Pandorum (2009) Review

Pandorum (2009)

Pandorum follows Bower and Payton, 2 astronauts who wake up from hypersleep with no memory of who they are or what their mission might be, only that something is very, very wrong on board the ship. 

When my friend Harper sat me down to watch this, I was admittedly a bit trepidatious, as I figured it would end up being like every other direct to SYFY movie and just some grimy, trash-tier, horror schlock. Pandorum, while still grimy as all hell, is rather intelligent however, in a Dead Space, bordering on cosmic horror kinda way. Because while we are led to believe that the evolved, cannibalistic lifeforms on board are the threat here (though they are still a massive threat, virtually unkillable), it’s the the deep space illness, pandorum, that is really the true terror. 

Which therein lies the build up and twist, as we discover that Payton, a member of the original crew, was not the captain, but a man afflicted with pandorum and the reason that the Elysium had fallen into madness after he killed most of the crew. It’s a shocking coming-to moment, that is only made more grim upon the realization that there’s something very wrong with space—the stars are gone. For even the briefest second, it’s a thought that immediately begets fear, being all alone in the universe. Thankfully, this bleak ending is rectified with knowing they are underwater, and have been for some time, allowing them remaining crew to start anew on Tanis. 

We get an astonishingly elevated cast, featuring Norman Reedus, Eddie Rouse, Cung Le, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Dennis Quaid, and Ben Foster. Having only seen Foster in X-Men: The Last Stand, I was blown away at just how good he is here, balancing well against the entire cast, specifically Quaid, who puts in an insane performance of his own that makes this immediately investing. 

Pandorum, directed by Christian Alvart, is clearly a low budget, direct to DVD, sci-fi horror flick but what separates it from the pack is it’s performances and intelligence, always keeping you on your toes with it’s freaky and revelatory nature. 

7/10