for me. But at themoment I liked being frightened by those industrial standards of adultscaring. Even when I had to wonder how the actors managed to stayserious while chatting about 'Pandorum', that is like 'Formicula' aridiculous and cheap sounding name.The movie has many clichГѓВ©s, it is a mixture from really many otherSF-movies, although there is great atmosphere and there are goodactors. The editing has some flaws, but it does the job to entertainyou very well. For that, I gave a too high rating of 7, the moviedeserves a 5 or 6. But it's made very professional, and the design isvery convincing.It is clearly no match for 'District 9', neither technical, norimaginative, but it's also surprisingly captivating. And that's a movieshould be in the first place.Nevertheless some questions to the authors: For which purpose is thishuge ship sent to the new planet, when it doesn't carry, say, about tenbillions of the 24 billions people on earth ? And how did the mutantsfeed themselves over years, when the pods with the people are nearlyindestructible...

(2012-04-28 05:52:40)

Don't waste an hour and a half of your life.

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. You'll spend the entire movie asking what the heck the characters are doing, both because their actions make no sense and also since you will have figured out the plot sequence ages in advance. That extends to the conclusion, as well. Needless and obvious detours are taken in what I guess is an attempt to make this longer than the 30 minutes the story may deserve. The camera bounces from one angle to the next, serving to both confuse and distract from the already sucktacular scenes. Trust me, you'll walk away disgusted in the fact that you can't get the time you spent watching this movie back.

(2012-04-27 14:25:40)

An new twist on an old genre!

Pandorum,released Sept/09,gives us an interesting and different twist in the Sci-Fi genre.The cast is generally confined to a few people at a time on screen and the film manages to capture and maintain an all-pervading atmosphere of oppression and danger,throughout its run.The story is set in 2247 and the Earth has gone to hell in a hand basket.It has sent a large spaceship full of new colonists(some 16,000 souls)to an Earth-like world some 40 light years away called Tanis,to resettle and populate.However something has gone terribly wrong during the flight.A Corp.Bower awakens from hyper sleep to find that he is seemingly alone on the ship the Elysium,in an ante room cut off from the ships bridge.Just as he regains some of his senses another stasis tube opens and out is ejected one Lieut.Payton.He is as confused as Bower due to their extended hyper sleep and they come to the conclusion that they must regain access to the bridge in order to fully reassess their situation,whatever it is.Bower elects to crawl through the above duct work in order to hopefully reach the bridge.However his claustrophobic antics in the ducts send him crashing to a grate,through that and then onto the floor;not on the bridge as he'd hoped.As he inspects his surroundings he comes upon a body suspended by a wire in a long hall way.The person is alive but he is no mood to help Bower and in short order Bower discovers there is more life on the ship than this man and the lieutenant;and it is quite malevolent.They hide but Bowers new "find" is dragged away to his death by the creatures;humanoid beings that run and crawl with amazing speed and wear an exoskeleton of bones.The farther Bower explores the ship the more creatures he encounters.In fact he manages to hook up with two other crew members along the way,a man(who speaks no English)and a woman;both are just as bewildered and terrified of their surroundings as Bower.Pieces of this mysterious puzzle slowly start to come together as the film progresses and we learn that these wild creatures roaming the ship were once humans like themselves.It seems that some genetic enhancement in their cryo-tube feeder lines which was supposed to help kick start life on the new planet has somehow mutated many of the colonist.Bower's memory also slowly returns to him bit by bit and he realizes that the reactor must be restarted in order to gain control of the ship properly.With this in mind he heads down to the lowest and most dangerous levels of the ship to reach it with his companions.Lieut.Payton meanwhile has had his hands full.A young corporal has come out of a cryo pod in Bowers absence and the corporal has all the signs of pandorum;a slow build up of extreme paranoia which can lead to severe harm to those around.As he deals with the corporal he tries to guide Bower and company to the reactor.Things however deteriorate to such an extent he is over powered and forced by the corporal to eject him off the ship in a life pod.But it is only a simulation run by the lieutenant and in there the corporal stays temporarily.Back at the reactor things are touch and go.The resting area for the blood thirsty creatures is at the base of the reactor.The walkway above which leads to the reactor controls gives way under Bowers feet and he falls to another extending section of the reactor.However he must go down and walk through the creatures while they rest/sleep and climb the ladder back up to the controls.Just as he reaches the ladder the creatures wake up and pursue Bower and company.Bower manages to finally get the reactor online which disintegrates many of the creatures at its base.However it is still a mad dash back to the bridge and "safety" from those creatures still alive,and there are plenty.The corporal that Lieut.Payton held in the pod is now out again and they are in a hand to hand struggle.Payton manages to subdue him with a tranquilizer gun,but wait.The corporal IS the lieutenant!He,suffering from pandorum himself,was responsible for ejecting around 1600 passengers early on in the flight.He re-entered a cryo sleep until awakened later to meet an unsuspecting Bower.Now Bower and the only one of two of his companions left,confront Payton.Payton opens the shield doors from the observation windows above to reveal an inky blackness with no stars.When an alien life form swims by the windows illuminating some of the surroundings,it is then they realize they are under water.The Elysium had crash landed underwater 923 years before.When a crack in the window forms during their struggle with Payton and water starts to enter,Bower and his companion enter a cryo tube and eject themselves.In short order what colonists that are left on board are also being ejected because of the hull breach.They all end up on the water surface looking across at a beautiful island with a waterfall;just waiting for them to finally begin their colonization of Tanis.The film moves back and forth between Payton and Bowers at just the right moments.Besides the creatures,there are rarely any more than three people on the screen at one time.The claustrophobia is maintained beautifully throughout and is heightened considerably in such areas as the duct work,full of round tubing that is unforgiving and almost seems alive.The big picture as to exactly what is going on is also kept to a minimum throughout.The characters and we the viewers are kept in the dark and only given enough snippets to pique our interest just to keep things moving at the pace the director wants.So when we finally realize that the corporal and the lieutenant are one and the same and the ship is actually under water and not lost in space,the punch is considerable.Well crafted to be sure and it is what makes Pandorum the good movie it is.Technically the film is in its' widescreen glory in its 2:35:1 a/r.The transfer is clear and crisp.Special features include three featurettes,one a behind-the-scenes,a mock flight team video for the Elysium and a Blair Witch-like video of what happened to Nadia's team.There is also the trailer,commentary and some deleted and alternate scenes.The DVD I have comes with a holographic like cover over the usual snap case.Nice.All in all a different,likable and smart twist in the Sci Fi genre.The oppressive atmosphere the makers maintain throughout the film is wonderfully done and they leave you guessing right down to the final moments.I recommend it.

(2012-04-26 21:32:52)

Pulse pounding 21st century standard

I originally dismissed Pandorum as a Matrix clone, based on the artwork alone. I saw the tubes leading to the arm, and I thought of Neo in the Matrix. So in a case like this, I'll nearly stay with the original every time. A writer friend of mine recommended Pandorum, he thought I would like it based on the genre of movie I enjoy. This movie is no clone of Alien, I can assure you of that. Pandorum breaks the Alien format, by the team of people against the monstrous entity of the Space Ship growing in numbers as the movie goes on; this is instead of the pick apart one at a time elimination standard of other space horror movies. I dont want to give a plot summary in this review. What I do want to give is an impression to any potential viewer. The monsters in this movie will scare the crap out of you, like a cross between the Alien and the creatures in "I am legend" I wouldnt dare to reveal story points, they in fact are the reason to watch Pandorum. However, I myself was slightly disappointed that the creatures arent better explained. I wont even share my speculation here, its really up to the viewer I think. The relentless dark of the film, and CONSTANT action make way for a surprise ending. You wont believe where everything ends up. The product description by Amazon is right on. What struck me most is the production design, the lighting and color is among my favorite ever on film. Well worth multiple viewings just to take it all in.

baba44713

(2012-04-26 02:03:11)

A champion in blatant rip-offs per second

If you watched the first trailer for Pandorum, and only that trailer,you might be fooled into thinking that it's a movie about a crew of acolonization starship going insane under the influence of deep spacepsychosis. You might also be fooled into thinking that if you chose towatch this movie, you would be in for quite an interesting experience.A scary psychological sci-fi horror/thriller.. yum.What the trailer fails to show is that, once you decide to shell outmoney to watch the actual movie, you will be mostly watching said crewrun away from monsters that sound like a Predator, move like SilentHill monsters, climb walls like Aliens, look like predators fromDescent only wearing armor from Quake's Stroggs, and altogetherparticipate in the plot straight out of Event Horizon. Even the onesingle surprise the movie uses as its highlight is straight out stolenfrom a Futurama episode, although it was more probably stolen from amovie Futurama was spoofing. Rip-offs are so abundant it's not evenfunny. Not a single scene or plot point is original, it's like a studyof how many movies can you steal stuff from and get away with it. Andit would perhaps be forgivable if the movie was actually good, howeverPandorum succeeds to be significantly worse than any movie it rippedoff, making it a complete waste of time and money.This is a bad, bad movie. It tanked on the box office, and rightfullyso. You might enjoy it if you have never seen any SF or Horror flickever filmed. Also, film connoisseurs could get some mileage by tryingto make a list of every movie Pandorum is ripping off. Otherwise, avoidat all costs. Don't say I didn't warn you.

(2012-04-26 02:31:46)

not an Alien rip off. Not that bad. Pretty damn good.

Ok so i was expecting an Alien rip off. I got something else. The main charactor was the best lead i have seen since Avatar in Wizards. hes a charactor who you get his intentions but you dont realy care for cause he is kind of usless till the end. some other charactors where thrown in for meat for the grinder and for a nice ass. Denis Quade, like samuel l. they put him in every thing...Legion? but any way the *Spoiler* mutants were cool but reminded me of the cave men bat things in the Descent. big sets and realy dark lighting and some fun twists make for a good sci fi movie, but you cant expect to much when it has paul ws andersons backing behind it. i mean look what he did to avp.

thebogofeternalstench

(2012-04-25 05:49:43)

A total YAWN fest

I had to laugh at the front page positive reviews obviously made up bypeople promoting the film, such headlines as BETTER THAN EVENT HORIZONAND GHOST SHIP COMBINED.Yeeeeh riiiight.It was sooo good that it BOMBED at the box office.Let me tell you why....Unoriginal, BORING, tedious acting, unscary ridiculous monsters, cheesymartial art style fight scenes, laughable dialogue...the list isendless.There is NOTHING new or refreshing about Pandorum, its just severalmuch better sci-fi film ideas stolen and put into a blender to create abrown $hit shake that is Pandorum.I honestly can't fathom why the producers bothered making it.I didn't hate Pandorum, but its one of those movies where you canswitch off your attention at any time and never miss a thing becausethere's just nothing there.Dennis Quad sucks in this.After the movie ended I thought 'that was bloody terrible', and forgotabout it until now.I'm still waiting for a good sci-fi movie to come out.

David Tolfree

(2012-04-14 17:07:14)

A good SciFI film but with some lacking of originality, coherence and futuristic technology.

Just seen the film Pandorum. It was slightly disappointing for me.After films like Moon, Alien and Pitch Black, my expectations wereprobably too high. It did have an Alien film feel about it. The storyline was OK but the film lacked originality and coherence, and themutants were old zombie type images seen in many other films. It seemedto lose the plot in the middle and some of the dialogue was confusing.Too many of the scenes were done in darkness making watching sometimesa strain on the eyes. Most of the time I did not get the sense that wewere in a spaceship, even one as large as city. It was not until theend, which was the best part of the film, that all was revealed.As in many SciFi films, 20th century technology was used on thespaceship when it was supposed to be in the 22nd century. Lightedkeyboards on computer controls are unlikely to exist in the nextcentury. And there is unlikely to be conventional nuclear reactors. Bythat time alternative power sources will exist. Anyway even with someof these technical issues, the film can be added to the genre of goodspace fiction films. My footnote is: I am still waiting to see a filmthat beats 2001- Space Odeyssey.

(2012-04-14 01:01:11)

Surprisingly Better Than It Has Any Reason To Be

What a remarkable surprise of a film this is. I think Pandorum suffered from its promotion as a horror film -- simply because, while it does contain a horror ement, I would classify it more as a science-fiction thriller than a horror picture. The movie's promotion -- what there was of it -- was inscrutable. When I watched the film, I thought I would be mildly entertained by a monster-of-the-week-trapped-in-a-shuttle sort of cast-elimination movie.What Pandorum is, instead, is an intriguing survival-horror drama set in a post-fall techological environment. Characters must cope with a world that has collapsed, in this case the interior of a very large ship bearing all that is left of humanity. The ship is also populated by mutated creatures who are the result of the passage of time applied to generations of passengers bearing an enzyme in their blood (intended to "jump start evolution" when they reach their destination). In the decay around the characters, we see the shadow of the world they've left behind. This helps increase the sense of hopelessness these characters must fight, and encourages us to root for them -- even as we understand how high are the stakes for which they play.Fine perfomances are turned in all around, although I found Dennis Quaid less than compelling. (He's been "phoning it in" for a few years now as his career winds down.) The star of this picture is, without doubt, the superb Ben Foster, who is excellent in every role he plays. He has a depth of emotion to him that is at once resilient and vulnerable; these are the perfect notes for the protagonist of a survival-horror film.German-born Antje Traue is exotic and captivating despite the layers of grime under which she must perform. Cung Le is convincing and heroic in a role that is really a glorified stunt man's part, but then, Cung Le is a competitive mixed martial artist and kickboxer, not really an actor. (The script, wisely, grants him no English lines.) Eddie Rouse (who played a thug in Pineapple Express) is creepy, while Cam Gigandet and misplaced Boondock Saint Norman Reedus are barely present (and not missed when absent).The movie is visually striking and, I have to admit, has an ending that took me by surprise. The "is it real or is it a mental delusion" angle is there but not overused (always a danger with material of this type; if it gets too confusing the audience stops caring if the movie's events are an illusion). It's also reasonably well paced, and the film's creature-villains are real enough to be truly scary. If I have any quibbles it is that there is no explanation given for why Cung Le and Antje Traue are such accomplished fighters. Yes, they have awakened in a world that requires them to fight for survival... but are kung fu skills spontaneously visited on you under this kind of stress? There would seem to be plenty of training opportunities... but no margin for error when to lose means to be killed and eaten, not necessarily in that order.A movie I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did is therefore a better film than it has any reason for being. I enjoyed Pandorum; fans of science fiction and of survival horror will enjoy it too.

travis-detert

(2012-04-10 13:44:15)

I just don't understand why GOOD sci-fi can't be made these days.

A rating of 3 is only suitable because I kind of liked some of the ideaof the movie, but why can't we have some sci-fi that doesn't completelycome off as predictable alien horror? Seriously, I think that there's alot more creative ideas out there that justify production than thisfilm.Either it's the illogical outcomes or the means to get there thatdisappoint, but in the end it's all the same plots rehashed over andover again. We get it, we go out into space and maybe meet some hostilealiens, or something bizarre happens. But how about somethingunpredictable for once, like something perhaps that is on par withmovies from the 70's and dare I say 80's as well.I think Hollywood has officially run out of ideas if this movie made itto production, and let alone had what are seemingly recognizableactors. The fact that movies like this are still being made and receive7/10 ratings on IMDb is saddening and disappointing.I for one would love to just see a new plot for once. I have had betterdream/nightmares with more coherent and original plots than Hollywoodseems capable of producing with multimillion dollar budgets.Seriously, how is such inane screenplay writing possible on that kindof budget? I mean, c'mon. Some of the best movies ever made were doneon tiny budgets.

Samuel Birkett

(2012-04-10 04:20:50)

Your slice of epic sci-fi.

Pandorum is good sci-fi/thriller if you can put up with a bit ofhorror.Because it works you up, so you want to know what's going to happen &creates a whole new world: Although long. It still feels like I'm beingripped off by the end.So enjoy this nice slice of epic while you can because it's not reallya movie you'll want to put in your DVD player twice in the same year.I don't know how, but if they made a sequel there'd be a huge fan-base.Overall: Good movie, not for everyone. I'd recommend it to a friend ifthey liked investigative (although a little creepy), sci-fi,thriller-ish, fantasy things.

apedanger

(2012-04-06 06:40:34)

Ouch

Tarrible, probably should have a three stars but not want to see thisfilm mislead anyone with an 7.1 IMDb rating* (At time of review.) This film does nothing new and is The Descent (a great horror movie)done poorly in space with a twist of Event Horizon but not asatmosphere. All the atmosphere in this film lies like the vacuum ofspace.Not even the hot guy could keep me entertained. If your into brainlessyarns you may enjoy however it takes itself too seriously to fall intoany type of clever or tongue in cheek entertainment. My ears and eyesbled.Signed: A sci-fi fan.Subsitute watching this film for The Descent and if you have 4 fulldays the complete 2004 - Present Battlestar Galactica.

KineticSeoul

(2012-04-05 15:49:13)

Space madness!!!

Watching this movie was like watching "Mortal Kombat" go down in space.I was actually expecting this film to be pretty scary, but it wasclaustrophobic at times but not really scary. And also has someelements of "Event Horizon" as well which was a much more entertainingflick. It also seems that a lot of people are comparing this movie to"The Descent" and I agree but "The Descent" was a much better movie aswell, as a matter of fact this movie is a mash up of different movies.The twist at the end wasn't even good and just nothing really aboutthis film is terrifying or anything, besides the cramped ship itself.It's a clichГѓВ© of sci-fi horror movies from the past, and there isalmost no character development as well. It's watchable, but just gowatch "Event Horizon" instead.5.3/10

Nikhort

(2012-03-27 23:53:23)

Like a Dead Space...

Excellent movie! just like jeremy said: '' This film is one of the mostterrifying action/horror/sci-fi movies I have seen in a very long time,but that's not the best part! The best part is the intriguing storywith some amazing twists! Some are obvious and at least one is justcompletely unexpected, but none of them feel overly typical. Ben Fosteris really really good in this and I must say that he is getting muchbetter at picking roles, with 3:10 to Yuma and now this! One thing thatreally stuck out to me also, was how much some of it reminded me of thegame Dead Space, don't read into that too much as far as story goes,it's just that there are a few elements that I think were inspired bythe game, and if you have played Dead Space, I think you will know whatI mean when you see it. ''One of the best of 2009-2010! i don't understand why the critics didn'tlike this? Movie itself is scary, exiting, and it looks good...and thestory is interesting.

Sebastian Gomez

(2012-03-27 14:47:56)

I haven't felt like this since Alien

This was an amazing movie. I hadn't heard any comments about it, andwatched it without any kind of comment or spoiler. That was the bestway.It's hard to comment on it without spoiling a little bit, but I'll domy best.This movie has the best things of the first Alien: Isolation,uncertainty, darkness. You feel hunted by things you don't understand.The 'monsters' had a particular twist, the one that makes Zombies sointeresting: They crossed the almost-human barrier. This creatures areeverything that is primitive and scary in human beings. Pure instincts.A bipedal humanoid with a recognizable face and a personality we canrelate too will always be more scary than any 8 headed abomination.The story is brilliant, the action is amazing. The characters areamazing and so well developed, without any forced character-developmentscenes. They truly grow and define themselves throughout the action.Go see it. It's truly worth every second.

siderite

(2012-03-19 15:53:16)

Nicely done, but failed at the end

I was close to grade this movie above average because it really startedwell. You have Dennis Quaid as the amnesic lieutenant with logic andcommand skills and Ben Foster as the younger, slightly claustrophobic,technician that can actually do something about the failing ship. Heh,techs ftw!So I was expecting a powerful character driven, full of tension,getting Dennis Quaid to his proper place as a great actor, movie. Andit went that way for a while, then it started losing the story inspecial effects and creatures and shocked people that are not helpful,ended up in a "last minute" reactor fix that annoyed me off, then endedup in a maelstrom of mental confusion.What was the point of that ending? What a great movie this could havebeen! So, yeah, it was mostly above average, but it failed itspotential towards the end in a big way.Bottom line: mix a bit of Alien with a bit of Event Horizon, and whenit starts to taste wonderful, put a lot a water in to spoil it.

(2012-03-19 10:07:53)

Very well done!

To qualify a review, it is often helpful to know a bit about the reviewer. I am a 40 something male, technical professional, former engineer, military historian (amateur), science fiction lover, future-war fiction afficionado (Tom Clancy, et.al), and I dig a good romance. I play an occasional mainstream survival-horror video game.My opinion is that this movie was very entertaining to watch. I have not read many other reviews posted here, so I am not choosing a camp.I liked mainly the concept of what the colony ship was, and the interesting premise of the scenario confronting the crew. It is clear that the plot was very specifically intended to be confusing until the situation reveals itself. I can certainly see that someone might be a bit overwhelmed by that, but it should be understood that was the POINT. So, if you DO feel overwhelmed, it worked. And if you turn the movie off before the very end, you'll NEVER get it. People are, by culture, extremely impatient.The movie is a combination of Alien, Memento, Fight Club, and any of the zombie films, real psycho-horror. I am a sucker for heavy sci-fi which this certainly is. I also like that it is a microcosm of evolution and survival of the fittest (though it is easy to question the logic of the situation, it is what it is, and who is to say what is reasonable) but some of the continuity may not hold up to scrutiny very well. I can't say too much more without spoiling it, but, there are many, many parts of the movie that would require explanation, that aren't explained. But that is what makes it art. Just because there IS an explanation for it doesn't mean we understand it, and have the correct explanation, much like our own existence.It would be interesting to see a movie that continued the story.

bmears-1

(2012-03-17 15:52:14)

Films like this are why science fiction isn't taken seriously as a genre

First, I will say that Pandorum is indeed a very nice-looking film, andobviously a lot of energy went into its look and feel. The visuals arequite well-done and all of the actors put in an excellent performance.It is in many ways very well-crafted.And I really, really disliked it, largely for just those reasons.Because Pandorum is a cheat. Because, unlike a cheaply-produced,made-for-the-Syfy Channel movie (which never pretends to be anythingmore than superficial fluff), Pandorum pretends to be art when it'sreally nothing more than another tired, chased-in-the-dark-by-zombiesmovie. It is in fact, nothing at all like the movie Alien, as some havesaid. Alien was a very clichГѓВ©, unoriginal plot (something in the darkthat wants to get us) that was executed in an outstandingly fresh,intelligent and creative way. Pandorum initially seems like it will beequally fresh--the opening scene is very compelling--but the remainderof the film never matches that inspired beginning.And while the action scenes are indeed gripping, they just aren'tenough to overcome the ridiculously absurd key premises of the film:the idea that a dramatically overpopulated Earth would spend trillionsto send settlers to a distant planet (that idea was stupid in the oldLost in Space television series and it's still stupid); theunconvincing, nonsensical explanation used to explain the existence ofthe creatures infesting the ship; the idea that the ship's reactorcould be completely repaired so easily by just a couple of taps on acomputer screen, at the very last moment; and yes, the inane concept of"pandorum" (what a surprise, on the rare occasions when extended hypersleep adversely affects someone, they ALWAYS become a homicidal maniacbent on destroying the ship and their fellow crew mates.) The reason why movies like Alien are classics is because God is inthose very important plot details, and the details of Pandorum aresorely lacking. Now if all you're looking for is a thrilling, horrorfilm experience that looks good and has neat monsters, well, yes, thenPandorum does that job extremely well. But if you're also looking forreally thoughtful science fiction, then Pandorum unfortunately missesthe mark.

ctruth2

(2012-03-16 23:14:53)

Threshold 15-20

I have a threshold for pain. I also have a threshold beyond which, mybrain will not tolerate further abnormal abuse of my mind.The threshold for this –non scifi – non horror – deliberately darkened– unseeable – piece of crap, was about 15-20 minutes.My copy was free, and I trashed it! I broke the DVD in ½ first. So thatno unsuspecting, garbage picking, bag person might accidentally besimilarly abused.I am certain that if I had paid for this, within 15 minutes, I wouldhave demanded my money back! This movie could not qualify at either endof the film spectrum – best or worse – compared to this movie, EdWoods' "Plan 9 from Outer Space" was a masterful, Shakespearian effort.Yes P9FOS was crap. But it was exquisite crap, wherein Woods was boldenough to let the moviegoer SEE how crappy it was. Woods' genius was inliterally telling the audience "you have been hog-swindled, so sit backand let's all have a good laugh"- and be able to get away with it! Themistakes Alvart made here in Pandorum, was in hiding the crappinessunder a shroud of super-darkly filmed scenes, horrid scripting, dialogand action. And in the pretense that the scenes/script/dialog/actionwere in any way credible, or serious. That leaves the moviegoer notwith the element of feeling "hog-swindled", but with outrageousindignity and incredulity at being played a fool, and gypped.