"...a great deal of repetition and a sense of 'been there, done that'... with too little insanity and degradation explored than expected... Credit is due to Foster and Quaid."

Pandorum means 'Orbital Dysfunctional Syndrome' - basically, a delusional state of mind that comes from being cooped up in a claustrophobic situation in space for too long. It is also the title of the American/German sci-fi horror written by Travis Milloy and directed by Christian Alvart, and starring two impressive acting heavyweights, Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. In theory, all the essential ingredients for a powerful, twisted and terrifying thriller in space are in place, showing man at his most desperate and most deprived. However, although there are a lot of positives to be had, even in Pandorum's environment of constant fear and heightened tension, not enough paranoia translated across for us to be truly horrified to the core by the experiences of astronauts, Bower (Foster) and Payton (Quaid), who are drifting through space 500 million miles from Earth with no memory of who they are, what they are doing, or what has happened to their ship? The film-makers great admiration for Aliens, The Matrix and other post-apocalyptic epics are clearly evident. In fact Pandorum turns into 'The Descent in space', too, when we find out what is hunting the crew. The reasons for this human evolution do pose interesting questions, though, more so than the topic of Pandorum in all honesty.

Apparently recreated in the sound stages of Studio Babelsberg and an abandoned power plant in Berlin, the highly impressive production design is a spectacular lair of human degradation and claustrophobic blackness that feels constrictive, cold and ultimately terrifying. The sheer physicality is obvious in the gymnastics and fight scenes the film has to offer, many of which are quite exhilarating to watch. The narrative's main subjects of the destruction of civilisation, justice, right from wrong etc heighten the fear effect for the viewer, too, when imagining a world without limitations and aspirations in place. But many elements are taken from Anderson's 1997 sci-fi horror Event Horizon, so there will be a great deal of déjà vu moments, in addition to the Alien-esque ones. --------

Admittedly, Alvart has created a relatively effective delusional cinematographic style, complete with strobe lightning for greater disorientation, and combined this with stellar performances from Foster and Quaid for full Pandorum effect. Foster, in particular, never fails to impress, venturing into each role with such ferocious determination and intensity that his trademark has become his ability to be a tour de 'unhinged' force to be reckoned in any given situation. That said there has been an intriguingly uncharacteristic role switch for Foster, though, where he becomes the most stable, reliable and honourable member of the crew - like the hero for mankind - with an optimistic, sunny outcome at the end. Quaid is invariably and comfortably cast as the charismatic leader, Payton, battling with self-destructive flaws in a role that we are used to seeing him in. But could Payton's insanity have been further explored, is always foremost in your mind whilst watching these episodes unfold, with Quaid's talent further stretched to venture into man's deepest, darkest psyche? ----------

In summary, there is a great deal of repetition and a sense of 'been there, done that' to Pandorum, with too little insanity and degradation explored than expected that could have set this sci-fi horror far apart from previous hits. Credit is due to Foster and Quaid, however, especially Foster, for propelling the narrative forward to conclusion, although Milloy and Alvart's tale leaves a lot of more interesting questions like man's evolution unanswered. Whether this is intentional or not is left entirely open to debate, but on the subject of Pandorum, itself, we still remain in the dark about exactly what it is? -------

Synopsis --------

Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the spacecraft. They can't remember anything - who are they, what is their mission? The only way out of the chamber is a dark and narrow airshaft. Corporal Bower, the younger of the two, crawls inside, while the other, Lt. Payton, stays behind for guidance on a radio transmitter. As Bower ventures deeper and deeper into the ship, he discovers that he and Payton are not alone. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking and deadly secrets come unravelled, and the astronauts realize that the survival of mankind hinges on their actions. -------

Film Facts -----

Official site: http://www.pandorum-themovie.co.uk/

UK Release Date: 2nd October 2009

Director: Christian Alvart

Writer: Travis Milloy

Cast: Dennis Quaid ('Payton'), Ben Foster ('Bower'), Cam Gigandet ('Gallo'), Antje Traue ('Nadia'), Cung Le ('Manh')

Distributor: Icon Film Distribution UK

Certificate: 15

Run-time: 108 mins

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