I think box-office failure of this one was caused by crappy advertising. Posters are set in the tone of "Starship Troopers" or "Crank" or "Saw" and they doesn't resemble the soul of this movie. At all. So if you want to see Pandorum, but you feel stink from the posters - don't be afraid, it's only a poster. Movie is better.
In few words: Pandorum has splendid sets and design, gooooood acting (Ben Foster especially gives power to this movie), and most important - strong directing and quite good script with few kinda' freshy concepts.
The script has only one major flaw - too much talking. This story is a great pretext to create almost silent movie. It would be a challenge to tell the plot almost without talking, but I'm sure it could have been done good. And THEN we would get a fresh movie! Instead we have something more hollywoodish, but still attractive and wort watching.
Director Christian Alvart knows how to thrill. I've watched this movie on rather bad DivX copy and shitty speakers and still was climbing the armchair in few moments. Very good sense of suspense. DVD or Blue-Ray should emphasize those experiences.
But good directing isn't much when your cast is shitty. Respect goes here to Ben Foster and Denis Quaid who assist the director in gaining the right feel of the movie. Female lead Antje Traue was a nice choice too. She jumps over the over-played "strong female character" known from times of Sigounrey Weaver's Ripley and plays here in very simple, yet realistic manner. It adds some very needed reality feel to the story. In the opposite we have Eddie Rouse whose theatrical acting - either it was director's choice or his own - doesn't fit here, and spoils the mood.
To complete the picture we have here very very very good design and nicely created and lighted sets, without joy-killing "cardboard feel". It helps again the story to be more believable. But we have to remember that I watched it on DivX, so It could be worse in better quality.
This whole bunch of things is nicely photographed and edited so the final package WILL make you happy.
Summing up - be prepared for some deja-vu from time to time (for example "The Descent" [2005], "Event Horizon" [1997], "Creep" [2004]), but it's a good mix for sure and if you are looking for dark Science Fiction in the tone (tone, not level) of Alien, I definitely recommend you this title.
In few words: Pandorum has splendid sets and design, gooooood acting (Ben Foster especially gives power to this movie), and most important - strong directing and quite good script with few kinda' freshy concepts.
The script has only one major flaw - too much talking. This story is a great pretext to create almost silent movie. It would be a challenge to tell the plot almost without talking, but I'm sure it could have been done good. And THEN we would get a fresh movie! Instead we have something more hollywoodish, but still attractive and wort watching.
Director Christian Alvart knows how to thrill. I've watched this movie on rather bad DivX copy and shitty speakers and still was climbing the armchair in few moments. Very good sense of suspense. DVD or Blue-Ray should emphasize those experiences.
But good directing isn't much when your cast is shitty. Respect goes here to Ben Foster and Denis Quaid who assist the director in gaining the right feel of the movie. Female lead Antje Traue was a nice choice too. She jumps over the over-played "strong female character" known from times of Sigounrey Weaver's Ripley and plays here in very simple, yet realistic manner. It adds some very needed reality feel to the story. In the opposite we have Eddie Rouse whose theatrical acting - either it was director's choice or his own - doesn't fit here, and spoils the mood.
To complete the picture we have here very very very good design and nicely created and lighted sets, without joy-killing "cardboard feel". It helps again the story to be more believable. But we have to remember that I watched it on DivX, so It could be worse in better quality.
This whole bunch of things is nicely photographed and edited so the final package WILL make you happy.
Summing up - be prepared for some deja-vu from time to time (for example "The Descent" [2005], "Event Horizon" [1997], "Creep" [2004]), but it's a good mix for sure and if you are looking for dark Science Fiction in the tone (tone, not level) of Alien, I definitely recommend you this title.