Pandorum

Set far in the future, engineer Bower (Foster) is on one of a small fleet of ships intended to colonise a new planet: the only one ever found that is similar enough to Earth so that humans can live on it. Waking up prematurely from hypersleep he finds crewmates dead and only thirteen hours till his spaceship is torn apart by a hull breach. The course of action seems simple: head to the engines and repair them. However, things go from bad to worse when creatures start appearing around the ship; creatures with a taste for blood...

The foreboding atmosphere is almost palpable; the crew can’t even trust their own eyes. Hypersleep occasionally causes hallucinations and even insanity. The darker the situation, the more it would appear that what they see is real and so the more afraid those left are to say anything. They're isolated, scared and increasingly paranoid about being caught.

With a series of supporting roles in other films, Ben Foster is a face you will probably recognise but not know why. He rises to the challenge brilliantly in this unpredictable sci-fi horror. As for the rest of the cast, the acting cannot be faulted. The realisation of what has happened comes a piece at a time to keep you gripped and questioning until the end. And the film is certainly not short of action scenes or stunning CGI to please your aesthetic sensibilities too.

Despite the somewhat clichéd genre, this film still manages to feel fresh. With faultless acting, believable fight scenes and a compelling storyline, Pandorum is without a doubt one of the best sci-fi horrors to come out in the last few years.

Natalie Tyldesley