Review: Event Horizon (1997)
Scott Renshaw
EVENT HORIZON
(Paramount)
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely
Richardson, Richard T. Jones.
Screenplay: Philip Eisner.
Producers: Jeremy Bolt, Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin.
Director: Paul Anderson.
MPAA Rating: R (profanity, violence, gore, adult themes, brief nudity)
Running Time: 95 minutes.
Reviewed by Scott Renshaw.
Give this to the makers of EVENT HORIZON: as wholesale rip-offs of
ALIEN go, this one is remarkably thorough. With the assistance of copious
captions, we learn that it involves a small space ship crew, headed by
laconic Captain Joe Miller (Laurence Fishburne), which is sent on a
somewhat mysterious search-and-rescue operation. When one advance team
member returns to the ship in a catatonic state, the rest of the crew
begins worrying...and, shortly thereafter, begins dying. To make matters
worse, one member of the crew may be working for the other side. The only
chance for the surviving member(s) of the crew is to blow up one part of
the ship while using the rest as an escape pod, going into hyper-sleep and
waiting for a rescue. Only a computer named Mother and a cat named Jonesy
are missing to complete the picture
The original twist to that familiar scenario -- and where EVENT
HORIZON is concerned, "original" is used advisedly -- is that the object
of the search and rescue operation is the Event Horizon, a prototype
spacecraft created by Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill) with the ability to
bend space-time for the purpose of deep-space travel. Unfortunately,
instead of travelling to another galaxy, the Event Horizon appears to have
travelled to another dimension, one inhabited by a chaotic life force
which drives people mad with intense, hallucinatory visions. In that
sense, the malevolent entity a bit more efficient than the predatory
stowaway of ALIEN -- instead of tearing out your organs, it makes you want
to tear them out yourself, or tear out those of your fellow crew members.
EVENT HORIZON, on the other hand, is not nearly so efficient. ALIEN
grabbed its viewers with one graphic, horrific moment and a whole lot of
creepy atmosphers; EVENT HORIZON counters with a little creepy atmosphere
and a whole lot of graphic, horrific moments. Not a single violent image
is left to the imagination, not when special effects can render a
character coughing up blood in zero gravity, or a body ripped open and
hung like a side of beef. There are certainly a few scares in EVENT
HORIZON, but director Paul Anderson (MORTAL KOMBAT) rarely earns them.
Give me a roll of film, a dark room, a scary mask and a burst of dissonant
strings, and even I could get an audience to jump every time. EVENT
HORIZON doesn't build a sense of dread, because it's easier to settle for
shock and disgust.
The truly disappointing thing about Philip Eisner's script is that,
for a while, it looks like it's headed somewhere interesting. The idea of
characters defeated by their own demons is infinitely more compelling than
characters defeated by real demons, which gives EVENT HROIZON a creepy
tension while there's still some mystery about what's going on. But
Eisner doesn't follow through on enough of his characters' dark secrets;
whenever someone doesn't have a closeted skeleton to rattle, he just
throws a bucket of blood at them. Even when he does follow up on a
character's motivations, they end up making very little sense. Weir's
motivations in particular -- which initially seem perfectly logical --
disintegrate near the film's climax, right about the time EVENT HORIZON
becomes a parade of explosions, slow-motion and lovingly photographed
corpses.
EVENT HORIZON boasts some genuinely impressive technical credits,
including imaginative production design by Joseph Bennett, but that
doesn't explain what a cast this talented saw in this project. ALIEN was
the kind of memorable film which launched careers. EVENT HORIZON is the
kind of re-cycled nonsense which can end careers. Remember, in space, no
one can hear you scream, but in a movie theater, you can hear everyone
groan.
On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 lost horizons: 3.
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Walter Frith
'Event Horizon'
A movie review by Walter Frith
As the medium of film grows larger with each passing year, movie audiences
are left with fewer original movies but as long as a film can still
entertain, it can still be called good. In the case of 'Event Horizon', this
is a movie that isn't necessarily a copycat of past science fiction/horror
films but rather it has been influenced by them. There are shades of
'Alien', 'The Exorcist', 'The Shining', '2001' and '2010' all mixed together
in one very collective blend to shock and electrify you and is not for the
faint of heart. There are extreme moments of graphic violence mixed in with
a very loud and thunderous soundtrack and the special effects and art
direction/set decoration are eye catching to say the least.
Set 50 years in the future in the year 2047, 'Event Horizon' deals with a
group of space explorers led by Laurence Fishburne who travel to the far
reaches of Neptune to investigate a space ship launched from Earth 7 years
earlier which disappeared without a trace. It is found and a doctor along
for the ride (Sam Neill) is the one who helped build and design the ship and
scientific technology has allowed him to create the outer space atmosphere
around it. The exploration team discovers that the ship itself is now
possessed by a lifeforce of its own and it feeds on the fears and secrets of
humans who encounter it. Sound like a 'B' movie plot? Perhaps, but read on.
To understand and appreciate this movie you have to stretch the boundaries of
your imagination to a limit that perhaps may be a little too illogical and
there is no doubt that director Paul Anderson has gone over the top at times
but I still found the movie frightening, compelling and it has been a very
long time since I jumped up in my seat while watching a film. Its religious
overtones may offend some and its tone is sharp but the film is evenly paced,
solidly edited (perhaps a bit too much at times) and technically efficient.
If you enjoyed the movies I mentioned in the first paragraph of this review,
then 'Event Horizon' will satisfy your craving for this kind of
entertainment. Don't see this one if you feel faint at the sight of blood
and it is not recommended for anyone that's ever covered their eyes during a
movie.
OUT OF 5> * * * 1/2
Roger Rubio
EVENT HORIZON
Directed by Paul Anderson
Starring Sam Neill, Lawrence Fishburne, Joely Richardson
After a long hiatus, The Snapman returns.
Something was missing in this film. Something that would have really
screwed me up, as some of the best horror movies have done in the past.
The visuals were stunning, the cast talented, the writing decent; so
what was missing?
EVENT HORIZON takes place in 2047. The crew of the Search & Rescue ship
Lewis & Clark has been sent to the planet Neptune to search for
survivors of the Event Horizon, a ship which mysteriously disappeared
seven years ago. Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) explains to Captain Miller
(Lawrence Fishburne) and the crew of the Lewis & Clark the secret of the
Event Horizon: the gravity drive. The gravity drive creates a black
hole which folds two points in space-time close together which are
normally very far away. The ship then hops the shortened distance
through a "dimensional gateway" and returns space-time to normal. When
the Lewis & Clark arrive at the Event Horizon, they find the crew dead
and some very disturbing things going on. Apparently the trip brought
back something it shouldn't have. Requisite horror movie misadventures
ensue.
The dimensional gateway the Event Horizon went through is never really
explained in great detail. All you know is that it uses a black hole to
create a dimensional gateway. The gateway apparently opened up a hole
in our universe to a dimension of pure chaos. Okay, fine, I can deal
with that; but why didn't it open a hole up to another universe instead
of another dimension? Is there a whole dimension of pure chaos
enveloping the universe as we know it? Does traveling through the
gateway take you to a specific location, or just a dimension in general?
As a techie-type, these are the kind of geeky questions I found myself
asking about this story. If the story is going to go as far as
explaining the space-time relationship and the folding of space, why
doesn't it go as far as to explain the whole enchilada? And another
thing: why did the ship come back? Just to get another crew so that
they would promptly go back and die horribly in the dimension of hell?
Unless Hollywood plans a hundreds EVENT HORIZON sequels to explain all
of this, these issue will remain unclear.
EVENT HORIZON relies heavily on its stunning visuals and impressive
production design. All of it floored me; I give great kudos to the
production crew for some great vision. But the writing is not exactly
sure where it wants to go. Regular horror movie gimmicks find their way
into a movie that is trying hard to be different from all the others.
The idea of a spaceship going to hell and coming back is an interesting
one, but this concept is awkwardly executed. This script is not very
sure if it is trying to be an ALIEN crew-monster movie (the "evil" of
the ship), THE SHINING spook-house movie (instead of the hotel
"shining," the ship is "alive"), or a combination of both.
If this movie wants to shock and disturb, it succeeds very well. But it
resorts to in-your-face "jolt" scenes, where bursts of sounds and
disturbing visuals will hopefully scare you out of your seat. Such a
scheme for disturbing the audience only works when there is no sound
accompanying the visuals. Otherwise the intent of the filmmakers is too
obvious. And the flashes of pure chaos do not seem to be focused on any
of the characters in general, just on the audience. The audience gets
scared when the characters get scared. It is clear (or should I say,
unclear if) the ship is not trying to scare the crew; it's trying to
scare the people sitting in the audience in the movie theater.
In ALIEN, the characters were scared to death of the monster running
around the ship. In THE SHINING, Jack Torrance was the immediate object
to be scared of, but in the end it was the hotel itself to stay away
from. In EVENT HORIZON, we are not sure what to be scared of; the ship,
the dimensional gateway, the supposed evil behind it all, or what?
Great visuals, good special effects, and good acting can't fill in what
was missing from this movie: genuine suspense.
THE SNAPMAN
snapm...@juno.com
(Roger Rubio)
--
"Gravity cannot be held responsible for falling in love."
-- Albert Einstein
PCS Phone: (505) 480-4031
Home Page: http://www.unm.edu/~rsnappy/rodge.html
Work E-mail: rub...@fc.dswa.mil
James Berardinelli
EVENT HORIZON
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.0
Alternative Scale: ** out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 8/15/97 (wide)
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: R (Violence, gore, profanity, brief nudity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson,=20
Richard T. Jones, Jack Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee
Director: Paul Anderson
Producers: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, and Jeremy Bolt=20
Screenplay: Philip Eisner
Cinematography: Adrian Biddle
Music: Michael Kamen
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
I went into EVENT HORIZON expecting an ALIEN clone. However,=20
although this film has successfully recaptured some of the look and=20
claustrophobic feel of Ridley Scott's science fiction classic, that's=20
where the similarity ends. Because, while ALIEN was tautly paced and=20
deftly scripted, EVENT HORIZON is a mess. This is one of the most=20
chaotic movies that I have seen since 1996's nearly-incomprehensible=20
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. Half of what's going on is never explained, and=20
what is explained, doesn't make much sense. And that's just the=20
beginning of the problems encountered in director Paul Anderson's=20
(MORTAL KOMBAT) poorly executed endeavor=85
August is traditionally the month when studios dump their least-
attractive summer prospects into the market, so EVENT HORIZON has plenty=20
of company. This is the kind of motion picture that would be killed in=20
a direct competition against a LOST WORLD or CONTACT, but stands a=20
chance against such second-rate opponents as SPAWN and MIMIC. And,=20
because the film is extremely light on intelligent dialogue and heavy on=20
gore-laden action and superficial shocks, it should play well in a=20
dubbed version overseas, so the producers have a chance to make back=20
their money.=20
EVENT HORIZON takes us to the year 2047 and onto the deep space=20
rescue craft LEWIS & CLARK as it departs from Earth orbit on a two-month=20
journey to Neptune. On board are the usual suspects, a group of outer=20
space military veterans: Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and=20
crewmembers Starck (Joely Richardson), Peters (Kathleen Quinlan), Cooper=20
(Richard T. Jones), Justin (Jack Noseworthy), D.J. (Jason Isaacs), and=20
Smith (Sean Pertwee). There's also the mysterious and elusive Dr.=20
William Weir (Sam Neill), who's the only one aware of what's truly going=20
on.
The primary mission of the LEWIS & CLARK is to go into a low orbit=20
around Neptune and make contact with the deep space research vessel=20
EVENT HORIZON, which was initially thought destroyed seven years ago. =20
The would-be rescuers are to search for survivors and salvage anything=20
that's reclaimable, but no one is prepared for the horror that lurks=20
deep within the dark corridors of the dead ship. The crew of the EVENT=20
HORIZON may have had their innards splattered over the bulkheads, but=20
something aboard the ship is very much alive.
Sadly, despite what seems to be a promising premise (a haunted=20
house in space), EVENT HORIZON misfires badly. Those who thought the=20
minor technical slip-ups in CONTACT were egregious will be floored by=20
the slipshod "science" embraced by this film, where "miniature black=20
holes" are created with little effort and ships are sucked through=20
singularities without even the slightest bit of gravity distortion. =20
When it comes to labeling EVENT HORIZON as a science fiction film, put=20
the emphasis heavily on the "fiction" portion of the term.
For movies like this to work, we have to develop a rooting interest=20
in at least one member of the crew, otherwise the film becomes a=20
pointless exercise in watching men and women get cut down one-by-one. =20
ALIEN was effective because we cared about Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. =20
Here, however, none of the characters are remotely sympathetic or=20
interesting. They're a bunch of familiar types thrown onto the screen,=20
most of whom have neither past nor future. We are given some background=20
information about a few of these individuals (one lost a wife, another=20
has a son she left back on Earth, and another made a tragic command=20
decision that cost a life), but it's hardly enough to flesh them out. =20
Even a solid actor like Laurence Fishburne (Ike Turner in WHAT'S LOVE=20
GOT TO DO WITH IT?) can't rescue such a poorly-developed character. The=20
likes of Joely Richardson (the live-action 101 DALMATIANS), Kathleen=20
Quinlan (BREAKDOWN), and Sean Pertwee (the son of the third DR. WHO, Jon=20
Pertwee) blend into the background. Sam Neill manages to develop the=20
semblance of a personality, but that's because he's given a little more=20
to work with than the others. The most memorable performance belongs to=20
Richard T. Jones (THE TRIGGER EFFECT), whose eccentric Cooper provides=20
most of the comic relief.
There are a few means by which it's possible to relieve the tedium=20
of sitting through a screening of EVENT HORIZON. The first is to=20
identify rip-offs of other horror and dark science fiction films (most=20
notably THE EXORCIST, THE SHINING, and the ALIEN series). The second is=20
to count the number of times that the film uses a nightmare sequence to=20
"shock" us (with a plot device as overused as this one, even once would=20
seem to be too much). Another possibility would be to start a betting=20
pool for which of the cardboard cut-out characters will die first.=20
(Note: blood gushing out of certain orifices does not count as "dead"=20
unless the heart stops pumping.) The bottom line is that EVENT HORIZON=20
isn't particularly effective as a horror, adventure, or science fiction=20
film, and, to enjoy it, you're going to have to resort to something more=20
creative than sitting passively in your seat and absorbing the=20
atmospheric confusion that transpires on screen. =20
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
e-mail: bera...@mail.cybernex.net
ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."
- Jean Cocteau
Steve Kong
EVENT HORIZON (1997)
A film review by Steve Kong
Copyright 1997 Steve Kong
"Wow!" and "Potential" are the words that popped up in my mind during the
first 20 minutes or so of Event Horizon. Then the phrases "Ugh" and "It had
potential" started to creep in. In the opening 20 minutes of Event
Horizon, we are treated to some well-done special effects along with some
pretty good ideas for a sci-fi movie. But after we are introduced to these
ideas, we are sent on a path to a typical horror film.
The premise to Event Horizon has so much potential; A ship, Event Horizon,
is built with a special Gravity Drive that will let it tear holes in the
space-time continuum and let it travel across galaxies without any effort.
It does this by first tearing a hole at the two points, the origin and the
destination. Then the Gravity Drive "folds" space-time so that the ship can
be transported to the destination instantaneously. Sam Neill, plays William
Weir, the creator of the Gravity Drive, he explains how the Gravity Drive
works much better in the film. With this kind of start, and this kind of
premise, there is infinite potential on a good solid sci-fi film. But,
screenwriter Philip Eisner lets the script wander to the standard horror
genre, and turns this film into nothing more than a gory not-scary film.
It seems that seven years after the Event Horizon disappeared; it has not
reappeared in orbit around Neptune. A team is dispatched to rescue any crew
onboard the Event Horizon, salvage the Event Horizon, and find out what
happened to the Event Horizon. The team is led by Captain Joe Miller
(Lawrence Fishburne). The team is filled with stock two-dimensional
characters, including one for comic relief. None of the characters are
memorable. Sam Neill's William Weir is tagging along with the team to
advise them. With the look of the film and the strange make up of the team,
it looks almost like the Space Marines from James Cameron's Aliens. But,
unfortunately, the casting for the team is not as strong, and the writing
for the team is not up to par. The Event Horizon it seems has gone to Hell,
or some evil place, and come back. The ship is now haunted, and it has a
new crew to play with, and kill.
As a horror film, Event Horizon does what it can. Using a lot of the
turn-around-to-see-a-scary-thing technique to try to scare the audience. It
also uses very short flashes of images and burst of sound to try to scare
the audience. Most of these work, but after a few of them, I was wondering
if the director was running short of inventive ways to scare the audience.
The good thing about Event Horizon is the look of it. Director Paul
Anderson, who's last film, Mortal Kombat, also looked great, creates a
world that is dark, dingy and scary. The special effects are well done,
these include some long shots of Neptune, complete with whirling storms.
The spacecrafts look great and the interiors of Event Horizon and The Lewis
and Clark are also great. But, all of the looks are lost to a boring,
uninspired, horror film that hardly does what it sets out to do: Scare the
audience.
Sam Neill gives a decent performance as Weir, the smart and somewhat crazed
scientist. Laurence Fishburne is below par, and looks as if he is as bored
with the film as the audience is. The rest of the crew gives forgettable
performances, and I really think that Kathleen Quinlan's (Apollo 13)
talents are wasted in this film.
Event Horizon a film that can be missed in the theatres and on video. It
has a wonderful setup, but does not go through with it. Though it is
visually spectacular, the story is just not there to support it's eye
candy. A definite miss, save your money. Event Horizon has gone to Hell and
has come back, but it seems as if all the fun has been striped of it in Hell.
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steve kong "I want something else
boi...@earthlink.net to get me through this
spy on me at: steve-cam.home.ml.org semi-charmed kinda life" - 3eb
movie reviews: hardboiled.home.ml.org mookie: mookie.relay.net
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