Event Horizon

Great sci-fi horror and also a brutal spectacle for something form the late 90s. The atmosphere does let down by the end, but never to the point that would affect the overall impression. The premise (a spaceship returns after being lost in the cosmos, bringing something with it) is awesome and I don’t think it could have been developed better. Hands down, Paul Anderson’s best work, even if students of physics would not agree. (29/05/2008)

Paul W. S. Anderson ventured into the realm of action B-movies and, in some cases, true oddities, such as The Three Musketeers. With Event Horizon, however, he created one of the best sci-fi horror films, where neither genre dominates, resulting in a perfect blend of both. It's sci-fi and, for fans of the genre, it's at least interesting. But it's also a horror film that won't disappoint any horror enthusiasts because it definitely has the right horror atmosphere. (09/01/2015)

The stormy atmosphere of Neptune and a space ship spewed from the depths of hell didn’t give me a moment of rest for the whole 92 minutes. Anderson can do it if he wants (the faultless dizzy beginning) and if it weren’t for the slightly over the top ending I would easily give it 5*. But now I can only remember the perfect build up of atmosphere in the first two thirds, the superb acting performances of Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill, the very decent effects and the idea which, if it had been developed right could have satisfied my dark side. (08/12/2009)

The density of the claustrophobic atmosphere and the psychedelic dread of the first two-thirds of this film are among the best you’ll find in the sci-fi horror genre, which of course is ruled by Alien. The scenes with Sam Neill wandering through the narrow green tunnels are brilliant, as are a lot of the other visual tricks, including the opening circular “vertigo shot” (I saw it on the big screen and got seriously dizzy). Unfortunately, the film later becomes an action exhibition of screenwriting trash, like something from Paul W.S. Anderson. But I so fondly recall the first two-thirds that I'm sticking with by my four-star rating. (26/04/2005)

It starts as a smart and atmospherically charged film, but it gradually becomes poorly staged horror without a hint of sense or logic. Laurence Fishburne is flawless as the captain, and the other crew members are also decent. The futuristic-looking sets will please every fan of dark sci-fi, but the closer the film gets to the end, the more you shake your head. There is literally no twist, blood pours like crazy – and completely unnecessarily – and all the carefully built atmosphere of mystery vanishes. Skip half an hour, replace it with a meaningful ending and maybe a bit of unpolopathically explained philosophy and it would be a very decent addition to the scifi genre. Like this, it's just a controversial bloodbath. (07/05/2005)