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- Event Horizon - US DVD -

'Event Horizon' is a chilling and intense science fiction thriller. I feel that this
film is probably one of the better sci-fi movies to come out in the past ten or so 
years. For some reason this movie is also overlooked by many movie fans.
Event Horizon is the name of a futuristic and secretive space ship. The ship is 
launched to test its technological capabilities. Among its components is a magnetic
gravity drive that creates a gateway. This allows the vessel to jump from one point
of the universe to another. Soon after its launch, the craft disappears. 
Seven years later it reappears in the far reaches of the universe. A rescue vessel,
The 'Lewis and Clark,' is sent to retrieve the lost ship.
'Captain Miller' (Laurence Fishburne) is the commander of the rescue team. Miller is
a hard-nosed military man who is all business. In addition to his crew, 'Captain 
Miller' has a guest passenger for the voyage. 'Doctor Weir' (Sam Neill) is along for
the journey. 'Weir' is the scientist who designed the 'Event Horizon.'
Most of the crew, including 'Captain Miller,' are not too thrilled with this mission,
or the fact that 'Weir' is with them.
As soon as the crew boards the 'Event Horizon' things begin to go awry. The vessel is
either haunted or has somehow developed a mind of its own. 
Whatever the case may be, it is not a good thing. The 'Event Horizon' has a way of 
looking into the crew and finding out what torments each person. 
'Weir' is troubled by the suicide of his wife. 'Captain Miller' is burdened with his
inability to save a former crew member. The man burned to death. 'Peters,' the 
medical technician, is troubled by her sons crippling accident. 
Some of these scenes are heart wrenching and quite graphic.
As the story progresses, 'Doctor Weir' slips further and further into his own madness.
He slowly becomes possessed by the 'Event Horizon.' His impending insanity jeopardizes
the mission. Purposely it is not clear if 'Doctor Weir' is intentionally allowing the
ship to tamper with his mental well-being, or if he just cannot control the ship that
he created. Soon the crew finds that they are not just battling whatever is on the 
'Event Horizon.' 'Doctor Weir' becomes a threat to their survival. A deadly game of 
'Weir' versus the crew, and the crew versus 'Doctor Weir' and the ship ensues. 
This movie has a decent amount of suspense. The general nature of the film is dark
and moody. At times I could almost imagine the plot taking place in a haunted 
mansion, not in a space ship. Director Paul Anderson gets two thumbs up for that 
aspect of the film. Often I feel that sci-fi movies are too contrived and almost 
seem fake. That is not the case with this movie. It is well done and very believable.
An important part of this is the use of special effects. They are used, not abused.
The movie does not rely on the special effects. The special effects never overshadow
the plot or the acting.
For those of you who like gore, there are several adequate gross-out scenes. 
Most are shown in flashes, but they are very effective. The video of the 'Event 
Horizons' crew and their slaughter is brutal. Watch it in slow motion. It is an orgy
of depravity and violence. One member of the rescue crew, under the influence of the 
ship, attempts suicide by going into space without a space suit. It is pretty neat to
see what happens to an unprotected body in space. Several other graphic and well-done
scenes are included. Like the special effects, the violence and gore enhance the movie.
The acting is quite good. Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill are top notch in the lead
roles. The supporting cast is also worth watching. I particularly liked Joely 
Richardson in the role of 'Luietenant Stark,' the second in command. 
All the characters worked well in the plot, and most had their own conflicts with each
other.
The only portion of the movie that I was not thrilled with was the ending. 
I will not give away too much. I wish the ending was a little tighter. 
Also, one of the characters ends up looking too much like Pinhead from the 'Hellraiser'
 movies. Other then some flaws at the end, I really enjoyed this film.
Only a few extras were included in this package. The audio options include Dolby
Surround or 5.1 surround. French or Spanish subtitles are available, as are
captions for the hearing impaired. 
A theatrical trailer and scene selection menu are part of the deal. 
The movie is shown in wide screen.
I do recommend 'Event Horizon.' The next time that you are looking for a good science
fiction thriller, do not pass this one by.

Reviewed By Scal Williams

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