LIGHTING, FOLKS. PROPER LIGHTING. SURELY IT DOESN’T EXIST? HOW CAN THIS MID-BUDGET HORROR FROM THE EARLY 2000s HAVE BETTER LIGHTING THAN MOST MODERN FILMS? I’VE FOUND A UNICORN AND IT HAS A PENDANT NECKLACE WITH THIS FILM’S POSTER INSIDE.
Hyperbole, obviously, but this genuinely does have impeccable lighting. You see the parts you’re meant to see, you’re blind in the parts you’re not. This isn’t even in a “where’s the light coming from? same place as the music” way, it just utilises its sources deeply impressively. It elevates this whole thing.
Elsewhere, this is rock solid. There’s a canny long shot near the start that clues us into the ship’s geography, immediately setting you on a safe course. Little touches like that are always appreciated. It uses its claustrophobic setting in consistently interesting ways, there’s a moment near the end where we’re plunged into darkness and the set we’ve become accustomed to feels alien. The action is consistently rousing, the acting is above par, the plot (while not exactly novel (written by Darren Aronofsky no less)) is given space to breathe and the slightly twee period touches do little to dampen the overall effect.
It’s no masterpiece (and I probably enjoyed it way more than most would) but a highly enjoyable way to spend 105 minutes. Simple stuff done well. Event Horizon in a submarine. Good times.
LIGHTING, FOLKS. PROPER LIGHTING. SURELY IT DOESN’T EXIST? HOW CAN THIS MID-BUDGET HORROR FROM THE EARLY 2000s HAVE BETTER LIGHTING THAN MOST MODERN FILMS? I’VE FOUND A UNICORN AND IT HAS A PENDANT NECKLACE WITH THIS FILM’S POSTER INSIDE.
Hyperbole, obviously, but this genuinely does have impeccable lighting. You see the parts you’re meant to see, you’re blind in the parts you’re not. This isn’t even in a “where’s the light coming from? same place as the music” way, it just utilises its sources deeply impressively. It elevates this whole thing.
Elsewhere, this is rock solid. There’s a canny long shot near the start that clues us into the ship’s geography, immediately setting you on a safe course. Little touches like that are always appreciated. It uses its claustrophobic setting in consistently interesting ways, there’s a moment near the end where we’re plunged into darkness and the set we’ve become accustomed to feels alien. The action is consistently rousing, the acting is above par, the plot (while not exactly novel (written by Darren Aronofsky no less)) is given space to breathe and the slightly twee period touches do little to dampen the overall effect.
It’s no masterpiece (and I probably enjoyed it way more than most would) but a highly enjoyable way to spend 105 minutes. Simple stuff done well. Event Horizon in a submarine. Good times.
