Search - Pandorum on DVD

Vicki H. (WNCadventurer)
Reviewed on 11/16/2021...

Here in Nov21, I say I have never seen this flick. Ben Foster as the main character in a sci-fi thriller was intriguing. I enjoyed it. The ship concept/layout met the mark for this sci-fi fan. The plot is like a Mad Max Marathon with Firefly reavers - and the suspense of Pitch Black and Sphere melded together - within a doomed earth concept as with SG-U.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 10/27/2017...

Watched last night, it was not what I expected. A must see for the sci-fi horror fan!

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Chad B. (abrnt1) from CABERY, IL
Reviewed on 11/5/2011...

Sci-Fi Horror movies have a tendency to be very hit or miss. One major problem is that sci-fi & horror fans, while having some things in common, have different expectations for their genre films. A horror fan is far more interested in rather or not the film delievers the required chills & thrills. A sci-fi fan is far more interested in the technological aspects of the story (the future world being shown). For every successful sci-fi horror film (Alien,Species,Event Horizon) there exist numerous box office failures (Lifeforce,Ghosts of Mars).
Pandorum is a box office failure. It's not a bad film, but it is a very flawed movie nonetheless. The biggest problem is the somewhat cliched performance given by Dennis Quaid. It's somewhat distracting and doesn't really serve a purpose overall. The story comes to a stop whenever Quaid's character appears onscreen.
What makes this film worth checking out is the hordes of cannibal mutants. The idea of being trapped onboard a huge spacecraft while being hunted by a monster is very effective. Everyone is scared of being eaten alive. This film implies the cannibalism is taking place (except for Italian Cannibal Films-Cannibal Holocaust,Cannibal Ferox-cannibalism is almost never shown onscreen in a film).

4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Derek B. from LINDSBORG, KS
Reviewed on 10/19/2011...

I gave Dennis Quaid a pass after Cold Creek Manor but he has now lost points in my book for picking stupid movies. I really felt like this movie started out with kind of a cool concept and then just lost it's mind. It had lots of scenes and aspects that were just an absolute waste of time. Examples being all the scenes with the cook character or the sub-plot with Bowers wife. The monsters where not scary in the least and it wasn't hard to figure out their twist. Really it wasn't hard to figure out any of the twists that this movie tries to throw at the audience. Really if you want to watch a good alien movie watch Aliens or even Predator, and if you want a solid space movie watch Moon. All of those are better options.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Scary, creepy Sci-Fi...I liked it!

Shopper | USA | 09/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The year is 2174. The population of Earth has reached over 24 billion. Famine and wars are commonplace. In a last ditch effort to save humankind, we send out a probe to find a planet that can sustain us. The mission is a success, though it will take over a hundred years to reach the new home...

Fast forward:

Two men wake up from deep sleep; alone, disoriented and suffering from memory loss. As their recollections slowly return, they realize they are part of the space ship crew navigating 60,000 settlers from Earth to the new planet. They have questions, but few answers. Where is everyone? How long have they been asleep? Why are they awake? Who's on bridge, flying the machine? And finally, once they discover they are NOT alone: what are those things, and where did they come from?!

Butterflies in my stomach? Check. Nails (my own ;o)) digging into my arm? Check. Conversing with friends about the movie long after the end? Check. All are side effects of a well made scary thriller (the sci-fi was just a bonus) and all were present in this case. The story has a great twist, but, best of all, it is largely plot-hole-free, as well as plausible.

So, why four, rather then five stars? Two reasons. Firstly, once answers start coming, they come fast and furious, to the point of being a tad confusing. Secondly, the two main characters are a bit lacking. Until the climactic end, Dennis Quaid spends most of the film saying "Bower, are you there...are you there, Bower?" He is a good actor but the script does not give him much to work with, leaving his talent underused. Ben Foster (the Angel from X-Men the Last Stand), disserves the top billing, as the action revolves mainly around him. Still, a more charismatic actor may have drawn us further into the character. There is a nice appearance from Cung Le, a Vietnamese-American real life martial arts champion (you may remember him from Fighting). He is a talkative passanger with all the answers, but, to Bower's frustration, no English. The man can move, but his awesome skills are not fully utilized here either. Shame...

This is not another Alien or Predator. It will not change the direction of film evolution. Still, Pandorum satisfactorily delivers scary, creepy sci-fi with a well put together story and a hopeful ending (I miss those!). It entertains!

Enjoy!
"

I did not expect it to be this good. Worth your money.

R. Smith | Burbank, CA | 01/21/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"See the movie BELOW, about the WW2 submarine? A sleeper right? Seeing this with low expectations reminded me of seeing that with low expectations. Especially when the ending credits came up and I realized that they made it all the way to the end without losing it.

When I first saw the trailers for Pandorum I said (as it seems a few others did), well, I gotta see it but it's probably another Event Horizon or an Aliens(1 or 2) ripoff attempt or a space zombie "bug hunt". (And I joked with my wife that Quaid must need some quick cash to re-do his basement or something, and he'd probably be killed off in the third scene when it's too late to get your ticket money back.)

Not that there's anything wrong with any of those things, Event Horizon was good for the first half till it overexplained the obvious, Aliens 1/2 were classics that deserve homage and Resident Evil (1 and 3) were great zombie fun with excellent fight dancing. (And every actor is human with human cash needs.)

I missed this in the theatre and forgot about it till I went looking for MOON on DVD and noticed this came out at the same time, MOON was out of stock so I got this.

It's good, I have to say it's really good. Like all science fiction / horror fans I pride myself on being able to guess the inevitable twist and I'm pretty good but not this time. Not for the multiple twists.

After being SOOOOOOOOOOOO INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED by Avatar's ripping off Every Lousy children's use-syfy-to-cover-the-stinking-preaching storyline, this Pandorum film was a refreshing fun adult Action/SF flick.

Good multiple ending twists, fun and toe-curling fight scenes with well done good-olde "bug hunting" ;-) and a final ending that while "happy" actually worked well and satisfied without feeling like it was tacked on just because it tested well.

Glad I bought it, it's a keeper. Cudos to the crew and cast. Remember guys, the good SF usually doesn't do well at the box office but eventually rises to the top in home sales."

Wild Ride

Robert Lopez | Dallas TX | 04/04/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some of these reviews are very eloquent and seem to be written by people with a great deal of entertainment expertise. All I can say about this movie is that I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It was a complete surprise. I thought it might be just another cheap sci-fi dud like we've all seen. Not so! If there was a negative I would say it leaned a bit toward the gory side. Not gratuitously though. And what a complete twist at the end! I think this movie deserves a solid "A"."