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Event Horizon

Event Horizon

List Price: $14.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: see this!
Review: The only SCI/FI movie I could tell that has a REAL scary subject. Who knows what's behind them black holes? Who knows if we should get there to see? Aren't we plain insane for even asking if there is anything out there? Although this movie rips off quite much (2010, Hellraiser, Alien and much more) it is somewhat original and effective. Don't save yourself from this - see it, and enjoy it!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Star Power Takes It Up A Notch
Review: In an era that has given us such films as "The Matrix" and "The Phantom Menace," audiences have come to expect a lot, especially visually, and special effects are definitely one of the elements that separates the memorable from the forgettable. In the case of "Event Horizon," there are four key elements that separate it from total "B" movie status: Fishburne, Neill, Quinlan and Richardson; the bottom line is, the story, and the movie itself, just doesn't live up to the star power involved with it. The Event Horizon is a spacecraft launched in 2040 to explore the "boundaries" of the universe. Somewhere just past Neptune, it disappears without a trace. Seven years later, it shows up again, and a search and rescue ship is sent to check it out. Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) leads the crew, which includes Peters (Kathleen Quinlan), Lt. Starck (Joely Richardson) and Cooper (Richard T. Jones). Also aboard is Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill), who originally programmed the Event Horizon. When they finally make contact with the phantom Horizon, they find that the crew is dead or missing, and the only clues they have are from the ships visual logs. And the news isn't pleasant. The ship apparently ventured into some other dimension, and returned with a life all it's own, including the ability to discern the vulnerability of whomever happens to be aboard at the time; and when Miller and his crew show up, the Horizon wastes no time in exploiting the fears or remorse of the individuals who have blundered into it's territory. Soon they find themselves, along with the Horizon's crew, trapped in a virtual "Hell" with nowhere to go; it's like the sci-fi version of "Hotel California," where you can check in, but you can never leave. The concept of the story is interesting, but the transfer from the written page to the screen falls a bit short. Neither the story nor the characters are developed anywhere near well enough; we get what amounts to a mere glimpse into what makes Miller and Peters tick, and a little more (but still not nearly enough) into the background of Weir. Throughout the film there are flashes of the Horizon's crew, trapped in this Hell they've entered, with plenty of blood and gore thrown at you very quickly, just enough to give you the idea of what's going on. But after awhile, these flashes seem redundant and lose any significance they may have had to begin with. The same process is used to play out the susceptibilities of Miller (what happened to a former crew member of his), Peters (her son) and Weir (his wife). There are some shocking moments, but not enough to sustain much interest, and the computer graphics are not up to standard by a long shot. Especially early in the film, much of it has an animated look, like what you would have expected maybe twenty years ago (what was great in a movie like "Tron," for example, doesn't cut it today). The supporting cast includes Jack Noseworthy (Justin), Jason Isaacs (D.J.), Sean Pertwee (Smith), Peter Marinker (Kilpatrick), Holley Chant (Claire) and Barclay Wright (Denny). The performances are credible enough, especially by Fishburne and Quinlan, but director Paul Anderson has wrung little out of what he had to work with, and it's all delivered fairly unimaginatively. The special effects are mediocre, and in the end, what you have with "Event Horizon," is essentially a pretty decent "B" movie. There's a few thrills and some suspense, but don't go into this one expecting too much of a return on your investment of time or money.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Flea factory - what a DOG!
Review: As a lifelong lover of sci-fi cinema and literature, when I first saw the trailers the summer before it's release, I was extremely motivated to go see this movie ... I should've quit while I was ahead. With Sam Neil, Laurence Fishburne and Kathleen Quinlan on the cast list, plus a viually apparent huge special effects budget, you are suckered into believing that a film like this couldn't possible take a wrong turn. But it takes so MANY wrong turns, it runs itself over, again and again and again: this is a sure-fire DOA. Please, save yourself not only the money, but the time! Remember time is your only true non-renewable resource - once spent, you NEVER get it back. So please don't waste yours on this one, the biggest dog in space.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting concept poorly developed
Review: I enjoyed the idea of the film but wish the director/screenwriters had developed the spiritual side of the film, offering some means of combatting the evil with good, perhaps even with Christianity. Instead, I felt the lack of true combat was a letdown. Instead, the characters use what technical means were available to flee from evil rather than confront it and win. Entertaining special effects, decent acting, and a somewhat confused storyline add up to a good midnight flick but not a great film. Still, worthwhile viewing and deserved a wider audience than it received.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not much of an event, actually.
Review: 'Event Horizon' had a lot of promise, and is entertaining enough to watch, but it's extremely unsatisfying and you'll end up wondering why the film-makers didn't spend more time working out a decent screenplay. It reminds me of 'Lost in Space ' - it's a technical showcase, with absolutely no film beneath it.

In interviews at the time, the creators were clear that they wanted to make a 'haunted house movie in space', one which was neither hyper-logical nor particularly plausible, but scary. The end result is more or less succesful on those terms - it doesn't make much sense, and it's scary, but not in a particularly clever way. Watching this at the cinema I was constantly aware that, in lieu of genuine shocks, the film used loud noises and bright lights to shock the audience - over and over again. You know the drill - a character walks into a room - he looks around, but there's nothing there - he breathes a sigh of relief - BANG! - oh, it's just the cat - BANG! - the monster! Run away!

Anyway, that's how this goes, all the time, but without the monster. Instead, the film has us believe that the 'Event Horizon' is possessed by Hell and that, 'Sphere'-like, it's using people's nightmares against them. Over the course of the film many of the main characters die. Sam Neill gets to act satanic. There are lots and lots of bits from other films, and the tone varies wildly - one moment it's ultra-gothic horror, the next moment it's a light-hearted action film.

The good things, then - it looks fantastic. Really, it does. The sets are convincing, and the effects are amazingly well-done, although often implausible, and the designs are inventive, whilst borrowing liberally from elsewhere. The half-seen glimpses into hell are scary, and the finale is, uniquely, shot in ultra-bright light. The cast is a mixed bunch - Lawrence Fishburne is instantly convincing as the Captain of the rescue ship, Sean Pertwee has 'seedy mechanic' written on his chin, whilst Joely Richardson effortlessly gives the impression that she is an upper-middle-class actress best suited to period dramas. Sam Neill is odd - he's a great actor, and would have made a decent Bond, but it's hard to see him as a villain, especially a satanic one. It's as if Bill Cosby was the devil, or Richard Bryers. Lastly, although you'll hate it for not trying harder, it does have a distinctive atmosphere of menace. The setting - high in the atmosphere of Neptune, months away from rescue, helps.

What extras do you get on DVD? A trailer. A box. And an inlay card. It's THX-ed, so it looks nice if you have an expensive telly.

Watch out for Jack Noseworthy as a decompression victim - he looks exactly like Lee Evans, and was recently in 'U571'.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: "Scarier than Seven?" Someone was pulling my leg.
Review: Even taking into account the big-screen-to-small-screen thing, I can't see why this was being bandied about as being "more scary than Se7en." Good acting, some awesome sets, and a boatload of special effects, but it still seems like a more malevolent Farscape without the hand of the House of Henson involved. And can someone please stop Michael Kamen from attempting to score films? Sheesh. Even In the Mouth of Madness was a better Sam Neill vehicle than this, and one wonders what Fishburne was thinking when he took the role.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wow!
Review: event horizon is easily one of the best horror sci-fi films of all time. The action starts very quickly which is always good and the gruesome parts that follow blow away all competition. it would have been nice however if we had found out what happened to captain Miller and doctor Wier after they are sent into hell. Watch this movie in the dark with very loud surround sound!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Pathetic
Review: Stupid piece of sci-fantasy drivel in which a bunch of perfectly likable, competent people get bloodily killed by what turns out to be a rubbery man who appears to have been involved in an explosion in a razorblade factory.

I had wished that I could've given it no stars, but then I realised that hardworking actors and techies want to be able to have pension plans and be able to pay their kids' college fees.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Top-notch Sci-fi film... The Cast are all great.
Review: I heard very Mixed reviews about this film, but when I saw it I thought it was a perfect Sci-fi film. It has everything a great Sci-fi film needs, plus a great cast. (which many films of this kind don't) Laurance and Sam are great in the leads and the supporting cast are also excellant. The special effects are State-of-the-art and it blows the simarlarly themed film "Sphere" out of the water.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Gory, but consider who/what is causing the bloodshed
Review: Yeah, this flick is pretty gory, but remember that the Event Horizon was supposedly to have gone to "hell and back." So, I think the gore is well placed to depict the eternal torment of the damned, if you will. At least the worst of it is contained to a bunch of quick flashes, I think that freaked me out more than if the camera were to linger over the images. It seemed more frightening than disgusting...

The F/X are great, except near the beginning where the junk is floating in zero-G. That stuff, especially the wrist-watch, really looks fake. But the ship is well done. The round, rotating hallway that leads into the Heart (whatever they call it) is very cool.

Check this flick if you enjoy space-type stuff or horror, as there's plenty of both.

One more thing... What's the scoop with the entrance and exit sound tracks? They're both techno, while the rest of the movie's tracks definately aren't. I liked the tracks, but what the heck, it doesn't make sense.

Hm, maybe i'll give it a 3.5.


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