A good idea imperfectly executed

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2012)

I hadn't seen "Event Horizon" in over a decade when I picked up the Special Collector's Edition DVD a while ago on a whim. I remembered it as being a pretty good sci-fi/horror flick but I wasn't sure if it'd still hold up. Also, knowing the background of studio interference, I was curious to see what sort of material was left on the cutting room floor.
Now, with the benefit of several more years of movie-watching experience, I can see that the movie is highly derivative. But at least Anderson & company chose good films to borrow from. The general concept of a 'haunted house movie in space' echoes "Alien" but Anderson has said himself that his main influences were Kubrick's "The Shining" & Wise's "The Haunting". Though the film blatantly copies scenes from both of these films and at least a couple of others, this general concept invests the film with some degree of originality.
That's not to say that the story completely works, though. Some of the details are intentionally vague, which could equally be the result of sloppy writing. The fact that the third act devolves into a fairly standard action movie climax also undermines the careful building of suspense that provides the bulk of the film's memorable moments.
As for the cast, it's not bad but most of the actors are shackled by their clichéd characters. Laurence Fishburne & Sam Neill are solid as always but this isn't exactly the best material they've had to work with. The rest of the cast also perform their functions well, even if their characters don't offer anything we haven't seen countless times before.
In terms of production values, "Event Horizon" holds it's own for the most part. Despite being only the second best Paul Anderson working in Hollywood today, Paul W.S. Anderson's direction isn't bad. There are some nice shots from time to time and he does a good job of establishing (and maintaining) the film's atmosphere. The visual effects are generally pretty good, though I was less than impressed with some of the 'burning man' visuals.
Ultimately, "Event Horizon" has some memorable scares but its shortcomings limit its appeal to a cult following. A director's cut would probably improve matters a little but I highly doubt that the movie would rise anywhere near the level of the films that it imitates. Nevertheless, it is worth watching as one of the better science fiction/horror hybrids out there.