Pandorum (2009): Movie Review

Pandorum (2009)
Linda Cook

Shades of "Sunshine," here's another futuristic science fiction yarn with hope at its core.

"Pandorum" is a mental state that space travelers sometimes develop. And the question that's posed to viewers throughout this fast-paced story is: Which, if any, of these crew members is suffering from pandorum, which can involve violent tendencies and hallucinations?

An overpopulated planet Earth has dispatched a group of voyagers, presumably to a new planet. The ship is the Elysium, and its crew is waking up from a long sleep - at least some of them are regaining consciousness.

They're bewildered, afraid and unsure of their purpose. Cpl. Bowers (Ben Foster) realizes that he is part of some sort of mission, but he's not sure what it is. He and Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid), the ship's captain, try to piece things together as they rediscover the ship and its controls.

When Bowers ventures forth, he finds himself trapped in a darkened tunnel, where cannibalistic aliens continue to hunt him. In fact, they set traps for him. More and more, Bowers comes to believe that he needs to get to the ship's reactor. That is, if he can stay alive while he dodges the hideous creatures he seems to encounter at every turn.

Bower and Payton aren't the only humans who have awakened aboard the ship. Bowers also meets the distrustful Nadia (Antje Traue) and a warrior (Cung Le) who cannot speak English. They realize that they must defend each other in order to survive their journey to the reactor.

Payton finds yet another human named Gallo whose jitteriness makes Payton uneasy. Could Gallo be suffering from pandorum? Gallo shows up covered in blood, but whose blood is it?

This is edge-of-your-seat fun. Yes, it's a bit of a stalk 'n' slash, but it's also a little of "Alien" and "The Descent," too. It's a nicely crafted mystery, too, because the audience is kept unaware of who really is a villain until the very end, which is quite satisfying.

All of the performers are very capable. They give their characters personalities that we can believe in and root for, with the help of succinct expository dialogue. Quaid stays in command even when he wonders whether he really can maintain control.

This is a good year for science fiction fans. Here's another movie that's well worth seeing on the big screen.

© Linda Cook



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