Event Horizon (Blu-ray)
Steve Barton
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Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment
Dr. Weir: “What about my ship? You can’t just leave her! “
Capt. Miller: “I have no intention of leaving her, Doctor. I will take the Lewis and Clark to a safe distance, and then I will launch TAC missiles at the Event Horizon until I’m satisfied she’s vaporized. Fuck this ship!”
The above is quite possibly my favorite bit of dialogue from this film. Why? Because it is easily the most realistic reaction by anyone who’s ever found himself in a situation he did not want and did not have to be in. You try to do a good thing and end up being tortured for showing up? Fuck this ship! Plain and simple.
Event Horizon is both great and incredibly sad. Great because it’s probably the best haunted house in outer space movie ever made and sad because Paul Anderson has actually regressed as a filmmaker since the movie’s release. It’s hard to watch this and not ask yourself, “What the hell happened to this guy?” He showed us who shits on the sidewalk. Sigh.
Likewise, the Blu-ray release is a blessing and a bit of a disappointment. The only Blu-ray exclusive goodie to be found here is the film’s theatrical trailer, which is presented in HD. That’s not to say there isn’t any supplemental material present. In fact there’s oodles of it, including the five-part documentary that has a longer runtime than the film itself. The trouble is all of these features were unleashed a while back when Paramount delivered its two-disc Event Horizon Special Edition DVD (review here). Just click that link to find out about all the goodies presented. Let’s get on to the blessing part!
Simply put, in 1080p the film is eye-poppingly gorgeous. You would never know it is over ten years old. Paramount has done a masterful job of remastering the movie for this release. The detail is razor sharp, especially during close-ups, and the colors do a fine job of sliding between vibrant to muted. There are a few specks and scratches here and there but nothing that will distract you from its ghastly beauty. I do have one minor complaint — the film’s aspect ratio at times seems a bit vertically stretched. This oddity first reared its head with the release of the two-disc DVD and carried over to here. It wasn’t present on any European DVD’s or even the original DVD release. Still, I’m willing to bet that you’ll hardly even notice. Except when things you know are supposed to be round end up looking slightly oval.
The TrueHD sound mix is another winner that will have your home theatre set up begging for mercy as the score’s bass thumps and the film’s sound effects show an amazing amount of stereo separation. Honestly? I noticed just as drastic a difference here in sound as I did in the jump in picture quality from DVD to Blu-ray. The disc is a feast for the senses and really needs to be seen and heard to be truly appreciated.
So there’s the rub. Do you double dip if you already own the DVD? You’re really not getting anything extra other than an HD trailer and far superior sound and picture quality. Speaking as an HD junkie, there’s no way in hell I’d pass this up; however, DVD owners on the fence may find their cash better spent elsewhere.
Special Features:
4 out of 5
Special Features:
4 out of 5
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