The Case for 'Event Horizon'
The following opinion/argument/rationalization/waste of your time is strictly my own. In no way am I speaking for any other person than myself.
Paul W.S Anderson these days could be considered Public Enemy #1 in the genre world. He has ticked off many fans with his adaptations of pre-established franchises such as Resident Evil and Alien Vs. Predator (though the sequel by the Brothers Strausse was infinitely more horrendous). He is a director who seems to value style over substance and doesn't appear to listen to the people who he tries to make these movies for. On top of that, as a writer, let's just say that the fanfiction I write could run circles around his, though obviously he gets paid and I don't. Additionally, he's married Action Amazon Milla Jovovich. Yeah, what a prick.
But thirteen years ago, believe it or not, he made a great movie that gave him considerable promise as a film maker: Event Horizon. By no means could it possibly be considered a bonafide classic or original (it is so chock full of references to other movies that it would make a film buff's head spin). But, over the years, it has gained a significantly huge cult audience and deservedly so- for all of it's homages (or deriviations) it is also a solid science fiction/horror/thriller that overall achieves what it sets out to do- to surprise, to delight, to disgust and to disturb. Let me emphasize the ways:
The Cast
Laurence Fishburne. Sam Neill. Jason Issacs. The rest of the legitimately talented cast members in this movie. Although they are not what can ordinarily can be considered box office draws, they play their roles straight with no wink wink, nudge nudge.. While this is at heart a B-Movie (and what genre movie ISN'T?), the performances are very solid that you give a damn about their characters through the progression of the movie. On top of that, nobody in this movie is super-human, which means, they can be killed any moment, something Anderson discarded in Resident Evil when he conceived the glorified Mary Sue known as Alice.
The Ship
Come on. Look at that and tell me the ship's exterior alone isn't enough to give you the shivers. The design of the ship inside and out was inspired by the Notre Dame cathedral, one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture. Circular hallways, stained-glass windows. claustraphobic passages, geometrical infrastructure, spiked hallways and dizzying angles make the ship a character in itself. Add to that Adrian Biddle's lighting talents and you have yourself a fabulous haunted house in space. Look at the evidence below:
Yes, this is a computer render, but check out the shape of the vessel, enlongated, graceful cruciform structure- beautiful
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One of my favourite set pieces- the core of the ship
The Gore
In case you have not seen this movie (and due to the fact I am unable to find 'money shots') I haven't included any pictures, but take my word for it, the blood 'n' guts shed in this movie really does push the envelope. Keep in mind, this was made in 1997, when gore still had the capacity to shock audiences as opposed to these days when many horror films are saturated in the red stuff. Anderson purposely chose to apply a painter's eye to these sequences using inspiration from notable artists such as Bosch and Brughel on top of some old-fashioned ugliness. Although the nasty stuff such as the visions of Hell are on screen for only a few frames, if you pause and slow down your DVD, you are gonna see some truly sick stuff. Also, it's not just the visions of Hell that will make you wince- there is an incident involving a bloody long fall resulting in a pair of seriously broken legs. OUCH. If only Anderson and co. had used this flair for cruelty when making the Resident Evil films it may have made a little more of a difference.
JUST KIDDING, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! :DDDDDDDDDDDD
The Score
Not often do you get an amalgamation of classical and techno, but Michael Kamen and Orbital's score compliment the film surprisingly well. Those familiar with Anderson's choice of music in movies may be shocked when they hear an orchestral score playing in synch with the 'ints, ints, ints' that typically bombards his movies and trailers. Kamen and Orbital have managed to convey the sense of the future along with the haunting music similar to the soundtracks of the old Hammer films.
The Budget
Admittedly, while this movie boasts quite a few excellent examples of practical and CGI effects, it wasn't made on a humungous Hollywood budget, which meant Anderson and co. really needed to distribute their funds thoughtfully when it came to the production of the movie. As a result, despite not having the luxury of a long production period (once again note this was made in '97) it really milked it's positives for all of their worth and they pay off. Anderson once said that the original cut was two hours (as opposed to the much brisker 90 minutes of the released version) and in narrative terms, it had a lot more meat (no pun intended). I dunno about you, but I wouldn't have minded being on that creepy ship for longer, but money and time being what it is in Movie Land, full creative control is a paradise that only the most biggest of cheeses can afford. Below are two sequences that were filmed but not included in the final version. If you ask me, it is a shame that they weren't kept, especially the first one: brrrrrr.
In closing, I would like to say this- Paul W.S Anderson is a terrible writer but he has the wit of a brilliant PR. He knows how to sell his movies and he knows what will catch an audience's eye even if it ultimately does not make a lick of sense. But, he is also quite talented at offering up spectacular visuals which can make or break a story. Event Horizon is a fine example of this, as is the underrated Soldier and the very fun Death Race. If the man is given explicit instructions about how a story can look, he has the potential to be a widely-regarded genre film maker. What I feel he needs to do is to stop taking part in the Resident Evil films and cast his net wider. This guy didn't direct commercials or music videos- he did go to film school, he studied the craft and believe it or not, he does have a broad knowledge of film and literature. Technically he could churn out crowd-pleaser after crowd-pleaser every year if he took advantage of his strengths and aknowledged his weaknesses by getting assistance in the form of other creative minds. But right now, he really needs to listen to his audience whom he has lost touch with because if he continues to go down this path, eventually Event Horizon will disappear just like the titular ship.
WAKE UP, ANDERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul W.S Anderson these days could be considered Public Enemy #1 in the genre world. He has ticked off many fans with his adaptations of pre-established franchises such as Resident Evil and Alien Vs. Predator (though the sequel by the Brothers Strausse was infinitely more horrendous). He is a director who seems to value style over substance and doesn't appear to listen to the people who he tries to make these movies for. On top of that, as a writer, let's just say that the fanfiction I write could run circles around his, though obviously he gets paid and I don't. Additionally, he's married Action Amazon Milla Jovovich. Yeah, what a prick.
But thirteen years ago, believe it or not, he made a great movie that gave him considerable promise as a film maker: Event Horizon. By no means could it possibly be considered a bonafide classic or original (it is so chock full of references to other movies that it would make a film buff's head spin). But, over the years, it has gained a significantly huge cult audience and deservedly so- for all of it's homages (or deriviations) it is also a solid science fiction/horror/thriller that overall achieves what it sets out to do- to surprise, to delight, to disgust and to disturb. Let me emphasize the ways:
The Cast
Laurence Fishburne. Sam Neill. Jason Issacs. The rest of the legitimately talented cast members in this movie. Although they are not what can ordinarily can be considered box office draws, they play their roles straight with no wink wink, nudge nudge.. While this is at heart a B-Movie (and what genre movie ISN'T?), the performances are very solid that you give a damn about their characters through the progression of the movie. On top of that, nobody in this movie is super-human, which means, they can be killed any moment, something Anderson discarded in Resident Evil when he conceived the glorified Mary Sue known as Alice.
The Ship
Come on. Look at that and tell me the ship's exterior alone isn't enough to give you the shivers. The design of the ship inside and out was inspired by the Notre Dame cathedral, one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture. Circular hallways, stained-glass windows. claustraphobic passages, geometrical infrastructure, spiked hallways and dizzying angles make the ship a character in itself. Add to that Adrian Biddle's lighting talents and you have yourself a fabulous haunted house in space. Look at the evidence below:
Yes, this is a computer render, but check out the shape of the vessel, enlongated, graceful cruciform structure- beautiful
One of my favourite set pieces- the core of the ship
The Gore
In case you have not seen this movie (and due to the fact I am unable to find 'money shots') I haven't included any pictures, but take my word for it, the blood 'n' guts shed in this movie really does push the envelope. Keep in mind, this was made in 1997, when gore still had the capacity to shock audiences as opposed to these days when many horror films are saturated in the red stuff. Anderson purposely chose to apply a painter's eye to these sequences using inspiration from notable artists such as Bosch and Brughel on top of some old-fashioned ugliness. Although the nasty stuff such as the visions of Hell are on screen for only a few frames, if you pause and slow down your DVD, you are gonna see some truly sick stuff. Also, it's not just the visions of Hell that will make you wince- there is an incident involving a bloody long fall resulting in a pair of seriously broken legs. OUCH. If only Anderson and co. had used this flair for cruelty when making the Resident Evil films it may have made a little more of a difference.
JUST KIDDING, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! :DDDDDDDDDDDD
The Score
Not often do you get an amalgamation of classical and techno, but Michael Kamen and Orbital's score compliment the film surprisingly well. Those familiar with Anderson's choice of music in movies may be shocked when they hear an orchestral score playing in synch with the 'ints, ints, ints' that typically bombards his movies and trailers. Kamen and Orbital have managed to convey the sense of the future along with the haunting music similar to the soundtracks of the old Hammer films.
The Budget
Admittedly, while this movie boasts quite a few excellent examples of practical and CGI effects, it wasn't made on a humungous Hollywood budget, which meant Anderson and co. really needed to distribute their funds thoughtfully when it came to the production of the movie. As a result, despite not having the luxury of a long production period (once again note this was made in '97) it really milked it's positives for all of their worth and they pay off. Anderson once said that the original cut was two hours (as opposed to the much brisker 90 minutes of the released version) and in narrative terms, it had a lot more meat (no pun intended). I dunno about you, but I wouldn't have minded being on that creepy ship for longer, but money and time being what it is in Movie Land, full creative control is a paradise that only the most biggest of cheeses can afford. Below are two sequences that were filmed but not included in the final version. If you ask me, it is a shame that they weren't kept, especially the first one: brrrrrr.
Click to viewIn closing, I would like to say this- Paul W.S Anderson is a terrible writer but he has the wit of a brilliant PR. He knows how to sell his movies and he knows what will catch an audience's eye even if it ultimately does not make a lick of sense. But, he is also quite talented at offering up spectacular visuals which can make or break a story. Event Horizon is a fine example of this, as is the underrated Soldier and the very fun Death Race. If the man is given explicit instructions about how a story can look, he has the potential to be a widely-regarded genre film maker. What I feel he needs to do is to stop taking part in the Resident Evil films and cast his net wider. This guy didn't direct commercials or music videos- he did go to film school, he studied the craft and believe it or not, he does have a broad knowledge of film and literature. Technically he could churn out crowd-pleaser after crowd-pleaser every year if he took advantage of his strengths and aknowledged his weaknesses by getting assistance in the form of other creative minds. But right now, he really needs to listen to his audience whom he has lost touch with because if he continues to go down this path, eventually Event Horizon will disappear just like the titular ship.
WAKE UP, ANDERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!