Good Sci-Fi Horror

Rating: Null/10 (24 August 1999)

People seem to have extreme opinions of this film -- as usual. It's tiring to read "THIS MOVIE WAS THE BEST EVER!!!!" and "THIS MOVIE WAS THE WORST EVER!!!" with glib explanations why.
"Event Horizon" is an unusual movie, but I like it. Unlike other horror films, this one has a soul, and a theme. The theme is regrets.
First off, the characters and actors are first-rate. Laurence Fishbourne and Sam Neill particularly stand out. Fishbourne's character is more subtle than any roles I had seen him in -- save perhaps his "Boyz N the Hood" Furious Styles character. Sam Neill has the unenviable job of playing a character who goes whacko -- and not only does he have to go completely over-the-top, but he has to do it in an emotionally believeable manner.
Neill's character, before his transformation, is very sympathetic. In fact, one can't help but root for him to save himself. Hints of his extreme loneliness are echoed from the first shot of the film -- him inside a lonely sphere within a vast maze, constantly pulling back -- reminscient of the opening shot of "Star Trek: First Contact". He battles the demons within of his dead wife (having committed suicide due to her depression and obvious abandonment issues.)
There is evil in this movie, and it uses regret and loss to conquer. Neill's character is unable to deal with the pain of the loss of his wife, so evil provides him with an escape.
On another level, the movie is a fun terror ride. There is not as much gore as implied in these other posts. The movie's darkness is capably lightened somewhat by Jason Isaac's character.
One note: The movie's opening score probably marks the first time a hard-driving dark metal-techno beat was used to open a score -- but it works, in a big way. It's jarring enough in its incongruity for a horror sci-fi film it actually WORKS.