Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Paramount Home Entertainment – 95 min – 1997 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Master Audio

Ridley Scott mastered setting a horror film in space brilliantly in the 1979 movie Alien. Since then, this plot has been attempted many, many times with either mediocre or disastrous results. The problem is no one has ever been able to capture the atmosphere of being in deep space with nowhere to run, the key element that made Alien work. Event Horizon makes an attempt to dive into the territory that Ridley Scott created, and for the most part it works well. Event Horizon is now available on Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment hoping to scare you out of your space boots.

THE MOVIE

Taking place in the near future of 2047, a crew of an Earth spacecraft called the Lewis and Clark, led by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) are on an exploration mission in deep space. The arrival of a VIP scientist aboard the craft, Dr. Weir (Sam Neill), re-directs the crew on a new mission to search for a spacecraft called the Event Horizon, which mysteriously disappeared several years ago, but has oddly re-appeared on radar. Via an experimental technique of traveling at the speed of light, the crew of the Lewis and Clark find the Event Horizon sitting dead in space. Entering the vessel they discover that the crew has been brutally slaughtered by something unknown, which instantly begins to resurface as the crew of the Lewis and Clark begins to lose their sanity, as they don’t know whom to trust. One-by-one something hunts them down with extreme prejudice, as they attempt to escape the haunted ship and survive.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who helmed the videogame-based movies Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil. Even Horizon is not a bad movie; it’s just that we’ve seen it all before done better. Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill are two powerhouse actors who do all they can to bring believability to the movie, but with all the so-called horror movie clichés tossed into the mix, there’s only so much they can do to hold it together. How many scenes can you do with a character standing silently, who is then startled as another cast member walks up behind them? The first time you may jump, but after the fourth time you wish the director could have pulled another trick out of his hat.

The one thing Event Horizon benefits from is it’s short running time of 95 minutes that allows them not to waste any time and get right to the point. Everything is explained in a few simple sentences and then it’s just blood and gore until the ending credits role. As long as you don’t think too hard about it, Event Horizon is quite a thrill ride and perfect for a rainy Saturday night viewing. Even though the film is over a decade old, it still holds up because of it’s excellent art design and photography that makes the film look current, where as most sci-fi films look outdated in a matter of years. Even Horizon will never be labeled as a classic, but for fans of the genre it’s worth a look.

VIDEO

Event Horizon looks great with a full 1080p image in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and because of the film’s art direction, the visuals stand out strong. Being that it’s a horror movie, many elements are hidden in the dark, so blacks are highlighted and look great. Skin tones are also excellent, so you can see ever crater in Fishburne’s face. If you previously owned the standard DVD, this is a big leap up in image and worth the upgrade.

AUDIO

Like the image, Event Horizon delivers in the audio department as well with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix. This is film for those who love to show off their sound systems to others, because the effects have been balanced to highlight all of the speakers and not just the rear ones. Your subwoofer will also vibrate across the floor whenever the Lewis and Clark roars through space, particularly in the light jump sequence. Dialogue is crisp and the music score by Michael Kamen is the icing on the cake. This one is a winner.

EXTRAS

Event Horizon comes to Blu-ray porting over the same bonus features found on the DVD, but it’s a good batch of stuff that makes the disc worth owning.

Director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt provide an audio commentary track that is actually worth listening to, because they do seem passionate about the work.

The Making of Event Horizon is actually longer than the film itself, coming in at around 105 minutes. Divided into five chapters, this informative documentary includes interviews with the cast and filmmakers, discussing everything from the film’s origin, casting and the production itself.

Secrets includes ten minutes of deleted scenes with an optional voice commentary from Paul W.S. Anderson.

Point of No Return is a mini doc that includes some on the set footage and quick interviews. You’re better off just watching the main making of featurette.

The Unseen offers some conceptual artwork of scenes that were written in the script but never filmed. This is kind of interesting if you enjoyed the film.

BOTTOM LINE

Event Horizon, while in no way on the level of the greatest sci-fi horror film (that still belongs to Alien), is still an entertaining film that offers some thrills. The Blu-ray is solid with great picture and sound, as well as a good amount of bonus features. Those who liked the film and want to upgrade from the DVD should definitely consider adding this one to their collection.

SCORES: (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.0