Pandorum Film Review

Pandorum introduces the audience to an Earth planet bursting at the seams exhausting all natural resources and forcing mankind to explore the universe for a suitable replacement. As a measure of last resort, a massive spaceship is constructed and sent off in search of a possible planet similar to Earth in a distant galaxy. The travel alone will take many lifetimes. With the existence of mankind on the line, these space pioneers will test their mettle and determination in meeting this challenge.

This sci-fi action thriller unfolds as crew personnel awaken from a long hyper sleep. How long is uncertain, but each will suffer from a brief bout of memory loss. But, this is only a short term malaise. These opening segments have an Alien-esque feel: claustrophobic, disorienting, suspenseful, and with eeriness just under the surface. As they attempt to bring the ship systems back on line, they are unsuccessful in opening any of the exterior doors. This prevents them from getting to the bridge or the main reactor room so that can reset the systems before the ship destroys itself. More and more of their memories are restored and knowledge of the ship's design prompts them to exit through an overhead ventilation like door. With one crew behind in the room, the other proceeds. A sense of dread begins to overwhelm his senses. The isolation, the darkness, the absence of familiarity confuses him as he makes his way. As the suspense builds, our unlikely hero has an encounter with someone. But, it turns out that person has died of questionable circumstances. And soon he will find out why.

Ok, so any good sci-fi action space film must have some drama. And here is comes in the form of a bunch of angry bloodsucking humanoids who hung and kill the crew as they emerge from their sleep chambers. There are numerous hunter/hunted situation which arise from this condition. They are well orchestrated scenes displaying good fighting techniques. The suspense leading up to their discovery is syrupy and tense. The rest of the film will test everyone's survival skills as they continue to search for answers.

Not to give too much away, I highly recommend Pandorum to anyone who enjoys a good story set in deep space with lots of peril about the place. The acting is superb. Dennis Quaid (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra) and Ben Foster (30 Days of Night, 3:10 to Yuma) work well together. The sets are meticulous and rich in detail. The pacing of the storyline is just right. This is a lean film with very little excess baggage. There were elements of the movie which may seem familiar, but there are new wrinkles which should keep even the most critical of moviegoer interested.

In conclusion, Pandorum was worth the time and should please most folks.

Mike's Rating: 9 of 10 bloodthirsty space albinos
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong horror violence and language
Running Time: Approximately 100 minutes