Event Horizon (4K Ultra HD Steelbook Review)

Event Horizon is the 1997 sci-fi/horror film from director Paul A.S. Anderson starring a cast of relative heavyweights, including Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, and Joely Richardson.

Set in 2047, it has been seven years since the innovative spaceship Event Horizon, designed by Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill), to explore the outer reaches of the solar system disappeared beyond the planet Neptune. Unbeknownst to everyone, the ship was more than just a science vessel, it contained an advanced device that allowed it to create a black hole thereby allowing it to bypass the laws of physics and travel faster than the speed of light. Now, the Lewis and Clark is sent out to search for the ship headed by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne) and accompanied by Dr. Weir. The Event Horizon suddenly reappears in Neptune’s orbit in front of the Lewis and Clark nearly causing a calamity, which is the first sign of things going awry, but that is the least of their worries. After boarding the Horizon, the entire crew find no one alive onboard and they begin to experience what seems like waking dreams of bad experiences from their past. They feel there may be a malevolent presence onboard the Event Horizon.

This film has its faults, but one of them is not its scare factor. Anderson does a terrific job on the horror end of the spectrum even if sometimes he plays a little too heavily on shock value, such as one scene where there is a man on fire. From the set designs, which can be described as space Gothic, to the lighting, this is one that you will have a great time watching in the dark around the autumn festivities. Never mind that the screenplay seems to go off the rails the further along we get into the film.

Event Horizon (1997)

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The Video

Paramount doesn’t provide any information on this new 4K release of Event Horizon, but it was originally shot on Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras with Panavision C- and E-Series lenses using high-speed 35mm Kodak Vision 500T 5279 film stock. It comes to 4K Ultra HD in a 2.39:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) encodement with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible). From the looks of it, it is surely a step up from the Blu-ray offering a more refined and better resolved layer of grain with a hint more detail. The Dolby Vision wide color gamut brings out more color gradations as well, such as in the scene where Sam Neill is crawling through the duct with the circuit boards; the greens really ‘pop’ there, where they look flatter on the Blu-ray. Specular highlights come through nicely as well, such as on the core drive when it explodes, giving an ultra-bright white light or on the headlights on the spaceship against the blackness of space. Otherwise, there still seems to be hints of softness in the overall image and in comparison to the already available 4K UHD digital version it is a disappointingly minor upgrade, which is unusual to say the least.

The Audio

Event Horizon is provided with a lossless English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix on 4K Ultra HD. Although it isn’t Atmos or DTS:X, it does a very good job at surrounding you in the sound effects, as a bombastic dynamic range, clear dialogue even during the loudest scenes, and is generally well balanced.

The Supplements

The supplements all reside on the included, repackaged Blu-ray, which have been previously released.

• Steelbook packaging and translucent slipcover with new artwork.
• Digital Copy Code
• Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt
• The Making of Event Horizon (SD; 01:43:01):
  • Into the Jaws of Darkness
  • The Body of the Beast
  • Liberate Tuteme Ex Infernis
  • The Scale to Hell
  • The Womb of Fear
• The Point of No Return: The Filming of Event Horizon Featuring Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson (SD; 00:08:12):
  • The Revolving Corridor
  • The Crew Gathers
  • Shooting Wire Work
  • The Dark Inside
• Secrets (SD; 00:10:03):
  • Deleted Briefing Scene w/Optional Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson
  • Extended Medical Bay Scene Featuring Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson
  • Extended Burning Man Confrontation Featuring Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson
• The Unseen Event Horizon Featuring Commentary by Director Paul W.S. Anderson:
  • The Un-Filmed Rescue Scene (SD; 00:02:57)
  • Conceptual Art (SD; 00:03:52)
• Trailers:
  • Theatrical Trailer (1080p)
  • Video Trailer (SD)

The Final Assessment

Take Event Horizon for what it is: a popcorn thriller and nothing more. This is not intended to be serious sci-fi. This is a step down from even the horror of Alien, but its quick pace and relatively brief run time make it a fun way to pass the time and the acceptable transfer and rock solid 5.1 mix are great home theater fodder.

 (Limited Edition Steelbook) is out on 4K Ultra HD August 6, 2022 from Paramount

• Rating Certificate: R (for strong violence and gore, language and some nudity)
• Studios & Distributors: Golar Productions | Impact Pictures | Paramount Pictures | Paramount Home Entertainment
• Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
• Written By: Philip Eisner
• Run Time: 95 Mins.
• Street Date: 9 August 2022
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
• Secondary Audio: German DD 5.1 | Spanish DD 5.1 | French DD 5.1| Italian DD 5.1 | Japanese DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English | English SDH | German | Spanish | French | Italian | Japanese