Christian Alvert makes a brave go at weak source material, but can’t hide the tutelage of producer Paul W.S Anderson in a poorly realised Sci-Fi mish-mash.
Deep in some generic future, life on Earth has ground to a halt, and the remaining humans are being shipped out on huge cryogenic tanker craft in search of a new start. Unfortunately Lieutenant Payton – an overly earnest Dennis Quaid – and Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) wake up a little early, and suffering from the kind of hybernation sickness that screams MacGuffin, the two haven’t a clue what they’re doing.
So far, things are promising, pointing towards what could be a paced and very grown up drama. Unfortunately it doesn’t last, with strange grumblings coming from the belly of the seemingly deserted craft. Deciding to investigate, it isn’t long before they stumble over – you guessed it – Mutant Cannibals!
While amnesiac heroes are a nice twist, the terrible MTV editing isn’t, with cameras lurching about, aiming for video game immersion but resulting in vague seasickness and confusion, as terrible beasts leap from the shadows, and every upcoming shock is clearly signposted by a hyperactive bass soundtrack.
As well as the terrible beasts, there’s Cam Gigandet’s cynical mystery man lurking in the control room, and Quaid facing off against every unlikely malfunction imaginable on his way through the bowels of the ship to the reactor.
Mistaking swamping everything in darkness for genuine atmosphere, Alvert tries to maintain our interest, but despite solid performances it’s soon knocked off kilter by the clunky dialogue and a camera that appears to have been under the control of a serial meth tweaker, leaving the audience irritated rather than involved.
A straight to DVD-er mysteriously given a fairly high profile opening, Pandorum flirts with Horror, Mystery and Sci-Fi while resolutely avoiding the most compelling elements of all three.
