Up & Coming Weekly

28 UCW OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com There is a lot going on in Pandorum (108 minutes). The plot is overly complicated, but the narrative technique of drop- ping the audience into the middle of a FUBaR situation makes for a compelling introduction to the characters and the plot. There is one major problem with the fast-paced and complicated story. Issues that deserve a lengthy and detailed expla- nation wind up shortchanged in favor of slightly dippy exposition from random char- acters who only exist to provide slightly dippy expo- sition. Director Christian Alvart specializes in the dramatic thriller (Antibodies, Case 39), and he certainly manages to shine in the science fiction/horror genre as well. Writer Travis Milloy (Alvart also gets a story credit) is relatively new to screenwriting, and he will definitely need to work on his pacing before starting on the two projected sequels. That is, if Pandorum brings in enough money to justify sequels…very doubtful, considering its horrifyingly dismal box office so far. The major issue, of course, is the derivativeness of the material. On the plus side, the writers found their inspiration in excellent films such as Event Horizon, the Descent, and Sunshine. If you're going to "borrow" other people's plots, remember to follow his example and borrow from the best! NOTE: what charm the movie has stems from the fact that until halfway through the movie, nobody has any idea what is happening or why (including the audience). Read the following plot summary at your own risk! Two astronauts, Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Bower (Ben Foster) wake from a Matrix- style cocoon with no memory of who they are or what they are assigned to do. They know they have a massive ship to pilot, they know the ship contains approximately sixty thousand others and they also know that something has gone horribly wrong. They can't access the bridge, they can't communicate with the rest of the ship and the flight crew they are supposed to relieve is MIA. We get some back story on the titular (and fictional) condition of Pandorum while the two musketeers plan their next move. After putting the finishing touches on his clean shave with his really nifty laser hair removal kit, Bower is sent off to investigate the ship, despite the generally poor lighting. He discovers some of the ship's inhabitants, but they only serve to deepen the mystery. Meanwhile, Payton has found a survivor of his own, Gallo (Jack Noseworthy Light, Cam Gigandet). Gallo is creepily intense and spends some time filling everyone in on the mission of the ship and the possible reasons for its current condition, while further expounding on the signs of incipient Pandorum. The disorder may be cool, but describing it eats up way too much screen time that might h ave been better spent explaining in more d e t a i l w h a t h a p p e n e d t o t h e s h i p ' s i n h a b i t a n t s . Eventually, Bowers hooks up with a merry band (Antje Traue and Cung Lee). Then they just happen to run into the exposition fairy, Leland (Eddie Rouse). Eventually, everyone winds up at the same party, and the audience finally gets some real answers. Overall, hard-core sci-fi fans will enjoy this immensely, but mainstream audiences will probably walk away scratching their heads. Event Horizon, Sunshine, and The Descent, Together at Last Pandorum (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS MILLSTONE 14 3 4 0 0 F o o t b r i d g e L n . (Camden Rd. off of Hope Mills Rd.) w w w . S t o n e T h e a t r e s . c o m O P E N S T H I S F R I D AY ! O P E N S T H I S F R I D AY ! 14 Wall-to-Wall Screens 2600+ Seats High Back Luxury Leather Rockers State-of-the-art Digital Surround Sound (DOLBY and DTS) and multiple 3-D feature screens Gourmet Concessions Rear Window Captioning for the hearing impaired 910-354-2124

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