Event Horizon (1997)
59%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
Despite a strong opening that promises sci-fi thrills, Event Horizon quickly devolves into an exercise of style over substance whose flashy effects and gratuitous gore fail to mask its overreliance on horror clichés
Event Horizon is a wild ride through space that will leave you questioning your sanity. While some critics found it to be a brutal and nonsensical horror film, others praised its impressive special effects and standout performances from Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill. Personally, I found it to be a thrilling and unique addition to the sci-fi horror genre. Sure, some of the death scenes were a bit much, but isn’t that what we signed up for? Strap in and prepare for a wild ride through the abyss of space.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and some nudity
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Latin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Apr 18, 2006
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
Event Horizon, R, Horror, 1h 35m, directed by Paul W.S Anderson, written by Philip Eisner, produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Jeremy Bolt, starring Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T Jones, Jack Noseworthy, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Ryan Gilbey, Bob Thomas, John Petrakis, Kenneth Turan, Paul Tatara, Mal Vincent, Alistair Lawrence, Justin Brown, Brandon Collins, Heather Wixson, MPAA rating R, box office gross $26.7M, sci-fi, horror clichés, spacecraft, investigation, sinister, gore, flashy effects, William Weir, Lewis and Clark, Capt Miller, Lt Starck, Cooper, Justin, Peters, aspect ratio Scope (2.35:1), Dolby Digital, surround
Worldwide gross: $26,673,829
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $49,722,174
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,329
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 5,422,265
US/Canada gross: $26,673,242
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $49,721,080
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,073
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,511,915
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,730,979
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 715
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $60,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $111,844,852
Production budget ranking: 337
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $60,228,453
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$122,351,130
ROI to date (est.): -71%
ROI ranking: 1,813
Sam Neill – Dr. William Weir
Kathleen Quinlan – Peters
Joely Richardson – Lt. Starck
Richard T. Jones – Cooper
Jack Noseworthy – Justin
Director(s)
Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer(s)
Philip Eisner
Producer(s)
Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Jeremy Bolt
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (59)
The pits.
December 15, 2018
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
A loud and nasty hunk of science-fiction horror.
December 15, 2018
Ryan Gilbey
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Climax follows climax until the weary viewer wants to cry, “Stop, already!”
December 15, 2018
Bob Thomas
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
The sets are indeed terrific and the special effects quite remarkable, as the chill of the uncertain future is mixed with a steamy gothic past. But, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, never have so many done so much to such little purpose.
December 15, 2018 | Rating: 2/4
John Petrakis
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Director Anderson gets points for skillfully choreographing all of this, but he loses them for a consistent desire to brutalize the audience.
December 15, 2018
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Don’t worry, it’s not you. It really doesn’t make any sense.
December 15, 2018
Paul Tatara
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
In the end, and at least 30 minutes before, you get the idea that you’re stranded in empty space.
March 1, 2022 | Rating: 2/4
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot
The movie might never step out of the formidable shadow cast by Aliens, but Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill embrace their roles as the cynical Captain Miller and idealistic engineer Weir to keep things watchable.
December 1, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Alistair Lawrence
Common Sense Media
I didn’t think many of the actors gave convincing performances that highlighted the insanity of what was happening around them. The stakes weren’t there for the majority of the film for me.
October 15, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
Justin Brown
Medium Popcorn
This isn’t necessarily a bad movie but some of the death scenes were just ridiculously brutal. It was disturbing.
October 15, 2021 | Rating: 2/5
Brandon Collins
Medium Popcorn
Event Horizon feels like a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic excursion in sci-fi and pure, unfiltered horror that rarely ever comes along out of the studio system.
May 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Heather Wixson
Daily Dead
Still one of the best space horror films ever made…
April 3, 2021 | Rating: 4.8/5
Anthony Arrigo
Dread Central…
Plot
In the year 2047 a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the long lost starship “Event Horizon”. The ship disappeared mysteriously 7 years before on its maiden voyage and with its return comes even more mystery as the crew of the “Lewis and Clark” discover the real truth behind its disappearance and something even more terrifying.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Event Horizon.
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