Event Horizon

Science-fiction horror for a Throwback Thursday.

There is nothing I like more than a good Sci-Fi horror movie. To this day, the Aliens series is by far one of my favorites. But it could be said that many horror films have some element of science fiction, zombies created by a virus, futuristic and apocalyptic worlds where cannibals run rampant are a few examples. But often many don't actually take place in space or on another planet. Event Horizon is one of those that I haven't seen in a long time, but I can recall almost every little detail. It is a sign of a good film, especially for a horror film. One of Paul W.S. Anderson's (Resident Evil franchise) first feature length films (aside from Mortal Kombat), and it doesn't let you down on suspense or gore.

The "core" or engine of the ship

The Event Horizon is revealed to be a ship capable of folding space, like creating a wormhole, to travel to worlds yet unexplored. On its first test, it disappeared without a trace and after being lost for seven years it has reappeared. A team is unknowingly sent, with the scientist who created the Event Horizon, to recover it and its crew. When they arrive at the ship and go aboard they quickly find that there are no survivors among the crew. In fact one of the crew members is found to be a "corpsicle" as one of the characters calls it. Corpsicle. Ha. Anyway, stuff goes down when the core is reactivated and our team find themselves trapped on a terrifying ship. There is a solid cast in the film as well, with Laurence Fishburne as the captain and Sam Neill as the scientist. The effects are hauntingly disturbing and pretty well done and the set is very aesthetically appealing as well.

Inside the ship

A few notes about some scenes. Originally the doctor, played by Jason Isaacs, identified the transmission they had received as "liberate me" or save me in Latin. However, when s*** starts going down he reexamines it and realizes it is actually "Liberate tutame ex inferis," save yourself from Hell. I'm not a Latin expert and looking at discussions online, it is apparently incorrect. But for setting the mood of the movie, it works. Did the Event Horizon travel beyond into a sort of Hell for those seven years? Or did the ship itself become something else?

A scene of Hellish gore

Another one I somehow convinced Joey to watch with me, and he had this to say about it, "Not quite as good as I remember it, but it's got a nice slow build." He gives it 3.5 skulls and I give it 4.5. Maybe I am rating it so highly because I have such a fondness for it as a part of the formative years in my life for horror movies, but I don't care! It is still a solid horror film in my book, but the transition to the electronic music at the credits is a little laughable.

My rating:

Joey's rating: 

Hell

Hooray! It's Transcontinental Tuesday. (Man, that's a hard one to say.) And tonight, Hell was on the menu.

This film comes to us from Germany. In the not so distant future, Earth has become a barren wasteland as the sun scorches the surface. In the beginning of the movie, text reads:

2016 - The world as we know it has ceased to exist. In just four years, the Earth's atmosphere has heated up by 10 degrees Celsius. People are fighting for survival. Water and food supplies are running out. Social order is collapsing. 

I find there are infinite ways to show the human condition with post-apocalyptic movies. It's a reflection on how we react to extreme changes - how we struggle to survive. But also, how some cling to the past, and try to live as if nothing has changed. Their morals deteriorate to the point that they will do anything to keep that falsehood - anything to continue to survive as if their lives were normal. There are characters in this film that are like that. Most survivors, like our protagonists, are wanderers. Traveling to survive, but they encounter a group of people that are not nomadic as they are. They own a farm in the mountains that they can no longer grow crops on or have livestock - in fact, aside from occasional birds, it appears as if no animals have survived. This family can only find enough water to drink. Yet, they cling to their former lives, and without livestock they have found another source for "livestock."

Anyway, the idea of the movie was a little cliche, but I liked how it was done. It didn't delve too deeply in why it is like Hell on Earth - and I liked that. It went straight into the present and the action of the film. All the characters were believable and most were well acted. It was never too gruesome, which was good since it was more about the overlying story. It is definitely worth a watch if you are into post-apocalyptic movies or just want to see a movie that is interesting and will keep your attention.

My rating: