Gruesome, eerie science-fiction gorefest boast striking visuals, but shallow writing

Rating: 6/10 (16 August 2016)

From director Paul W. S. Anderson comes an eerie science-fiction horror thrillers that takes audiences on a ride through it's dark, tasty visuals, but sadly without an alluring screenplay to underpin the stunning aspect. Upon watching this film, it certainly wasn't too difficult to appreciate the efforts Anderson displays on screen; but I could not help but notice the high amount of elements borrowed from many superior science-fiction thrillers like James Cameron's 'Aliens' and John Carpenter's 'The Thing'. It's clear that Anderson is showering in inspiration and knows how to have fun with the genre, but the film as a whole doesn't always work, at least not too well in the narrative department. While it showers the screen with enough blood and gore to make the sensitive crowd squirm and occasional nightmare-inducing to the mix, Anderson attempts on generating a thoroughly frightening experience come with only half-hearted results. Set in the futuristic 2047 in the depths of outer space, the film centers on a crew of astronauts: Captain Miller (played by Laurence Fishburne), Lieutenant Stark (played by Joely Richardson), Cooper (played by Richard Jones), D.J (played by Jason Isaacs), Justin (played by Jack Noseworthy), Smith (played by Sean Pertwee), and Medical Technician Peters (played by Kathleen Quinlan) on an investigation for a lost spaceship known as Event Horizon. Assisted by the creator of Event Horizon, the crew embark on an exploration to the missing spaceship, only to encounter a terrifying force that picks off the crew one by one.
Compared to other science-fiction features, this one is nowhere near as memorable or inventive as it sets out to be, nor does it embrace the proper caliber to sustain a truly visceral experience. Luckily, director Paul W. S. Anderson packs just enough thrills and striking visuals to make up a somewhat exciting experience, but the suspense and horror does fall flat at times; especially during the first half. Capturing a claustrophobic atmosphere and nightmarish imagery ranging from grossly deformed human figures with gauged-out eyes, to dismembered mutant bodies, to creepy blood-covered paranormal entities; there is no denying how absurd and horrifying this movie can get as it journeys through plenty of creepy imagery that is bound to make the weak stomach squirm. And the dazzling production design of the spaceship interior and the corridors which borrow heavily from 'Alien' are quite nice to look at, especially with the decent cinematography to expand upon the view. It's too bad however, that the storyline falls short of substance, ending the plot with major questions unanswered (dealing with plot points I rather not spoil) and characters sorely underdeveloped. The crew is trapped in a ship that has been to Hell. As interesting as it is, the film never makes a solid attempt to explain what is going on. Though Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill give an okay, if flawed performances as the lead characters, neither of them manage to stand out too far above the rest of the cast who's characters are left in two-dimensional entities. This is not the stay that none of the characters aren't likable, but sadly none of them are uninteresting in a way that you keep rooting for their survival. And it definitely does not help that the writers pin the characters with inconsistently laughable dialogue.
Event Horizon may not the proper narrative heft to support it's flawed storyline, but offers just enough thrills and excitement to make up for the blemishes in it's script. It is not a film that reaches the level of a visceral horror experience, nor does it even come close to. By the end however, it makes for a pulse-pounding thrill ride brought together by the efforts of Paul W. S. Anderson.