The studios releasing “Pandorum” and “Surrogates,” both opening Friday, decided not to screen the films for critics.
Surrogates (PG-13)
What is it? In the future, humans live in secure solitude while their outside activities, like jobs, are performed by robot surrogates. A homicide forces a police detective to reluctantly leave his home to sleuth out the truth.
Why didn’t Touchstone Pictures show it to the press? It did … sort of. “Surrogates” was screened Thursday night, too late for any print media.
Why we’d see it: We like leading man Bruce Willis. The supporting cast is promising: Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames. Director Jonathan Mostow has done good work (like the submarine melodrama “U-571”).
Why we wouldn’t: The studio doesn’t want reviews on opening day.
ROBERT W. BUTLER, THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Pandorum (R)
What is it? Astronauts (Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster) come out of deep-space hibernation with no memory of their identities or their mission. Oh … and their ship is crawling with nasty mutants.
Why didn’t Overture Films show it to the press? Overture did not respond to our e-mail and phone requests for an explanation.
Why we’d see it: We’re Quaid fans.
Why we wouldn’t: We’ve already seen “Pitch Black,” “Alien,” “Aliens,” “Resident Evil,” “The Descent” …
ROBERT W. BUTLER, THE KANSAS CITY STAR
