Enjoyable Rental

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2010)

In a nutshell, Event Horizon is an enjoyable rental in the suspense/horror genre.
There is a lot of gore in some scenes, but it is not, overall, a "gorefest".
Somehow, despite having great production values, some great actors, and a pace which is just right, the movie also tends not to be remembered. Perhaps it is because the characters are not as deep and developed as you might want. Perhaps it is because this is really three stories in one.
The first story, is what happened to the Event Horizon (a spaceship), several years ago.
The second story, is what will happen to the Event Horizon in the future. (I'm being vague so as to avoid any spoilers).
The third story, is what will happen to the crew sent on a rescue mission to find and recover the Event Horizon. This third story is the focus, told from the perspective of the rescue crew.
This movie might have been better if it told just one story, giving itself more time to develop the characters. That way, a prequel (or two) could fill in some more of the back story.
However, it seems like film makers are content to only make one movie nowadays. What's up with that? Don't they want money?
Anyhow, all three stories take a back seat to the suspense aspects. This is more of a suspense movie than a horror movie, but I think that the horror is what makes the suspense worthwhile, so that is why I call it a "suspense/horror".
The first time you watch it, you will be surprised, even if you think you see things coming.
I own a copy of this movie and will enjoy re-watching it later, already have watched it a few times, but, I have to say that with all the good movies out now (including older movies which are being re-released, etc.), this may be more of a rental than a must-buy movie.
As a rental movie, I rate it 9/10, grade A.
As a rental, the only thing that could have made it better, was more "impact": better dialog, faster pace with more "action", more focused character development, less time spent building up the story.
If you're looking to buy, I'd rate it only 6/10, grade B.
The quality of its parts are high but it just isn't remarkable enough. With a bit more effort, and perhaps making it a series of two or three movies instead of just one, it would have been much more impressive.
Overall, then, 7/10, or a B+ grade. Enjoyable as a rental, but make sure to screen it before you buy it.