Event Horizon

Summary

I have always considered the Nineties to be one of the best eras for science fiction. This is partially due to my nostalgic memories of that time, but also due to the amount of inventive memorable films that were made in that genre at that time spanning from Waterworld to films like Being John Malkovich to Total Recall. In 1997, Paul W.S. Anderson directed an excellent horror film that happened to take place in outer space – Event Horizon. The film managed to be effective in both the horror and science fiction genres, which is a really difficult balance to manage. Critics at the time of the film’s release seemed to largely dismiss the film, which I have always thought was just showboating. Horror and science fiction genre films have a hard time pleasing critics in general, so maybe by mixing the genres together they had a task too difficult to accomplish. The only successful horror films to take place in space and receive critical praise that come to mind are the Alien films and possibly 2001: A Space Odyssey (which is really more of a thriller and an art house picture than a horror film.) I am not saying that Event Horizon is without its issues. For example, the film’s final act has a fantastic premise that it explores, but it also feels a bit unwieldy because of a couple cliche moments of villainy. That said, taken as a whole, the film has deservedly been praised by both genre communities for its great premise, frightening moments and ideas, brilliant production design, and numerous memorable sequences. 

The fact that the film turned out so well is also a bit miraculous. I remember when Fangoria first released photographs from the set of the film as it was being produced. Unfortunately, the film was scaled back from the original cut presented to Paramount which ran over thirty minutes longer. When the film began to sell well on DVD, Paramount contacted Paul W.S. Anderson to reassemble the missing footage for a director’s cut, but the footage was either lost or damaged. This original cut, while Anderson has said it was still a rough cut and he probably would have only used about ten more minutes of the lost footage, has become for many collectors one of those holy grail wishlist items that will probably never happen. It has become the science fiction/horror nerds’ The Magnificent Ambersons.

Fans of the film have many good reasons to be happy. Last year, Shout! Factory released an excellent collector’s edition of the film. This year, Paramount has given the film a brand new 4K UHD steelbook release. Given the visual brilliance of many aspects of the film, I was extremely excited to see how the film looked on the new format. The release in no way was a disappointment.

In 2047, a rescue vessel called the Lewis and Clark is sent towards the outer realms of Neptune on a mission that has not been fully explained. Onboard the ship is the crew which consists of Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne,) Lieutenant Stark (Joely Richardson,) pilot Smith (Sean Pertwee,) medical technician Peters (Kathleen Quinlan,) Doctor D.J. (Jason Isaacs,) engineer Justin (Jack Noseworthy,) and rescue technician Cooper (Richard T. Jones.) The crew has been joined by scientist Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill.) Once they have gone through their thirty day journey within their sleep pods and awaken, Captain Miller asks Dr. Weir exactly why they have been brought so far out. He explains that the rescue mission is to bring back the Event Horizon. The Event Horizon was an experimental vessel that had disappeared completely seven years earlier. Dr. Weir explains that the ship was designed with a gravity drive that was capable of creating a tiny black hole and passing through it to get from point A to point B. When it had disappeared, no one had been able to pinpoint where the ship had gone. When it reappeared suddenly, a signal had been sent out with a strange message. Dr. Weir plays the message for all the crew members on board. It is horrific sounding message, but one of the crew members hears the Latin term “Liberate Me,” which he explains says “Save me.” Dr. Weir has been sent with the Lewis and Clark in order to pilot the Event Horizon back. The Lewis and Clark approaches the Event Horizon. The crew can not prepare themselves fully for the horrors that await them and the dangers that they will face aboard the Event Horizon.

First and foremost, the production design of Event Horizon is impeccable. Joseph Bennett’s work on the film can not be underestimated. The set designs by Crispian Sallis are fantastic. The cinematography by Adrian Biddle, who also worked on the films Aliens and Judge Dredd is very well done. The film uses some computer generated visuals (which have aged even more in the UHD format,) but the best looking sequences in the film are all done with practical effects and well thought out design. Event Horizon is certainly one of the most visually enticing science fiction films of that era. 

The cast of the film is a solid ensemble. Laurence Fishburn is perfectly cast for the role of Captain Miller. He has a great air of authority and intelligence to him that works perfectly here. Fishburne is a natural choice as the leading man of the film. Sam Neill is also great in the role of the haunted Dr. Weir. I had no trouble believing him as a scientist, but I did griw up repeatedly watching him as a paleontologist in Jurassic Park so that was not much of a leap for me. I like the film roles that Sam Neill leaned into during the Nineties, with my favorite role of his occurring in John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. They are the two best members of the cast, but the other members of the crew are filled out by talented actors including Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan, and Jason Isaacs. 

The direction by Paul W.S. Anderson is efficient. Anderson worked hand-in-hand with screenwriter Philip Eisner to rework the script away from the idea of alien life forms and closer to the idea of a possessed ship. The premise of the film is very imaginative and frightening. The resulting film is one of the best horror and science fiction films of the Nineties. It’s inexplicable that the critics were so nit-picky with the picture considering how many elements of the film worked incredibly well. While I do believe that some of the sequences in the finale of the picture fall somewhat flat, I think that the film achieves a lot more than it was given credit for. I highly encourage checking out Event Horizon and forming your own opinion!

Video

Paramount Pictures have done a tremendous job on their transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec from a 4K scan of the original camera negatives. My guess would be that the 4K release is using the same excellent transfer that was the basis of the Shout! Factory release. The 2.35:1 image looks fantastic. On the 4K UHD formate, the new scan shows off even better fine detail and perfectly resolve grain over the image. The HDR and Dolby Vision show off a vivid array of colors and deliver the most impressive coloring of the picture yet. Films with amazing production and set design like Event Horizon deserve to be given releases on 4K UHD so that the artistry in the film can be looked at with a greater degree of detail. The limitations of some of the CGI used in the film becomes more apparent on the 4K UHD format, but that is a small price to pay to see the production design of the film even better. I had previously believed that the Shout! Factory release would be the definitive visual presentation of the film, but to my eyes, this UHD presentation is well worth the upgrade.

Audio

Paramount have provided an immersive and well mastered DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track which is the same as was used for the Shout! Factory release.. The film effectively induces jump scares using the surrounds for some pretty frightening sequences. The gravity drive has never sounded better than it does here! 

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt
• The Making of EVENT HORIZON A 5-Part Documentary – this is the very well made hour long making-of that was originally featured on the Paramount release.
• The Point of No Return – A 4-Part Look at the Filming of EVENT HORIZON with Narration by Paul W.S. Anderson
• Secrets – Deleted and Extended Scenes with Director’s Commentary – Three scenes
• The Unseen Event Horizon – The Un-filmed Rescue Scene and Conceptual Art with Director’s Commentary 
• Theatrical Trailer
• Video Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Event Horizon was rushed out by Paramount and was only given about a month for the picture to be edited. In the process, Paul W.S. Anderson cut out over thirty minutes of footage. He believes that about ten minutes of it would have been beneficial to the film. As it stands, Event Horizon is still one of the best science fiction and horror films from the Nineties. Critics were largely dismissive of the film, but I think they were just plain wrong about the film. While the final act of the film falls into a few tropes that could have been avoided, the film’s brilliant production and set design should have shown the critics that a lot of care had gone into the film. It is unfortunate that the missing footage has either been destroyed or lost, but the film is still a great effort that sparks the imagination. There has been a devoted legion of fans for the film since its release for good reason. Shout! Factory’s prior release of the film featured a plethora of interviews and a great transfer from a 4K scan. I highly encouraged the purchase of that release last year, but the new 4K UHD steelbook by Paramount ups the ante visually from Shout!’s release. The HDR and Dolby Vision brings a lot out of the image and despite how wonderful the Shout! release was, I do believe that this release is absolutely worth the double dip. As a big fan of the film, I will be keeping both of the releases due to the special features that were exclusive to the Shout! set, but fans of the picture who care little about the exclusive supplements will want to make sure that this is the version they purchase.