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John Allman

If you’ve ever wandered the aisles at the video store or surfed the DVR pay-per-view options and seen a bunch of movies that you’ve never heard of, chances are John has watched them. Why? He loves movies. All kinds of movies. Good, bad, so-bad-they’re good, even the truly unwatchable ones. He mostly loves horror and science-fiction and drive-in exploitation movies that most upstanding model citizens wouldn’t dare watch. Then he writes up his thoughts so you can decide - watch, don’t watch or avoid at all costs. Sometimes he even gets to talk to the cool folks who make some of your favorite films.

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John Allman

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Pandorum

Posted Jan 27, 2010 by John Allman

Updated Jan 27, 2010 at 07:40 AM

Pandorum
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi
Directed by: Christian Alvart
Run time: 108 minutes
Rating: R
Format: Blu-Ray

The Lowdown: Criminally underrated and all but ignored at the box office, “Pandorum” is a wickedly fun ride that keeps you guessing until its awesome final frame.

Director Christian Alvart has crafted a smart, dark sci-fi hybrid that mines familiar territory briefly before breaking out in unexpected directions. If you loved “Event Horizon” and wanted more from “Solaris,” this is the movie for you.

The premise is all too clichéd: Deep in space, on an exploration vessel bound for a distant world, a cryogenic chamber opens too soon and a lone planetary traveler falls out. He’s disoriented and scared, unsure what’s going on. As played by the always impressive Ben Foster, you take an immediate interest in his well-being.

Soon, a second crew member emerges, this one played by Dennis Quaid, finally giving fans a reason to remember why he’s such a solid character actor and not the two-dimensional caricature seen recently in “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “Legion.”

The two men struggle to reach the ship’s bridge, but quickly learn they aren’t alone. Despite not finding anyone else alive, they encounter terrible creatures unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

“Pandorum” plays wonderfully with its cramped, claustrophobic quarters, placing Foster in tight spaces and making him fight to stay alive.

The real treat is how Alvart slowly reveals his hand, carefully manipulating the viewer into believing they know where the story is going before making a quick turn into chaos.

I really, really enjoyed this movie. And I absolutely loved the ending and how epic the end game was revealed to be.

“Pandorum” begs for a sequel, and it’s one of those rare films where the ending becomes the beginning of a new story that you want to see.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Yes.
Nudity – Yes.
Gore – No.
Drug use – Yes.
Bad Guys/Killers – I have no idea how to describe them, but they’re cool.
Buy/Rent – Buy it.
Blu-Ray Bonus Features – Featurettes, “The World of Elysium,” “What Happened to Nadia’s Team” and “Flight Team Training”; audio commentary; deleted and alternate scenes; still galleries.
On the Web – http://www.pandorummovie.com/
Release Date – Jan. 19, 2010