Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Its name: "Event Horizon". The high-tech, pioneering research spacecraft mysteriously vanished, without a trace, on its maiden voyage seven years earlier. But a weak, persistent signal from the long-missing craft prompts a rescue team, headed by the intrepid Captain Miller, to wing its way through the galaxy on a bold rescue mission. Accompanying Miller is his elite crew and the lost ship's designer; their mission is to find and salvage the state-of-the-art interstellar horror.

I’ve always thought of this one as a sort of Hellraiser in space. The imagery and tone of the film are very reminiscent of Barker’s dark hit but director Paul Anderson took it into space and gave it some of his own flare. I thought the effects work of this film was pretty good during its theatrical run but it is amusing watching it now and seeing how much they tried to emphasis the rather crude special effects compared to today’s work. As a sci-fi horror film this one does excel though. The mood and sheer terror of it during the third act make it an unexpected experience if you underestimate it.

The HD presentation is pretty strong overall but most of the film has a very cleaned up look to it that feels a bit artificial. Some light ringing is noticed which only lends to the issue. Dimensionality is strong though and contrast levels deliver some great blacks and plenty of depth. The CG work can be a bit soft but that was just a limitation of the technology of the time. Fine object detail is quite good and even longer shots deliver a nice amount of detail. By far the best I’ve seen the film to date.

The TrueHD soundtrack really lays the bass on thick in this one. It was like they used every excuse they could to get the room shaking. The sound design does a great job with the material and really adds an extra edge to the film’s mood. At times the volume can be a bit excessive but I never found it overly fatiguing. The soundstage is rich in discrete use and the surrounds really add to the impact of the imagery.

Paramount has included quite a lot of extras for this one. The making of the film is covered in great detail thanks to a series of documentaries on the production. You’ll find all kinds of insight on the filming, special effects and themes of the film along with interviews with the key players. You also get an inside look at filming the movie complete with a commentary with the director. A feature commentary is also included along with some deleted scenes and concept art.

Dark sci-fi horror like this is rare so I’ll take it whenever I can. Paramount has done a good job with the presentation and this one falls just short of the best catalog titles. If you’re a fan, definitely give this one a look.