Pandorum

[a happy song]

Reviews have been overly negative, so I went into it with slightly shallow expectations (even though the trailer did pique my interest).

However, I was very pleasently surprised by one of the coolest Sci-Fi films I've seen in a very long time.

The film's premise is this: Two astronauts awaken from an extended period in hyper-sleep, to find themselves alone on a ship running on emergency power (no lighting, power to doors, etc...) and memory loss (a common side effect of HS). They attempt to find a way to restore power to the ship, and to piece together the fragments of their memory, only to they're not as alone as they thought they were...

From the off I was absolutely drawn into the plight of the two men trying to fight off paranoia, claustrophobia, panic, etc... while the desperation of their situation bore down on them. The set pieces were exceptionally well done, and the first section of the film is hugely atmospheric and tense.

Going any further is going to require spoilers. All I can say is please, if you haven't heard anything about this film yet, DON'T go looking for more info. Stay away from the IMDB boards especially. While you could enjoy this even if the plot was spoilt for you, it'll be much more effective if you let it unravel with no further knowledge.

I'll post my thoughts on the rest of the film in depth here, be warned HEAVY SPOILERS present (spoiler tags don't appear to be working right now). If you don't want to ruin it for yourself, skip to the large text END SPOILERS.

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Pandroum - 8/10 (Great, but by no means perfect)
108 min
Directed by Christian Alvart
Staring Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid
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Pandroum is the fictional affliction of extreme paranoia and panic that is brought on by extended periods of space travel. It's a key device in the film, from the start we're never quite sure if what the crew is experiencing is real or an elaborated vision heightened by the condition. If left untreated, it can induce permanent insanity. It's an effective tool, and one that is used quite well to play on our senses.

Ben Foster plays Bower, the ships Engineer. He awakens first to find the ship running on minimal power, the entire area locked down, his memory lacking, and no other crew members present except for his Lieutenant Payton (played by Dennis Quaid) alive in his Hyper-Sleep capsule.

After exploring the area and piecing together as much of his fragmented memory as he can, Bower awakens the Lieutenant and the two men set out to restore power and locate the rest of the crew.

This first part of the film is very well done. We know something has gone wrong, so the tension is already building, and as there have been no hints towards what the troubles might be, the Director gives us as little to go on as possible which lets our imaginations run a little. This is a very effective device, and one that's wielded adeptly. I really felt the desperation and panic as Bower crawled through the vent shafts trying to find a way around the sealed doors. Edge of the seat stuff at some points.

Once Bower manages to find a way into the open area of the ship, he first discovers a surviving crew member who attacks him on sight but is scared away suddenly by the appearance of a a group of mysterious aggressive life-forms.

The creatures are introduced very suddenly to us (although not fully reviled at first) which has been complained about by some. I found this approach quite refreshing. The tension of the unknown first section of the film is suddenly dashed open with a very present threat, it shifts the focus of the film from paranoia to full on fear. I really liked the suddenness of it, and the actors and director handled the transition perfectly.

As the film progresses, Bower meets a few surviving crew members (some more hostile than others) and the group make their way through the ship to restore power to the failing reactor core (which has been identified as the source of the ships power troubles) while attempting to avoid the creatures who are slowly reviled to not be alien life forms as first thought...

The fact that these survivors are well trained fighters is something of a concern for some reviewers. They consider their battle abilities a cheap device to produce action scenes. I, however, consider their abilities to be the only thing that kept them alive. Many normal people train in martial arts and would be very adept at survival naturally, that the few survivors are so well trained is realistic in terms of survival of the fittest. I didnt' consider this aspect a stretch or contrived in the slightest.

The revealing of the creature's origins is the coolest part of the film for me.

(I will list the following for disambiguation purposes in case anyone who's seen the film was confused, this is another complaint I have about the film: the plot isn't revealed in the most efficient way, especially the aspects of how exactly the Payton/Gallo character caused the birth of the creatures and set the events into motion.)

The Earth had been on the brink of destruction. Over-population, pollution, and war had ravaged the world. A life sustaining planet (Tanis) was found in another galaxy, and a space ship was built to transport 60, 000 people to colonise the new planet in the hopes of building a new place for humanities survival. The journey was set to take just over 100 years.

The ship was sent with various chemicals and augments to terraform the new planet, one such augment was for the crew members themselves. It was an evolutionary aid that would help the colonists adapt to any differences in their new environment.

As we find out at the end of the film, that en route to their destination the 3 man flight crew (only three were active on bridge at any one time) had received a transmission from Earth that it was on the brink of destruction. The Earth is destroyed, and the three men realise their ship now contains the very last of the Human race. One of the crew members goes insane with Pandroum, killing his officers. He then reanimates a portion of the crew, reigning over them for years as their leader, before growing bored and returning himself to hypersleep in a closed off portion of the ship.

The ship arrives at Tanis and crashes into the ocean, damaging portions of the ship and it's support system. Over the next few hundred years, the genetic augmentation causes the humans to evolve drastically to adapt to the conditions of the damaged ship. We find out at the end of the film that Bower had been in hibernation for over 900 years, giving the creatures ample time to evolve into the state we find them in.

This entire premise I found hugely enjoyable. Pandorum is revealed to be the entire reason behind the birth of the creatures, and the very tools that were meant to ensure the survival of the humans was the thing that almost wiped them out entirely. The Payton/Gallo conflict is interestingly handled, and the final pay off I found very satisfying (the revealing of the ship being under the ocean and not in deep space and Payton/Gallo being revealed as the main antagonist).

I especially enjoyed the films absolute final, that the colonists had arrived at their destination, and, even though greatly diminished in numbers, they have hope of building a new world.

I also love the idea of a sequel. There is so much room for development her in a really interesting way. Most sci-fi franchises repeat themselves in similar situations (Aliens is always claustrophobic and dark, for example). Pandorum's development is open to much broader possibilities. The survivors now have an entire planet to explore, that will no doubt hold its own hostilities to overcome. They will need to return to the ship to collect the technology to help build, which will mean encountering some of the surviving creatures. That they have greater numbers now and will be prepared will add a new dimension to that conflict.

Also to consider is my favourite possibility of all: that the creatures will escape the ship and the planet will become home to two opposing races. This leaves so much room for possible development. Wil the races continue to be hostile to each other? Will the creatures find themselves weakened by the planets conditions as they've evolved to suit the dark confines of the ship? Will they be forced into a submissive role, or perhaps they will retreat underground to emerge only at night to hunt the humans adding a very different kind of conflict. Will they eventually evolve over hundreds of years to become friendly and live in harmony with the humans?

There is SO much potential on offer here, it's really quite exciting. And as the film is intended a thee part series, there is hope that some of this potential is realised.

(Box office numbers are currently working against this, which would be a massive shame, but I'm hoping word of mouth will elevate DvD sales to the point of making the sequels a viable option.)

End Spoilers.

-

So, in closing, I found Pandorum to be a very atmospheric and tense sci-fi/action film with a decent script, solid acting, and excellent set-pieces.

The film covers every base for me in terms of what a decent sci-fi experience should: memorable characters and set-pieces, a plot that develops and twists (mostly)naturally,, a great transition from perceived situation to reality, and it doesn't ever feel dumbed down or the future science forced or unbelievable.

The only flaws I can mention without spoiling are:
Some parts of whispered dialogue are annoyingly low
Some of the editing is a little confusing at times.
Some of the action moments are a little over the top (I'd have preferred more tension and less hands on, but it's not a film breaker and it's still fun to watch)
The way the back story is explained in the Cook's chamber through the use of etched caveman like pictures and flashbacks isn't absolutely efficient, and if you're not paying attention 100%, you could miss out on a couple of key elements and be left a little confused as to what exactly happened.

I'd highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi such as Aliens, and Event Horizon, and while this film will no doubt be compared ad nauseum to the aforementioned, and while it doesn't' ever re-invent the reactor core, it DOES add up to more than the sum of its parts.

A well crafted and hugely enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws. Recommended.

[chume14]

Didn't read your spoilers I'll try to go see it some time. Plot sounds like it has some similarity's to the film 'Moon' which is very critically acclaimed so maybe you would enjoy that.

Just saw 'Synedoche New York' last night. One of the most amazing films I've ever seen I would recommend it to anyone. I could try and go into the plot but I don't think it would sound that good written down it's one of those things you just have to see.

[SlappyMcGee]

Didn't read your spoilers I'll try to go see it some time. Plot sounds like it has some similarity's to the film 'Moon' which is very critically acclaimed so maybe you would enjoy that.

Just saw 'Synedoche New York' last night. One of the most amazing films I've ever seen I would recommend it to anyone. I could try and go into the plot but I don't think it would sound that good written down it's one of those things you just have to see.

What the fuck, chume? I SAW SYNECDOCHE LAST NIGHT! And it was completely on a whim!!! This is bizarre.

[capt_weasle]

Note: I may or may not have seen this movie.

[unoriginal name]

Didn't read your spoilers I'll try to go see it some time. Plot sounds like it has some similarity's to the film 'Moon' which is very critically acclaimed so maybe you would enjoy that.

Just saw 'Synedoche New York' last night. One of the most amazing films I've ever seen I would recommend it to anyone. I could try and go into the plot but I don't think it would sound that good written down it's one of those things you just have to see.

What the fuck, chume? I SAW SYNECDOCHE LAST NIGHT! And it was completely on a whim!!! This is bizarre.

I approve of your whims as Synecdoche is my second or third favorite film of all time. I approve slightly more of chume watching it because I know next to nothing about his movie taste, therefore assume it is mainstream and stupid, and thus am highly pleased to see him widening his horizons. On the other hand, SlappyMcGee's horizons are already wider than mine.

[T3chno]

gloomp your name stretches the page :(

[chume14]

What the fuck, chume? I SAW SYNECDOCHE LAST NIGHT! And it was completely on a whim!!! This is bizarre.

haha that is bizarre more so because I've been wanting to see it for months but that Sunday was the one day it was showing at my local student cinema. I suppose these things happen.

I approve slightly more of chume watching it because I know next to nothing about his movie taste, therefore assume it is mainstream and stupid, and thus am highly pleased to see him widening his horizons.

hmm I watch a lot of cult films which saw little if and commercial success because I like movies which make you think and I find few of the big titles do that these days so I like to think my horizons are fairly wide but I guess it's all relative I'm not a film expert.

[SlappyMcGee]

I find few of the big titles do that these days

You obviously didn't understand the thematic significance of 2012.

[a happy song]

ANYWAY

I watched Pandorum again and decided to lower my score to 7/10.

The editing is pretty awful in places, and the whispered dialogue (and the character's voice who explains the most important part of the film) is really irritating. It's such a shame: a little more polish and this film would have been something special.

Still, recommended.

[otters~1]

...because I like movies which make you think and I find few of the big titles do that these days...

Obviously you've never heard of Nicholas Cage.

[SlappyMcGee]

...because I like movies which make you think and I find few of the big titles do that these days...

Obviously you've never heard of Nicholas Cage.

I think this is irony, but Adaptation is the shit.

[Aldaric]

ANYWAY

I watched Pandorum again and decided to lower my score to 7/10.

The editing is pretty awful in places, and the whispered dialogue (and the character's voice who explains the most important part of the film) is really irritating. It's such a shame: a little more polish and this film would have been something special.

Still, recommended.

I think that you shouldn't watch movies twice like you did. When you watch a movie the second time, you notice everything bad with it more than the first time. The first time, you might be enchanted by the plot or you might be sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what iwill happen next. The second time you watch it, you know the plot, and you know what will happen. This leads to concentrating more on the details. I think if it was an 8 out of 10, it should stay that way, because if your watching it the first time you won't notice or care about all the slightly bad parts. Judgung by your first post, you were in love with the story behind the movie, and this could have easily made you less aware of the poor editing or whatnot.

[a happy song]

ANYWAY

I watched Pandorum again and decided to lower my score to 7/10.

The editing is pretty awful in places, and the whispered dialogue (and the character's voice who explains the most important part of the film) is really irritating. It's such a shame: a little more polish and this film would have been something special.

Still, recommended.

I think that you shouldn't watch movies twice like you did. When you watch a movie the second time, you notice everything bad with it more than the first time. The first time, you might be enchanted by the plot or you might be sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what iwill happen next. The second time you watch it, you know the plot, and you know what will happen. This leads to concentrating more on the details. I think if it was an 8 out of 10, it should stay that way, because if your watching it the first time you won't notice or care about all the slightly bad parts. Judgung by your first post, you were in love with the story behind the movie, and this could have easily made you less aware of the poor editing or whatnot.

So we should base every opinion we have of everything on the first time we experience that thing alone? You do realise how absolutely detrimental that idea is to pretty much ALL progression and balance, right?

I've watched Aliens over 20 times and EVERY time I love the experience. It's been a 10/10 for me since the first view. No matter how many times I watch it, it doesn't loose any of its quality. There are no editing problems, there are no script flaws, there is zero diminishment for me. The only cracks showing are a couple of seconds of bluescreen and a single moment of slightly clunky animatronics that are due to film's age and nothing to do with lack of proficiency (so therefore cannot be rated down, imo).

With Pandroum, on repeated view there are many cracks on show. Poor editing, awfully low/mumbled dialogue, moments of contrived tension... it just doesn't hold itself up to an 8/10 standard under scrutiny.

To suggest that I should retain my original score when the film is clearly lacking the relevant sheen to hold onto it is just ridiculous. Durability under scrutiny is even more important than first time wow. This is the difference between great and good films, and, while my first viewing of Pandorum excited my opinion, it simply isn't a great film.

[Aldaric]

I just think you should enjoy the movie without scrutinizing it. The movie is always worse when you do, and the purpose of movies is enjoyment/entertainment. Just let yourself enjoy it without noting every problem. Your opinion isn't going to change the quality of the movie. You need a lot of people to make a difference. Usually

Edit: Unless you convinced a significant amount of people to write or somehow communicate to the makers of this movie about the problems it had, your not really helping. On the other hand, if you convinced more people to go see it, which is easier to do, they would have a bigger budget to do better for the next one.

[a happy song]

I just think you should enjoy the movie without out scutinizing it. The movie is always worse when you do it, and the purpose of movies is enjoyment. Just let yourself enjoy it without noting every problem. Your opinion isn't going to change the quality of the movie. You need a lot of people to make a difference. Usually

Sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, but do you even know what you're saying?

Two things:
-Quality is subjective therefore opinion is the absolute defining factor.
-Enjoyment is also absolutely subjective. I enjoy things that are well done, properly considered, intelligently put... that Pandorum fell to pieces a little on second view was massively disappointing for me, especially considering how much I enjoyed it the first time.

Your last sentence I really don't know what to do with.

[Aldaric]

Sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, but do you even know what you're saying?

I have a tendency to not. (I heart from the speak and exsist from the brain) I just think it is sad that you enjoyed it so much before, but now you don't like it.

[a happy song]

Sorry, I really don't mean to be rude, but do you even know what you're saying?

I have a tendency to not. (I heart from the speak and exsist from the brain) I just think it is sad that you enjoyed it so much before, but now you don't like it.

Well I don't like it as much but I still think it's a good film. Certainly worth watching. I'll most likely be adding it to my DVD collection so I can show it to others.

Don't be too sad for me.

[SlappyMcGee]

Although I agree that Aliens is wonderful and amazing and a pinnacle achievement in cinema, I should say that I think first impressions are more important to a review of a film in cinema. Likely, most people won't watch a film twice while it is in its theatrical run, so lowering your score because it doesn't work well on re-watchings seems like more of a DVD move.

That being said, you might actually think you were completely wrong in the first place (mood/drugs/delusions of grandeur) so you could always change your review later.

[a happy song]

I often revise my ratings on imdb before seeing a film for the second time. Even if I hadn't watched Pandorum twice, I still think I'd have lowered my score after thinking about it a little more.

I haven't seen a decently dark sci-fi film for a while, I was caught up in the moment a little, that's all. It's why I usually wait for a week or so after watching a film before leaving my comments on imdb and such. Had I seen this at the cinema (and I would have had it played locally for more than a day!), I'd probably have done that, but I watched it at my PC and then came straight here.