Pandorum

This dark, extremely violent sci-fi movie directed by German filmmaker Christian Alvart is set on a spaceship that leaves a ruined Earth carrying survivors searching for a habitable planet, with passengers and most of the crew placed in cryogenic hibernation for the long journey. But as the plot kicks in, one of the crew members, Bower (Ben Foster), is painfully awakened from his slumber, followed soon by another, Payton (Dennis Quaid), who together remember little but discover that the ship is disabled. While Payton takes the controls, Bower sets off to reboot the reactor that will restore power—which is not as simple as it sounds, since the ship is crawling with carnivorous beasts that might be mutant versions of some of the passengers, while the other humans are either of no help or positively dangerous (with one in particular jabbering on about the titular madness that strikes people on extended voyages). It turns out that one of the group isn't what he seems, but that revelation is reserved for a twisty—and incongruously upbeat—finale. Until then, Pandorum basically consists of a long chase with lots of brutal fights and gory deaths—intended to be exciting but quickly growing dull, since none of the characters are the least bit likable and virtually everything is shot in dank visuals meant to be atmospheric but mostly appearing just murky, with jerky editing adding to the muddle. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted and alternate scenes (28 min.), “The World of Elysium” behind-the-scenes featurette (14 min.), a “What Happened to Nadia's Team” bonus scene (5 min.), and a flight team training segment (3 min.), as well as storyboard, stills, drawing, and monster art galleries, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing horror flick.] (F. Swietek)