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"PANDORUM" (2009) (Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Heavy Extreme None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Sci-fi/Horror: After coming out of years of hyper-sleep, two crewmembers of a futuristic spaceship ark must contend not only with a disparate group of other survivors, but also bands of mutant hunters that want to kill and eat all of them. PLOT: In the year 2174, and with Earth's resources being depleted, the spaceship Elysium was sent to colonize the planet Tanis. But something has apparently gone wrong, for when Corporal Bower (BEN FOSTER) and then Lieutenant Payton (DENNIS QUAID) awaken from their hyper-sleep, many years have passed and they seem to be the only two people left on the ship. Since the ship's power reactor is in flux and not getting any better, the two can't get the doors open to find out what's occurred, a frustrating element that's only exacerbated by the fact that both are suffering from lingering bouts of hyper-sleep induced amnesia. Nonetheless, Payton has Bower climb up through a vent shaft to see if he can find his way back to the other side of the door so that they can get out and figure out what's happened. But Bower discovers something that only worsens their predicament -- some sort of humanoid mutant hunters that are extraordinarily fast and strong and have apparently been feeding on other humans onboard. Yet, there are survivors, such as genetics team member Nadia (ANTJE TRAUE) and agriculture worker Manh (CUNG LEE) who've managed to avoid the hunters, much like the crazed Leland (EDDIE ROUSE) who's gone to extreme measures to keep himself fed. He's not the only mentally unstable human around, however, as Payton must contend with the arrival of Corporal Gallo (CAM GIGANDET), who appears to be suffering from pandorum, an increasingly unstable state of mental confusion. As he deals with him back at the original location, Payton tries to guide Bower and the others to the ship's reactor to restart it before it's too late, all while hoping to avoid the mutant hunters that are large in number and hearty in appetite. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into sci-fi and/or horror films, or are fans of anyone in the cast, they might be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong horror violence and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DENNIS QUAID plays a lieutenant on a futuristic spaceship that's been sent to colonize another planet. But when he and Bower awaken from their hyper-sleep, they suffer from amnesia, yet quickly realize something has gone amiss. He ends up staying behind in their control room while trying to guide Bower to the ship's reactors, but he must contend with the arrival of the mentally unsteady Gallo. He uses strong profanity. BEN FOSTER plays a corporal on his team who's sent out first to look for a way to get their jammed compartment door open and then to find and restart the ship's reactors. Along the way, he must contend with various run-ins with the mutant hunters as well as various humans who initially aren't much friendlier to him than the killers. He uses strong profanity, hopes to find his wife if she's onboard and still alive, and worries that he might be exhibiting the first signs of pandorum. ANTJE TRAUE plays a genetics team worker turned more than capable lone warrior who initially doesn't like encountering Bower, and even attacks him, but eventually becomes his and Manh's partner in trying to survive and avoid the hunters. She uses some strong profanity. CUNG LEE plays a tough and resourceful agriculture worker on the ship who doesn't speak English and ends up saving Bower from the mutant hunters on more than one occasion. CAM GIGANDET plays a flight crew member who's apparently becoming increasingly mentally unhinged while stuck with Payton. He uses strong profanity, desperately wants to get off the ship, and ends up attacking Payton. EDDIE ROUSE plays a crazed man the others meet on the ship who's gone to extreme measures, including apparent cannibalism, to stay alive. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this sci-fi horror film that's been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 35 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some men are briefly seen separately in their underwear, a woman shows some cleavage, and a man curled up in the fetal position appears to be nude, but nothing explicit is seen. Some mutant creature nudity might be present as many mutant are briefly and partially seen intertwined with many of their kind on the floor (no sex, just sleeping), but we didn't note anything explicit. Violence consists of mutant hunters chasing after, attacking and killing various humans, while the latter do their fair share of killing them in return, all of which has varying degrees of bloody and/or gory results. Humans also fight with and threaten other humans, and all of those scenes, moments of peril, haunted house type jump scenes and the sight of the monsters might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary. Bad attitudes are present, as is potentially imitative behavior, while some brief tense family material occurs. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with flashes of light on the screen, near strobe-like instances of that repeatedly occur in the third act. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, varying amounts of camera movement (sometimes fairly bouncy) as well as some purposefully disorienting views are present at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE Bower pulls a tube out from what appears to be his skin on his arm (we see movement beneath that), but that might just be a protective epidermis or something similar that he then peels off. Whatever the case, the initial visual is that of something moving beneath his skin. Bower starts to vomit after coming out of his hyper-sleep. Bower suddenly spots a partially mummified dead person beside him. Various mutant hunter monsters have bloody mouths (some with blood flowing from that). We see a flashback to a deranged crew member who's apparently killed someone (we see a bloody body on the floor with a pool of blood near him) and has that person's and/or his own blood on him. Bower finds another strung-up and somewhat bloody body. Manh has various large scars on his arms. Payton has a bloody nose. For food, Nadia and Bower eat live grasshoppers. When Payton finds Gallo, the latter is bloody and/or dirty/grimy. Bower and then Nadia end up falling into a large pit of thick liquid that's apparently from a large number of human bodies down there (a primitive version of a food processor on a grand scale). They're covered in that muck and Bower picks up a partially skeletal hand from that. We see the bloody results as Bower, Nadia and Manh fight a monster that they slice, stab, apparently partially dismember, and then impale with a pole. Monsters chase after Bower, Nadia and Manh, with one of them activating a hyper-sleep chamber that then opens, exposing the dazed man inside to the creatures. They attack him, with the leader then driving a spear or pole down through his head, killing him (all with bloody results). Bower, Nadia and Manh are all bloody and/or dirty/grimy from their various encounters with the monsters. We see some drops of blood hit the floor from Gallo's bloody nose. Gallo is bloody while in a hyper-sleep tube and smears some of his blood on the glass. We see a bad and bloody wound on a man's side from where a monster was biting him. A young monster slices open a human's neck, killing him (the wound is briefly seen). Payton stabs a sedative gun's needle into Leland's eye, apparently killing him (we see the broken-off needle sticking out). A monster chases after Bower and Nadia, grabbing her leg, with Bower blasting that creature with his anti-riot gun, apparently killing it (blood splatters onto his face). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The mutant hunter monsters obviously have bad attitudes as they hunt down and kill humans. Some viewers might not like when Bower, annoyed that a non-seen Nadia isn't responding to him, asks, "Are you f*cking deaf?" We see a flashback to a deranged crew member who's apparently killed someone (we see a bloody body on the floor with a pool of blood near him) and has that person's and/or his own blood on him. We then hear that he jettisoned thousands of hyper-sleep tubes into outer space, thus killing all of those people. Nadia initially doesn't like having Bower around and even attacks him. Bower, Nadia and Manh end up gassed by Leland and then find themselves strung upside down by Leland who intends to eat them. Gallo clashes with Payton, but appears to be suffering from pandorum. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. The appearance of the mutant hunter monsters (bloody mouths with sharp teeth, pale skin, some with spikes, etc.) could be unsettling and/or scary to some viewers, particularly younger kids. Bower panics when he wakes up in his hyper-sleep tube and is confused. The ship suddenly starts to shake quite violently but then stops. The same occurs several other times in the film. Looking for a way to get around to the other side of a locked access door, Bower goes up through the vent shaft and then crawls through the dark, messy and claustrophobic shaft/tunnel. During that, we see what initially appears to be a huge spider descending in his direction, but then see that was just a camera trick as it's normal sized. Nevertheless, he eventually starts to panic in there until Payton calms him down (by speaking to him through their communication devices). Bower ends up in a larger but still dimly lit and messy tunnel and cautiously makes his way through that, hearing strange, distant sounds. He then spots Nadia and gives chase. A body suspended by a cable suddenly falls down near Bower. He then has a violent encounter with Nadia, and after she leaves, he hears nearby monster sounds. That body is then suddenly yanked upward and we hear feeding sounds, prompting Bower to run and hide. The sound of Payton on the radio breaks the silence and Bower quickly muffles that, hoping it didn't alert the monsters to his location. But one is then there, violently grabbing at Bower before dragging him off. Bowers sees a figure in a tunnel and then hides. A man Bower has freed from a trap flees upon hearing the monsters coming, followed by Bower also taking flight, but as he tries to jump across an opening, he comes up a bit short and dangles from the edge, while the monsters attack and feed on that other man. A monster chases after Bower whose foot ends up snared as he falls off a ledge a long distance until the cable goes taut (Manh saves him). Payton hears noises from somewhere around him and appears nervous. Bower opens a door and nearly falls out of a cargo container high above the floor. As Nadia tries to scan her hand to gain access to a secure area, the monsters are quickly approaching, with Bower and Manh looking quite nervous, and Bower blasts one back with his anti-riot gun. She succeeds at the very last second and they get inside. Payton hears sounds and then sees movement in a tangle of dark cables and tubes, followed by the appearance of a human hand (belonging to Gallo who he pulls out). Bower and then Nadia end up falling into a large pit of thick liquid that's apparently from a large number of human bodies down there (a primitive version of a food processor on a grand scale). They're covered in that muck and Bower picks up a partially skeletal hand from that. They must then hide there as a monster is up above them. Payton appears concerned and readies himself for action due to Gallo seemingly being quite mentally unstable (this occurs again later in the film). We hear that Bower has 47 minutes to restart the ship's reactors before it's too late. Bower must walk across a long catwalk, but then realizes masses of monsters are slumbering below him. He ends up falling and dangling from another section as Manh tries to prevent the now angled catwalk from falling and alerting the creatures. Bower ends up falling again and then covers himself in what appears to be skin (human or shed from the creatures) and then crawls through and over them, trying to get out without waking them up. But one and then more are awakened, especially with the catwalk falling, and the chase is then on, with the creatures scrambling upward toward the humans, with Bower hurriedly trying to restart the ship's reactors. Bower and Nadia try to flee from rising floodwaters and get into a hyper-sleep tube that also fills with water as they jettison it. With an oxygen mask on Nadia, Bower then holds his breath as the tube completely fills up. GUNS/WEAPONS Non-lethal riot gun (that blasts out a great deal of energy and turns out to be lethal at close range)/Knives/Makeshift spears/Sedative gun: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Would you get that f*cking light out of my eyes?" "F*cking dark in here," "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "Are you f*cking deaf?" "So you don't know what the f*ck is going on?" "Don't f*cking look back," "F*ck you," "A little f*cking solidarity goes a long way," "Come and get it, you f*ck," "F*ck that," "He's gonna f*cking eat us," "Don't be f*cking stupid," "Take a f*cking guess," "Now we're f*cking stuck here," "Shut your f*cking mouth," "Then calm the f*ck down," "What the f*ck are you doing?" "I'll cut you like a f*cking bitch," "Holy f*ck," "Shut the f*ck up," "They f*cked up our planet," "F*ck him," what sounded like "Dog-sh*t," "Get the hell out of here," "Why the hell should I trust you?" "What the hell are they?" "Where the hell /is everyone/are we?" "Who the hell are you?" "Screwed up," "Little bastard," "Shut up" and "How the hell would you know that?" The stunts, action and other such behavior might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. For food, Nadia and Bower eat live grasshoppers. JUMP SCENES A sudden scene transition and sound might startle some viewers. A hyper-sleep tube suddenly drops down, with an accompanying loud, startling sound. Bower suddenly spots a partially mummified dead person beside him. A body suspended by a cable suddenly falls down near Bower. A monster suddenly grabs at Bower. A figure, with accompanying sound on the soundtrack, suddenly passes by. A child's face is suddenly by Bower, but this is just a scene transition on the part of the film. Bower finds another strung-up and somewhat bloody body and when he gets close to check that out, the eyes suddenly open and the person starts thrashing about until Bower cuts him down. A monster suddenly lunges at Bower. Payton closes a small door and Gallo is suddenly there. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous and scary music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 35 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 4 "s" words, 9 hells, 1 ass (used with "hole"), 1 damn, 4 uses of "G-damn," 2 of "Jesus," and 1 use each of "Christ Almighty," "For Christ's sakes," "My God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We see Bower in just his underwear when he comes out of his hyper-sleep tube, and the same holds true moments later for Payton. Bower mentions a likely breeding program on the ship and realizes his and/or Payton's wives are probably somewhere onboard. Nadia shows some cleavage. When Payton finds Gallo, the latter is in a fetal position, seemingly fully nude, but nothing explicit is seen. We see many monsters lying en masse on a floor, tangled with each other. Skin is seen, and there's the possibility that some nudity is present among all of the bodies, but we didn't see anything explicit (they all appear to be sleeping). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES SPOILER ALERT: For much of the film, Bower has various flashbacks to being with his wife in better times, and one of his goals is to find her on the ship. Eventually, however, his partial amnesia subsides enough for him to remember she left him in the past, and that caused him to sign on for the trip onboard the spaceship. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Mental instability due to stress, isolation and/or other factors, labeled here as pandorum. The notion of a spaceship ark to colonize another planet. Earth eventually running out of another resources due to overpopulation. VIOLENCE Bower repeatedly smashes Payton's hyper-sleep tube to try to get him out, but the case is too strong and no damage occurs. Bower accidentally falls a long way down a shaft and lands hard on a grate with his face. He then opens the grate and falls and lands hard again, followed by another hard landing. Nadia hits, trips and then pins Bower. She then runs her knife along his neck (no cutting) and then hits him again. A monster violently grabs at Bower before dragging him off. We see a flashback to a deranged crew member who's apparently killed someone (we see a bloody body on the floor with a pool of blood near him) and has that person's and/or his own blood on him. We then hear that he jettisoned thousands of hyper-sleep tubes into outer space, thus killing all of those people. A man Bower has freed from a trap flees upon hearing the monsters coming, followed by Bower also taking flight, but as he tries to jump across an opening, he comes up a bit short and dangles from the edge, while the monsters attack and feed on that other man. Nadia attacks Bower and the two fight inside a cargo container, hitting and bashing each other about the place, with Bower falling and landing hard, followed by Manh coming to Bower's rescue and battling Nadia. Bower then fires an energy pulse from his anti-riot gun into the air and that causes stuff to fall from above and forces Manh and Nadia to take cover and stop fighting. Nadia holds a knife to Bower's neck. Bower blasts a monster back with an energy pulse from his anti-riot gun. A monster suddenly lunges at Bower and kicks him backwards. It then lands on Nadia and appears ready to snap her neck, but Bower comes to her rescue, hitting the creature that then knocks him back. Manh then shows up and slices the creature, but it too knocks him back, followed by all three taking turns attacking it (slicing, stabbing and apparently cutting off a limb), with it then knocking all of them back again. Bower ends up impaling it with a long rod before kicking it backwards (with blood coming from the hole), followed by all three repeatedly and viciously stabbing and impaling it (we see the motion of the latter, but not the impact). Monsters chase after Bower, Nadia and Manh, with one of them activating a hyper-sleep chamber that then opens, exposing the dazed man inside to the creatures. They attack him, with the leader then driving a spear or pole down through his head, killing him (all with bloody results). Bower, Nadia and Manh end up gassed by Leland and then find themselves strung upside down by Leland who intends to eat them. He appears to hit, slice or impale Nadia, but Bower ends up convincing him to let them go (and they land hard on the floor). A catwalk falls and lands on various monsters, while Manh throws a spear through another one. Bower then restarts the ship's reactors and various monsters are obliterated by the resultant blast. Gallo holds a sedative gun on Payton. The monster leader battles and struggles with Manh, with the former knocking the latter about and Manh head-butting the creature. Manh impales and then kicks the monster, but it starts viciously biting his side, followed by Manh breaking off one of its spikes and repeatedly stabbing the creature with that, eventually killing it. A young monster slices open a human's neck, killing him (the wound is briefly seen). Payton and Gallo fight and struggle over a sedative gun. Payton stabs a sedative gun's needle into Leland's eye, apparently killing him (we see the broken-off needle sticking out). A monster chases after Bower and Nadia, grabbing her leg, with Bower blasting that creature with his anti-riot gun, apparently killing it (blood splatters onto his face). Bower throws Payton to the floor, seemingly stuffs something into his mouth and then hits him on the head. Moments later, Payton throws Bower aside and then pins his head down, quite hard. Nadia whacks Payton with something to free Bower, and then comes at Payton with a knife, but she misses and he then comes at her with the knife. That's followed by him choking and then punching her repeatedly, followed by holding the knife to her throat, all while Bower blasts a monster with his anti-riot gun. That shot, however, causes the windows in the hull to crack, shatter and eventually break, sending a wave of floodwater at all of them. Reviewed September 24, 2009 / Posted September 25, 2009

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