Pandorum (2009)

To play devil’s advocate, let’s just say that it is better that nobody can hear you scream in space unless you want company…

Overture Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Icon Productions, M6, Constantin Film and Impact Pictures present…

The film is a mixture of psychological trauma, horror and space exploration! It’s something that humanity would endeavor in the next century, discovering the vastness of space and new planets that would not only delve into finding life but also asking ourselves what would be in store for all humanity when we reach our new home…or if we ever get there alive!

The year was 2174, after mankind has overpopulated Earth and launched their ships to a world named Tanis! An astronaut named Cpl. Bower awoke from a deep slumber with no clue on when or where he is. He is soon assisted by an officer named Lt. Payton. Together they find themselves in a ship without power, they must help each other to see what happened before they were in hibernation and unlock the secrets of their mission…

Bower initiated to take the vents to access the other side of the ship as Lt. Payton guides him through the available system in the control bay. Inadvertedly, Bower starts to unravel what’s inside the ship and found additional survivors to help him activate the Nuclear reactor. Though the Lieutenant seemingly looks on the other side of the fence, he finds himself hallucinating as the effects of Pandorum is starting to take over him. This is where all hell breaks loose; to add more to the paranoia, mutated humans take their stand to survive of what was left of the ship’s survivors.

Veteran actor Dennis Quaid (Flight of the Phoenix) gives a remarkable performance, I was elated that he outdid himself from a previous military movie that was mediocre. He is more of the protagonist in films but here, a hint was a giveaway of who he was! The younger Corporal Gallo played by Cam Gigandet (Priest) wore the uniform depicting a different timeline does giving more inclination to who he really was. Truly, there is something more than meets the eye… full of suspense and twists that will leave the audiences hanging in a balance as the surviving crew fight against time and the monstrosity amongst them! The young actor is still starting and learning the ropes, but I prefer him than Channing even if he’s still green in acting, he can be demented if he wanted to!

After scrimmaging all over the place, he recovers who he was and still being hopeful that his wife would still be alive. Ben Foster (30 Days of Night) is the Corporal on the run! He has been one of my favorites in portraying a villain in films and being a good guy once on a while can go a long way. This talented performer will go places, all that emotion and starkness in his persona makes him an actor of his generation.

The supporting cast did their part well, especially with Antje Traue (5 Days of War), who plays Nadia one of the protagonists and remembered she was their Biologist studying the organisms on board in order to re-populate the new planet. She hails from Germany in which the film was shot as well.

The actress was chosen to handle another “alien” movie but this time around, she will be one of them and a certain “Man of Steel” will see to it that she behaves properly! Other casts include Norman Reedus (Blade 2) and Cung Le (Tekken) as Shepard and Mahn respectively. Seeing that they were there for additional manpower to help contain the alien threat was actually mere cannon fodder since they run around seemingly abandoned ship trying to survive the mutants who are really hungry!

These kinds of films are stereotyped, like the zombies, the vampire films but it did not matter to me, this was done with lucidity and brilliant choreography! The plot is great! Not knowing what’s on what’s going to happen makes the film more interesting to watch. The production team did a great atmosphere on the set, with great visual effects and Director Christian Alvart (Case 39), they all did a wonderful job! The Direction was intensive enough to make it unpredictable and give it an adrenaline rush playing through the maze type interiors of the massive ship. Screenplay and Story was provided by Travis Milloy (Just Like Mona) still not in the league of enticing the masses but did his homework well with the project given.

Tanis may be a long time coming but it’s all worth it in the end! Population 1213 and count me in!