THE MOVIE-                    3 stars out of 5

 

Think of a combination of 2001 A Space Odyssey and Nightmare on Elm Street and should you have a pretty good handle on the plot in Event Horizon. The film stars Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill who are on a mission to find a space craft, The Event Horizon, which was lost near Neptune 7 years prior on its maiden voyage. When they arrive at the Event Horizon in a low orbit around Neptune, they discover a ghost ship. After they arrive for the first time, they are informed for the first time that the ship was equipped with a revolutionary warp type drive which enables the ship to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye by creating a singularity or black hole and traveling through it. However, on their first visit through the black hole, they bring back something they didn’t bargain for which ends up tearing the crew apart. Will the same fate await the rescue crew? You will have to see for yourself. While I enjoyed the film, I felt that it failed to convey the sense of suspense that is the hallmark of a great horror film which this film strives to be. It falls a good bit short of the best space horror/ thriller of all time, namely Alien, which is a truly scary and suspenseful film. While it does fall a bit short, it is a good film in its own right and one which is worth a look. Recommended but as a rental only.

 

THE VIDEO-                4 1/3 stars out of 5

 

Event Horizon is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1 and is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side is the level of detail which is excellent. Film grain appears to be well preserved.  On the downside, I found the color palette to be rather unusual and unnatural looking as well as a bit inconsistent. Black level was also rather mediocre not being as deep as the best looking films. Clarity and depth on image was good although well short of the best looking films. I would also use the word old to describe the overall look of this film. The film lacks the punch, clarity and depth of the better looking films of more recent vintage. I know the film was not made all that long ago (1997) but the overall image falls a good bit short of the much older films that have been the subject of a major restoration, such as the early Bond films. I have no doubt that Event Horizon would look much better after a major restoration. Until then, this edition will have to do.

 

THE AUDIO-                4 1/3 stars out of 5

 

Even Horizon comes with a lossless Dolby True HD track, which like the video, is a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, the dialogue track is well recorded and well placed in the mix, never getting lost during the action. Bass response is excellent. Dynamics are good as well. On the down side, my main complaint is with the sound design and the use or lack of use of the surrounds. In a film such as this which relies on suspense, the use of the surrounds is critical to produce the edginess and creepiness that makes the visuals more effective. Here, the surrounds are only used sparingly and just don’t create the palpable sense of suspense that you would expect. As a result, you just don’t feel like jumping out of your seat when an otherwise jolting image appears on screen. I will not give specific examples so as to not spoil the plot. My other major issue with the sound is that it is rather flat, lacking the depth of the best sounding films. The sound emanating from the front three speakers just seems to hang in the front of the room and does not extend out into the rest of the room, even when the surrounds are engaged. There is just not enough depth both front to back and from side to side in the sound design to present an immersive sound experience, of the type that a suspense film really requires.

 

EXTRAS

 

While the release contains several extras, they are all in standard definition with the exception of the theatrical trailer. Extras include a commentary by the director and the producer, The Making of Event Horizon consisting of 5 documentaries concerning the making of the film, Point of No Return the filming of Event Horizon with director’s commentary, Secrets with selectable director commentary, deleted briefing scene, extended medical bay scene and extended burning man confrontation, The Unseen Event Horizon with Director Commentary: The unfilmed rescue scene and conceptual art.

 

IN CONCLUSION

 

Event Horizon is a suspense thriller with a somewhat flawed sound design and good but not outstanding visuals. While I enjoyed the film, I would recommend it as a rental only.