Pandorum

(2009) ***1/2

There is often a fine line between horror and science fiction which makes me hesitate before picking some films for Horrorthon. Pandorum was one of those films, it almost didn't make the cut but after dozens of creepy kids, slashers and haunted houses I was itching for something different. It didn't disappoint. Much like Alien, Pandorum delivers a fine blend of scifi and horror with the bonus of trained capable military types putting up a good fight.

Two astronauts (Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster ) awaken from hypersleep with total amnesia finding themselves adrift in a large space station. They don't know who they are or why they are there. As their memories begin to slowly reengage one of the men ventures into the seemingly deserted ship to attempt to restart the main reactor while the other remains in the bridge guiding him through. They soon discover that they are not alone, along with some fellow astronauts there are some massive bad ass creatures lurking about. It doesn't take long for them to realize that they are in deep shit.

One of the things I really appreciated with Pandorum is the level of realism taken into account while they are fighting the creatures. These things are big, strong and mean! In one scene it takes three guys to take down one of the creatures and let me tell you, they got their asses kicked doing it. Once the fight is over they notice several more creatures have arrived, they look at each other and say, “run!” I've read numerous mixed reviews on this film so I'd have to say it's just a matter of personal taste. I liked it, I thought the creatures were great, the effects were awesome and the plot was tense. It was exactly the kind of film I hoped it would be.