"Event Horizon"- Just a solid, fun sci-fi horror experience.

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2017)

"Event Horizon" is one of those films that came out at just the right time, even if it didn't seem like it at first. The brainchild of director Paul WS Anderson and writer Philip Eisner, the movie is a certified cult phenomena. Despite being a moderate financial flop at initial release and garnering decided mixed critical reception, the film quickly found a new life in the home video and rental market, and even now, 20 years later, it remains a favorite for fans of horror and suspense. It became one of the most popular films of the 90's in a weird way thanks to its second life, and I do think it is for good reason- while by no means is "Event Horizon" a "great" film, it is most certainly great fun. Mildly creepy, well constructed and oftentimes disturbing, it's a very solid sci-fi scare fest.
About thirty years in the future, the space-vessel "Event Horizon" mysteriously reappears off the orbit of Neptune, after having been thought to be long-since lost. A rescue vessel- the Lewis and Clark- is sent on a mission to track down the fabled ship and see if there are any survivors. On board is a colorful cast of characters, including the Event Horizon's lead designer Dr. William Weir. But it turns out that not all is well- the ship seems to desolate... its crew dead and its mysterious gravity-drive core acting strangely. It soon becomes clear that when its experimental warp drive was activated, the ship crossed into a dark and hellish dimension that drove its crew insane and brought back a mysterious force that now threatens to destroy the Lewis and Clark and its crew. And so the crew of Weir, Captain Miller, Lieutenant Starck and several others are forced into a fight for survival against this mysterious presence...
One of the more remarkable things about the film is the sheer Gothic and claustrophobic style that director Anderson injects into each and every frame, and how well it helps to tell the tale with a devilish glee. While he's perhaps best known now as the director of the long-running and wildly divisive "Resident Evil" film franchise, Anderson has always been a relatively competent visual storyteller and he has a great eye for style and composition. Building off of the tension and tonality of Eisner's script (which was reportedly re-written by an uncredited Andrew Kevin Walker), Anderson builds an adequate and often frightening sense of mood and tension, and his keen use of both practical and digital effects comes much appreciated.
The performances of the cast are quite good, especially for being a relatively serious attempt at a genre film at a time when horror was taking a turn towards the humorous thanks to properties like "Scream" injecting a subversive sense of self-awareness. Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neil in particular excel as our two leads in Captain Miller and Dr. Weir. Fishburne plays a really good authoritative figure in Miller, though he plays it smart and gives small hints of pathos and self- doubt that become apparent more and more as the film moves along, and it gives what could otherwise have been a boring Mary-Sue character a great deal more depth as a result. Neil is just a blast as Dr. Weir, who is haunted by his own demons of the past and goes through some radical changes as the film goes on. Supporting roles by the likes of Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson and Richard T. Jones are for the most part well-played, though I did find Jones a bit on-the-nose with his more stereotypical role as the "comedic relief."
Really, the only thing the film suffers for are a few contrived sequences that feel artificial and over-written and for some admittedly dated sequences that just don't hold up quite well. While I do applaud Anderson for mostly mixing his effects between practical and digital, the early half of the film is way too over- reliant on really bad-looking CGI, and it kind of takes you out of the scene for a moment whenever a digital bottle or digital book floats by in zero-gravity. There's also a bit too much effort put into just grossing out the audience or making them jump, and it cheapens the more legitimate sequences of terror. Yes, we know it's fun to toss gore at the screen and insert random jump-scares... but save it for the slasher films and not pictures like this that are genuinely and consistently well-made and frightening without goo and gore and jumps. There's also one really bad dream sequence early on that I won't spoil... but it almost ruins the mood right off the bat. Thankfully, the film quickly recovers and it gets better very quickly, but I definitely think the film could have done without it.
But those are really just minor issues in an otherwise fun, engaging and often freakish and frightening tale of terror. There's a reason "Event Horizon" eventually found its audience and is still a relatively popular and entertaining bit of sci-fi horror... and that's because it's just so much fun. It's got an intriguing enough plot, wonderful direction and freakish visuals that will stick with your mind, and a really great cast that give it their all. Is it one of the best films of the 90's? No. But I'd venture to say it's one of the most easily rewatchable and fun releases of its decade and I know for sure that even twenty years from now, people will still get a kick out of it.
I give "Event Horizon" a very good 8 out of 10.