Home Page | Alphabetic Index | Ratings Index | Web Resources

Event Horizon (1997)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
A straightforward horror flick, transposed onto a science fiction setting, Event Horizon is an unrewarding viewing experience. In the near future, Man has gradually established outposts upon the nearest planets and moons. In 2040 the Event Horizon, a prototype faster-than-light ship, was launched. Unfortunately, however, it vanished soon after engaging the untested drive. To a waiting public, the disaster was blamed upon a critical explosion within the reactor core. The professionals knew better though and settled down to wait for the experimental vessel's return (hopefully from Proxima Centurai). Seven years later their patience is rewarded when an automatic distress beacon is picked up near Neptune. For Dr. William Wier (Sam Neill), the designer and builder of the drive, this is welcome news indeed.

Given the importance of this discovery, and the top secret nature of the mission, USAC (Unites States Aerospace Command) decides to deploy the best available Search & Rescue ship. So, while the Lewis & Clark has only just returned to Earth orbit, it's back into deep space for the crew (with Wier as a hitchhiker). Captain Joe Miller (Laurence Fishburne) is not entirely pleased with the way things have panned out but follows his orders. To damp down any dissension, he quickly gets their 56-day journey underway. It's only far away from Earth that all are extracted from their gravity pods, ready to receive an explanation from Wier. This he does, to snorts of derision from those unable to comprehend the scale of his novel gravity drive.

At the Event Horizon Miller de-briefs his crew. In case there are any survivors, the medical personnel of Peters (Kathleen Quinlan), Cooper (Richard T. Jones) and D.J. (Jason Isaac) are available to deal with their trauma. For structural damage, Justin (Jack Noseworthy), Starck (Joely Richardson) and Smith (Sean Pertwee) have all the experience required. While the crew are initially cautious, comprehensive scans indicate the ship to be intact and functional. Thus reassured, apart from the strange reading of biological activity, Miller takes a team across to the hulk on a deck-by-deck search. Directed by Wier, the main drive is located and found to be operational. For Justin, an engineer, it has a powerful and subtle attraction; the only problem is that it creates a gateway to somewhere else and Justin is all-alone.

While the premise of Event Horizon sounds exciting (welding together the horror and science fiction genres) it absolutely fails to deliver. Right from the start the script neglects to provide enough information about the technology, characters or plot. Without solid exposition, a substantial portion of the film is spent combing for some sort of meaning from the chaos. The simple answer here is: don't bother. Philip Eisner's garbage screenplay uses Wier as its mouth-piece for some truly dreadful science (even by the standards of other movies), which it then happily contradicts. Trying to discern a logical thread, one that explains why the ship is possessed, is a thankless task. Fortunately the crew fail to notice the discrepancies, probably because they're too busy trying to escape their own (fairly prosaic) nightmares.

Considering the cast, Event Horizon makes the cardinal mistake of not providing even one character worth identifying with. The level of personal development is atrocious, with incidents from the past being uncovered purely in response to the demands of the plot. So, by making no attempt to sketch in any non-essential background, the rescuers are essentially interchangeable. We are never given any impetus to care about the characters and are thus indifferent to who lives and who dies. It has to be said though that the cast are left very little to work with, which partly explains why no performance is worthy of attention. The usually reliable actors Fishburne and Neill manage to pad out their parts a little, at the beginning of Event Horizon, yet even they succumb to the mayhem. No one else is either memorable or believable; a shame for all concerned.

There is, however, one area within which Event Horizon excels; the sets and models are superbly designed. Influenced by medieval architecture, the malignant craft has the atmosphere of a Gothic cathedral, armour plated and full of bad vibes. Coupled to fine camera-work, such as the opening Daylight Space Station pull back (impressive if unnecessary), Event Horizon is visually commanding. It's clear that the well of creativity ran dry soon after though, with many of the special effects being stolen from other films. Instead of building suspense, Paul Anderson unleashes a barrage of cheap shocks. There's no imagination here, just sudden flashes of gore, waves of blood and the usual dimly lit corridors. Event Horizon is, ultimately, the sort of film you leave wondering why anyone bothered to make it. Beyond location, there is little to set this film apart from any other incomprehensible horror flick.

Home Page | Alphabetic Index | Ratings Index | Web Resources