Event Horizon / R / 1997
Director: Paul Anderson Star Players: Sam Neil, Lawrence Fishburne
****1/2 of ***** stars
If you love being scared out of your pants, this is the movie you've been waiting for. In the year 2040, the space ship Event Horizon was lost near Neptune. Publically, it was stated that Event Horizon had exploded. Privately, it was a special experimental ship that allowed faster than light space travel by folding space. It is now 2047, seven years after what was called the biggest space disaster ever recorded and a beacon has been discovered near the orbit of Neptune. Dr. Weis (Sam Neil of Jurassic Park) is sent with the rescue ship Lewis&Clark which is captained by Lawrence Fishburne to attempt to salvage the crew and ship.
There were only two plot points that disturbed me but they proved to be minor. The first was the scientific explanations for the experimental space folding process but remember Star Trek? During its initial television season 90% of its audience was unable to understand one full episode due to its heavy usage of up to date scientific theories and hypotheses. We figure this point can be forgiven since an explanation had to have been made and it's very much appreciated that they don't come back to any more science and concentrate on the story. The next point is slightly more critical. The survivors. They weren't the ones that we rooted for. In fact, they had the least amount of screen time and the least amount of contact, save one, with the entity within Event Horizon.
Aside from these slight hitches, the movie was brilliantly done. The special effects were amazing, except for some of the floating space debris which was clearly computer generated, the editing was tight and moved the story quite nicely, the sound and score was perfect, never overpowering and perfectly underscoring the visuals and the story! Whew! The most amazing aspect of the film was that it had a fierce story with tension starting at the first five minutes and never relenting afterwards. The plot was well developed and the sub-plots added to the eerieness of the whole project. One bit of warning, Event Horizon is not for the squeemish. There is enough gore to make you spew so don't buy the extra large popcorn! Be especially wary of the hell scenes, which by the way screams with Clive Barker influences.
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