Event Horizon (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Paul W.S. Anderson

Writer (WGA):

Philip Eisner (written by)

Release Date:

15 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Infinite Space - Infinite Terror

Plot:

A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned...with someone or something new on-board.

Plot Keywords:

Black Hole | Gore | Cryogenics | Outer Space | Threatened With Knife

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Laurence Fishburne	...	Captain Miller
Sam Neill	...	Dr. William Weir
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Peters, Med Tech
Joely Richardson	...	Lt. Starck
Richard T. Jones	...	Cooper
Jack Noseworthy	...	Justin
Jason Isaacs	...	D.J.
Sean Pertwee	...	Smith
Peter Marinker	...	Captain John Kilpack
Holley Chant	...	Claire
Barclay Wright	...	Denny Peters
Noah Huntley	...	Burning Man / Edward Corrick
Robert Jezek	...	Rescue 1 Technician

Also Known As:

The Stars My Destination (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some nudity.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | USA:R (certificate #34953) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (1998) | Finland:K-18 (1997) | France:-12 | Sweden:15 (video rating) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KNT | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Golar Productions

Trivia:

According to the DVD documentary, the first cut of the film had a longer "Visions from Hell" sequence, more blood, and a different, though similar, ending. The test audience didn't like it, so it was re-cut with an alternate ending involving what director Paul W.S. Anderson called "The Burning Man Sequence." The second test audience didn't like that version, and the film was edited again. The final cut is a less-intense hybrid of both test screenings, with significantly less gore.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the scouting party first enters the Event Horizon, Captain Miller states that the "Place is a deep freeze. We've got ice crystals everywhere." A few moments later, a plastic bottle of spring water is seen tumbling in zero-gravity in that area of the spacecraft, and the sound of liquid sloshing around in the bottle is heard. Of course, the contents of the bottle should be frozen solid if it's a "deep freeze", and it's not even remarked upon by the crew-member who examines it.

Quotes:

Miller: I want you cool, I want you calm, NOW!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tripping the Rift: The Devil and a Guy Named Webster (#1.5)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Funky Shit

almost sang its song in tune

Once upon a time there were two movies, both considered masterpieces of their genre.

One was callied "Alien", the brilliantly realized SF/Horror film from Ridley Scott, about a deep space mission that brought back an unwanted predatory visitor from the imagination of Giger.

The other film was called "Solaris", about a deep space mission that caused the crew to exhibit psychotic behavior and keep living out scenes from their earth life. Solaris, an intellectual film from the Soviet-era genius Andrei Tarkovsky, is the more complex film. It does not attempt to explain whether the hallucinations are caused by an external force, space fever, passage into a time-space warp, or just the fact that you can't ever run from yourself, not matter how far you go. No monsters.

"Event Horizon" is a cross breed between these two legendary deep-space films. The monster is there, but it inhabits the minds of the crew, learns everything about them, every fear, every memory, and causes their insanity. Solaris with action, and an identified external cause. The idea was pretty damned good, the special effects and visuals were brilliant, and they hired a good cast. Some of the moments will scare the beejeepers out of you.

But they went over the top in some ways. Too many explosions. A fist-fight with the monster, what's that all about? Too many empty-headed discussions about what man was or wasn't meant to know. Ultimately too little really original. Reviewers were sharply divided on this film. Some said it was a truly brilliant scare-fest, others thought is was a zero-star waste of their precious time. I don't know. It isn't Alien or Solaris, but it has a lot of positives and I enjoyed it, but I don't plan to watch it again.