The Pandora Project

THE PANDORA PROJECT (1998)

Directed by: Jim Wynorski
Written by: John Terlesky
Starring: Daniel Baldwin, Erika Eliniak, Richard Tyson & Tony Todd

This cheap quickie from Cinetel Films and Jim Wynorski sees Richard Tyson (Kindergarten Cop) running around causing trouble with some kind of device that can implode the cells of any living creature without demolishing surrounding buildings and vehicles (woah!). Hopping all over the place, with his band of rent-a-goons, Tyson first tries to sell the device to some Mexican drug lord, only for the deal to go south. He then legs it back to the US and sets his sights on eradicating important officials. Uber serious government type Tony Todd ropes in old pal and all round super solider Daniel Baldwin to track him down as, well, he’s “the best damn man in the business” and, wouldn’t you know it, Baldwin has a score to settle with Tyson (at least I think he did! They certainly new each other from being in the forces but I watched this pretty late at night and as you can see the plot is already all kinds of complicated!). Speaking of complicated, Baldwin has also got to get married (to the lovely Erika Eliniak no less) something his beautiful bride to be keeps reminding him of. Can Baldwin stop Tyson from killing loads of people and make it to Vegas on Saturday to get hitched? Well, what do you think?

Wynorski has made about a billion cheapjack action flicks like this (Desert Thunder, Gale Force) many of which are a lot more fun than The Pandora Project. This should have been a B-movie hoot what with groovy sci-fi like weapons, automatic gunfire and a great B-movie cast all on the menu but unfortunately it all feels stale and tired. For one thing, there is too much talking when there should be more running around, gunfights and things just generally blowing up. It’s great that they’ve worked in Baldwin’s upcoming marriage and his close relationship with his brother but damn, I’d rather he was chasing after Tyson and getting into more gunfights and car chases. At least Tyson is a lot of fun, not giving a shit who he kills, cracking quips and just generally being a douche. He chews every scene he is in, rocks a Hawaiian shirt on one occasion and seems to be the only one having any fun.

There is a little bit of action peppered in here and there with a pretty cool gunfight cum fistfight taking place in a deserted racing track. But alas, just not enough to stop this being a dreary B-movie that just needed a little more boom.