Event Horizon

Ok that was a good dvd review thanks Kreeper. Correct me if i'm wrong but I thought Anderson kept saying wait for my directors cut? Then this gets released as is and we get Anderson whining about what could have been?

Did he think he'd get money to finish effects sequences or what?

He plays the director's cut card everytime a movie of his is received badly. And then it turns out the director's cut is shit.

That seems like the case with this and AvP but I haven't heard him saying the same thing with other films (please correct me if i'm wrong i'm curious if he has).

I actually like the flick as is, and, like many other geeks, was waiting for the director's cut to emerge. Back in the day, I stuck up for Anderson, but he's put too much crap out there. This flick though - has some great stuff in it. And Jack Noseworthy!!! Plus, the DVD looks loaded (though, no director's cut), so I'll be buying it.

Overlooking Anderson's DC promise it looks like a good SE. Its certainly his best film overall. If the DC was out and halfway decent I would probably buy but thanks to Anderson (or Paramount) I won't be picking it up.

I seem to remember after this movie came out that he was saying that there wouldn't be a DC DVD or video release, because this was his directors cut. I remember that because I was bummed, hoping we would get more footage of the original crews mental meltdown and torture Hellraiser workshop. He may have laid the DC card for his other films, but I don't think he did for this one.

went to target and tower today and it was not there - oh well

Other than the somewhat slapped together ending, I agree. I really was surprised at how much I liked the movie when I first saw it in the theater, and I'll probably be heading out to pick this one up as well.

It works great.

As a comedy.

There never was a Directors Cut. In fact, when Anderson held a family and friends screening prior to the release of the film he said afterwards that he was thinking about making it shorter.

did he use the Directors cut thing with Soldier? What a wash that was.

Love this one. Creepiest sci-fi horror since Alien.

The Fish"burn"e and Quinlan scenes suck, but the rest is great.

Extremely good movie, and easily Anderson's best movie. I saw it in the theaters back in '97, and it was creepy then, and is creepy now. On the audio commentary Anderson says that this was definitely a movie made for dvd, because of the sequences that are quick flashes when Fishburne is fighting with Neil at the end. If you go slow or frame by frame in those scenes, there is some really fucked up imagery in there. The aforementioned Director's Cut as stated on the audio commentary sounded like it would have been a really extreme version, and not for everyone. Too bad the footage was lost though.

The opening scene with the camera spinning on the space station above earth kicked in my vertigo. I felt sick. It was all downhill from that point really.

How facetious of you. It’s nice to know the great arbiter of quality movies is looking down upon us. The only thing that Event Horizon does really wrong is the amount of stuff it 'references' and steals from other films. But as a piece of haunted house entertainment it works exceptionally well.

No, it doesn't. But thanks for trying to invalidate me!

This may be because I first watched the film when I was 12, but I found the film to be immensely creepy until the last 10 minutes. I think it's a visual tour de force, with better than average acting, some interesting characterisation, and a genuinely unsettling ambience. Care to explain why you think it doesn't work?

Because it's really pretty bad. I don't understand the "visual tour de force" comment at all, because aside from the somewhat unique (but still pretty boring) engine room, this movie is a dull as dishwater peacemeal of corridors from Alien, 2001, and innumerable grimy spaceship sets.

Again it was probably to do with my age, but the cathedral look of the ship and the gothic tones inside always impressed me. Although to be honest I think it looks nothing at all like the Nostromo, aside from the fact they're both spaceships.

Because it has terrible acting, predictable scares, and an overall lack of interest and coherence, coupled with some pretty derivative elements. Honestly, when I saw it in the cinema I was laughing out loud.

Thanks. I'll accept it's a guilty pleasure of mine. I was just trying to coax some actual discussion out of people, it seems that 40% of the replies on the forum are essentially statements of intent rather than anything which could lead to a discussion.

A visual tour de force does not a good film make. My overall impression was of a film which looked good on the outside but was hollow on the inside.

Is that a mixed metaphor?

Especially from Sean Pertwee, who must have received a standing ovation in Hell for just about every movie he's appeared in. Oh ... and that kid who kept going on about The dark ... THE DARK!!!!.

Doesn't he get any love for Dog Soldiers?

Yeah, but it's a comedy, so he works.

I was cheering for the Werewolf.

I think you're supposed to.

I remember watching this on video back during my freshman year in college and being extremely creeped out, especially by Sam Neill when he looks like Pinhead near the end. I ought to go back and watch it again and see if it still weirds me out.

The director's cut of this film doesn't exist. He's just bullshitting his ass off in order to maintain the artistic credibility he gained from Mortal Kombat. There was a little gore cut out, but it's not like a different film is floating out there.

See, I watched it when I was 22 and had seen plenty of other far better pictures and thought it was a pretty abysmal, technically efficient piece of Lem-riffing. Hearing that it works best as a picture for 12 years olds who haven't seen many other pictures is gloriously telling.

Minus marks for gratuitous use of Latin, too.

Cerberus est canis. Caecelius est pater. Caecelius est in forum. Metella est mater. Metella adamo Cerberus dum Caecelius est in forum.

That statement quite honestly scares the piss out of me.

Surely you aren't seriously ranking Event Horizon above Carpenter's The Thing and Cronenberg's The Fly? Pitch Black? Cube? Alien 3, even?

Critters IV? Tell me when I'm getting warm...

Critters IV is genius, Dan. Because you see, they're in space!

Granted my Latin is a bit rusty, but roughly translates as:

Cerberus is (a) (the) dog. Caecelius is (a) (the) father. Caecelius is in the marketplace. Metella is (a) (the) mother. Metella falls in love with Ceberus while Caecelius is in the marketplace?

Confusing.

You have to imagine Sean Pertwee saying it.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: Pertwee is the product of a diabolical midnight rendezvous between Worzel and Aunt Sally. He makes his mum look flesh-and-blood.

Worzel Gummidge... now that's something that was fucking scary.

I'll say. The Crowman scared the bejeezus out of me. All that taking heads off and putting them back on again. As for throwing bad scarecrows on the bonfire ...

I remember Harvester restaurants used to have mannequins of Worzel and Sally in there... gave me the fright of my life whenever I used to go.

Definitely the product of an unhinged mind. I watched a couple of episodes on UK Gold last week. I mean, it's not like Worzel is even likeable. He's such a shit. Although, less of a shit than Aunt Sally.

Definitely don't get the love for this film. I thought it was pretty bad.

The movie's like a hot dumb blonde, very pretty in a lot of the same ways many others are, but she has absolutely nothing to say.

I saw it in an empty theatre upon release, and I thought it was pretty good. I was scared here and there. Here is a question... Which if Andersons movies is his BEST, then? I think Event Horizon is above and beyond his best work.

Everything is shit, but Mortal Kombat has great music and Linden Ashby. The pilot for Spy Game, before they got rid of the comedic elements and made it a straight drama/action show, showed the brother had some smug chops.

Gad... i saw MK on TV the other night. It is pretty terrible. Goro... WOW. He sounded like that alien in the Pod Race (Phantom Menace) just before he hit the column. TERrible.

Event Horizon is Anderson's "best", in that he cribbed from superior source material for that one. Mortal Kombat works, as it's a fairly good representation of the game - and is thus utterly nonsensical bollocks. But at least you can pretend it was on purpose for that one.

Mortal Kombat will forever live in my heart just for the theater experience I got out of it. There were a billion of us kids there, the theater packed beyond capacity with people standing in the back. The place went BUCK when Scorpian and Sub-Zero came out.

I am afraid to ever watch it again though.

As for Event Horizon, I don't get the love. Never seemed like anything special, besides some decent effects.

I saw Event Horizon at the cinema and was pleasantly surprised by it at the time, simply because I didnt know what to expect when I went in to see it, having not read a single review or article on it...

But then once it was released on VHS and after some mild hyping on my part to others who hadnt seen it I watched it again.... and it truly hit me how dull, boring and derivative it was...

I had suffered the initial rush of shock from the first viewing but with a clearer head I was able to see its bloody awful flaws.... And from that point on I now refer to it simply as Cement Horizon....

Agreed that even now it has some nice things, the ship design for one, but theres just plain stupid moments like the guy floating through space for 20 mins of the film only for him to rescue himself in a laugh out loud way and get smashed in to the ships bridge and blown away again...

In my own opinion, obviously, the film is fast and flashy and attempts to race you through so you never get a chance to stop and point out how fucking stupid it really is... but repeat viewing(s) are not kind at all.... And any comparison to ALIEN, is, again in my opinion, foolish... ALIEN stands the test of time, is still disturbing, if not necessarily scary any more due to over familiarity. Its well made, its pacing is measured and its atmosphere is pitch perfect... Its like a gourmet meal... where as Event Horizon is the equivalent of a eating a Pez...