It’s really sad that sci-fi movies seemingly age faster than films of other genres because a film like Event Horizon suffer when viewed 11 years past their theatrical release. The 1997 film, which release on Blu Ray disc today, was a pretty neat piece of work for its time, blending sci-fi and horror together in one eerie and shocking package. The problem is that the movie does a ton of ground work setting up a strong finish that just wasn’t there.
The film is set 50 years in the future and features a rescue crew looking for a ship named Event Horizon that was lost to a black hole 7 years earlier. At the helm is Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and a skillful crew that featured a variety of sidekick personalities. Also onboard is Dr. Weir (Sam Neill), who mysteriously knows about the lost ship and how it disappeared from the galaxy in the first place.
Presented in 1080P HD, some parts of the film will look a tad bit ludicrous (one of those cases where increased resolution shows off CG flaws) in some parts. Again, the film does a good job of presenting a very eerie mood that builds to a crescendo, something all good horror flicks pull off. But this is a 100 meter dash where the runner just gives up in the last 10 steps of the race.
It’s unfortunate, because the film cast has a really solid cast who all give great performances. Fishburne was great in this and my favorite was actually Richard T. Jones (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), who is almost unrecognizably thinner as Cooper.
The Blu Ray version of the film doesn’t feature any exclusives, all of the special features are ported straight from the standard DVD. As such, they’re all in standard format, excluding the film’s theatrical trailer, which like the feature film, is in hi-def.
As for the features themselves, there’s an interesting 5 part documentary that gives some insight into how Paul W.S. Anderson brought the film to be. I also thought the film’s commentary (also featuring Anderson) was particularly useful in understanding the director’s approach.
I can’t say that this is a must buy, but Event Horizon is a genre flick that does earn your attention for the first three fourths of the movie. Just don’t expect a solid finish.
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