Pandorum (2009) [w/Commentary]

Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly - and horrifically - realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can't remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking, deadly secrets are revealed… and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.

Pandorum is an amazingly original and crafty sci-fi/horror film. The premise is well thought out and the script delivers bang on from the opening scene to the end. This movie grabs you like a vice right from the start, and never releases until the final credits. The mise-en-scene is beautifully dark and realistic, against the juxtaposition of human beings waking up in a ship without memories of who they are or their mission. The audience explores with the two crew members unraveling the mystery. There are many twists in this film and it's hard to find words without spoiling…so just go see it…you won't be disappointed.

In my opinion, this is the best sci-fi/horror film to hit the major screens since Alien. I viewed Pandorum on Friday, and then Surrogates on Saturday, and without question, Pandorum is a superior film. Pandorum has it all, from dark scenes, fast moving monsters, isolation…it's all there and more. In fact, I haven't felt this much realistic isolation and since Carpenter's 'The Thing'. Yes, I loved this movie! It's definitely one you want to see plastered on the big screen.

Audio Commentary track with Director Christian Alvart and Producer Jeremy Bolt. The commentary is neither engaging nor bland, a middle-of-the-road effort that offers plenty of fascinating information that's both technical and historical in nature. The conversation begins by dissecting the different ideas that went into Pandorum and the marriage of many themes that made it into the film. They discuss the effort to lend realism to the picture, character arcs and the performances of the actors, the film's pacing, set design, and much more.