A Fun, Scary Ride

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2001)

Event Horizon is one heck of a ride. Although not overly original (it bears much resemblance to Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris"), it is still a fun and often frightening venture into the genre of sci-fi/horror.
Dr. Weir (Sam Neill) invented the Event Horizon, a space vessel capable of "faster than light flight." The Horizon has the capability to bend space, thus making it possible to travel millions of light years in a matter of seconds through an artificial black hole.
Unfortunately, just days after the Event Horizon's maiden voyage begins, it disappears without a trace. Fast forward seven years to the present, and the Horizon has reappeared near Neptune. Where has it been for the past seven years?
That's what Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and his crew (consisting of Weir) set out to do. They board the ship and experience an evil far greater than anything they could have ever imagined.
Event Horizon is easily one of the most eerie and scary films I have seen in the past few years. The film relies on the creepy ambience of the set designs, and this is one of the many reasons it succeeds.
There is also an aura of mystery to the whole story. Where has the ship been? In many ways it is left up to the viewer to decide.
The performances are good. Neill, one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, delivers the best performance as the shady Dr. Weir. Fishburne makes a good hero, along with a good supporting cast consisting of Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs, among others.
One last word to the wise. This is by no means a "tame" film. There are dozens of disturbing images and gory deaths. It is probably the most gore that I have seen in a mainstream film in the last five years.
For those who dig sci/fi horror, give this one a look.
A-