Event Horizon is a creepy, gory sci-fi / horror mash-up from director Paul W.S. Anderson that’s much better than the critics would lead you to believe.
Sam Neill plays Dr. Billy Weir, a scientist who, years earlier, built and designed a spaceship known as the Event Horizon. A vessel equipped with a device that could ‘bend’ space (thus allowing it to travel anywhere in the galaxy in a matter of seconds), the Event Horizon disappeared during its maiden voyage and was never heard from again.
Jump to seven years later, and the ship has suddenly resurfaced, orbiting Neptune. Hoping to discover what happened to his beloved creation, Dr. Weir and the crew of the rescues vessel the Lewis and Clark, commanded by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), travel into deep space to rendezvous with the seemingly abandoned Event Horizon, only to discover it brought something sinister back from its journey into the unknown.
Neill is quite good as the determined scientist, willing to do whatever it takes to salvage his ship, yet it’s Laurence Fishburne as the surly, smart Captain Miller who steals the show. The special effects are solid - if a bit dated - and the film’s more horrific scenes, which include ample doses of blood and gore, are sure to leave a lasting impression (a brief video signal that the Lewis and Clark manages to retrieve from the Event Horizon, showing the fate that befell its original crew, will send shivers up your spine).
If you’re looking for some effective sci-fi inspired thrills and chills, you can do a lot worse than Event Horizon. Rating 7 out of 10 (worth a watch)