HorrorMovie Club

Pandorum: Orbital Dysfunctional Syndrome

Hello everyone! After an enjoyable conversation with a colleague of mine, I decided to take a crack at one of her worst bad but good movies, Pandorum.

PANDORUM

Pandorum-Poster

DIRECTED BY: Christian Alvart

STARRING: Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Eddie Rouse

GENRE: Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Action, Horror

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom, Germany

Pandorum-2-1024x682Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly – and horrifically – realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

pandorum_18Director Christian Alvart evokes a tense, believable atmosphere that is alternately queasy and cramped, vast and creepy. The story unfolds at a measured pace, with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the final five minutes. That said, the attention devoted to horrific details also make it difficult to sit through. Slavering monsters screech out of the darkness to devour—literally—victims trapped in absolute dread. Chase and jump scenes gnaw at your nerve endings like a frothing, mutated hamster … or worse. Almost three dozen f-words pummel you, as if the visceral violence on offer here wasn’t problematic enough.

An unexpectedly happy ending eventually plays out. But getting to it is the equivalent of a two-hour fever dream accompanied by a soundtrack (figuratively speaking) of alien talons raking a titanium chalkboard.

PROS:

  • Uncomfortable atmosphere.
  • Fantastic direction.
  • Attention to detail.

CONS:

  • Aformentioned details are horrific.
  • Main cast performance.
  • Soundtrack.

SCORE: 6.3 / 10

If you have any suggestions for films/TV/Games/Music/Anime for me to review, drop me a comment!

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Brandon Stuhr

Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more "on" version of me.

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