Yet another movie attempts to tell us what the future of the world looks like when the population spikes and resources are burned up on Earth outside of the realm of common sense. Like Wall-E and Avatar, there is plenty of social commentary from director Christian Alvert, but this one is a bit different. It's villainous "others" look pretty similar to the mutants that Will Smith battled in I Am Legend, and they are more up close and personal, and less hiding in the dark. The violence is brutal, the tension palpable, and the dirt of this dying space ship, the sixty-thousand passenger ship the Elysium, is nearly grit on your fingers.

Spacemen Bower (Ben Foster) and Payton (Dennis Quaid) wake from their deep drug-induced coma and attempt to work through their confusion, touching on the pandorum condition, one which leads to homicidal tendencies and suicide, that has plagued their ship. Unfortunately, they are the Earth's last chance at reaching Tanis, a planet that is considered to be suitable to support human life. The ship's controls aren't responsive, different areas are closed off, and the two can hear strange sounds echoing through the ship, so the younger Bower is sent out to investigate.

Obviously, as you can tell from the cover, there are both humans and non-humans living on the Elysium. Having taken its name from an aspect of the Greek underworld, where those who are heroic are rewarded, the ship seems to be little more than a slaughterhouse. Tanis is set up to be more like a Canaan (Jewish) or a Mecca (Muslim) oasis for life. And the initial drama revolves around finding out what the deal is on the ship, where the ship is really headed, and finally, if the ship as it exists can sustain life. Or if those we see as our protagonists can survive.

Pandorum seems to involve detective work, horror, and science fiction, all aimed at scaring, entertaining, and maybe even teaching us. I found it to be a nail-biter, and quite enjoyable, even if the gore did make me want to turn my head periodically. Foster's Bower is likeable enough, and the whole Lord of the Flies motif still allows us to believe that someone can be good even given all the alternatives. While I'm at it, the stretch of mindbending that goes on takes a few pointers from Michael Crichton's Sphere, and we won't completely know what's going on until the end, given the mighty twist or two that the movie takes.

Characters are set up in some interesting parallels. By the end game, I found Foster to be the new Adam, tripping his way through the Garden of Eden (false) on his way to the Garden of Eden (true). Along the way, he is offered power, truth, death (as a way out), and plenty of other masks and confusions. But he stays true to his belief that he is responsible for the future of humankind and he refuses to stray from "the path." Given Paul W.S. Anderson's involvement, sort of like Peter Jackson in District 9, you can expect the violence and gore, but youdon't haveto stretch much toimagine there will be some moral dilemma, too (Death Race?).

Given the moral dilemma and the action, I have to say that you can gain a deeper understanding on the second watch-through, making it better than average. Think of it as Temptation In Space or at least a modern day parable.