johnlink ranks EVENT HORIZON (1997)
This is a movie which I have trouble pegging. In some ways I think of it as an underrated horror-sci/fi flick, but on the other hand… well… it’s not particularly great. The last time I watched this movie was in Liz’s dorm room at RIC six or seven years ago on a thirteen inch TV. Not exactly ideal viewing conditions.
I watched EVENT HORIZON (1997) on 2.18.10. It was my third viewing of the film. TRAILER HERE.
After re-watching this movie, I can say that it might be a couple decades before I can really enjoy this again. The scares aren’t bad, but they are so set-up that a rewatching ends up giving the viewer lots of time to wait for the jump-scare. The visuals can be cool, though there is a lot of stuff which looks extremely dated as a 90s CGI movie.
The performances are mediocre, though much of that is the script’s fault. Really, I wonder if it might be the fault of the editing. Characters are quick to become heated, and it seems like a lot of conversational lead-in might be left on the cutting room floor. This makes the acting seem overly dramatic, like you have a bunch of characters who just want to yell at each other at first chance. The one scene that feels fully fleshed out, and the scene which works best, is the scene in the first act when Sam Neill explains to the crew how the Event Horizon works on a scientific level. Well paced, well executed: exactly what the rest of the film lacks. This is a movie which could have benefited from an additional twenty minutes.
As psychological horror goes, this is certainly a more intelligent film then many of its genre. However, it does not quite live up to the greats and becomes merely a mediocre experience. I will concede that this is the best film in Paul W.S. Anderson’s catalog. However, that is not saying much considering his two big opus (or would it be opuses or opi… nevermind) would be the first MORTAL KOMBAT film and the RESIDENT EVIL films. I wonder how EVENT HORIZON would have been if handled by a better director.
SCORES
FILM: 4; MOVIE: 6; ACTING: 5; WRITING: 4
4+6+5+4+0= 19
FINAL SCORE: 4.75
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